FJ: 2.2.2 Dorian and his Family.

[16:38]	Arkalest	Dorian Two days after your faithful meeting with the SCPD, a Wretch and Prima IV's most fashionable black market art dealer, you receive a message from Tuissant. [Your family is abotu to arrive in Spiralc City.]
[16:42]	Dorian	[Wait, what?]
[16:42]	Dorian	[I took months to get here, how are they already here?]
[16:42]	Arkalest	[You did not travel on a Constable far-jumper.]
[16:44]	Dorian	shrugs, unsure what he's feeling right now. [Where do I need to go to meet them?]
[16:45]	Arkalest	[If you want we can shuttle you down to the Spiral City shuttleport.]
[16:45]	Arkalest	[Or have the shuttle dock directly here. The Zaofu is coming in as well. She'll provide orbital cover.]
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[16:46]	Dorian	[I'll go down and meet them. I assume you're housing them here on the Hab either way?]
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[16:50]	Arkalest	[Yeah.]
[16:51]	Dorian	[I'm on my way to the shuttlebay right now.] Dorian immediately stops whatever he'd been doing, puts things up, and starts sprinting down to the shuttlebay.
[16:52]	Arkalest	--------------------------
[16:53]	Arkalest	Dorian The shuttle lazily arches down towards Spiral City. Alex is sitting next to you, short leather jacket over a red shirt covered in white runes. She's currently running a skinless black hand over her hair, metallic carapace gleaming in the lights.
[16:53]	Arkalest	The lounge here is similar to the one you've seen on your arrival- Oval, teak floors, incredibly comfy and smelling of difinectant.
[16:56]	Arkalest	"Sooo." She joins her hands, twiddling her thumbs. "Tis gon be a mess."
[16:56]	Dorian	"Why's that?"
[16:57]	Arkalest	"Just having this feeling." She raises her eyes to  the ceilign. "Or maybe it's the complex machinery and algorythms running the show in my brain doing some weird predictive shit and my conscious part billing it as a feeling."
[16:57]	Arkalest	"I hate when that happens."
[16:59]	Dorian	shrugs. He does not know that feeling, to say the /least/.
[17:01]	Arkalest	"Oh,  hey. " Alex turns her head towards one of the "windows."
[17:01]	Arkalest	"Zaofu's about to dock. "
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[17:04]	Arkalest	"........And there's that........Thing...Folowing her."
[17:04]	Dorian	"Zaofu?" Dorian looks out the window, assuming the name belongs to some well-known local ship.
[17:04]	Arkalest	Alex's tone drops several degrees into something that is a monotone, icy-cold whisper.
[17:05]	Arkalest	Dorian The Zaofu appears to not be a ship.
[17:05]	Dorian	"Wow, you sounded like me there for a mome..."
[17:05]	Arkalest	Even from this distance, you can tell that the Zaofu appears to be a Phedrian.
[17:05]	Dorian	would purse his lips if he had them.
[17:05]	Dorian	"What the fuck is that."
[17:05]	Arkalest	A phedrian that is about five kilometers long- From here you can only see that it's gotten some sort of beak, and that it's more or less green and brown and trailed by a sheat of purple particles.
[17:06]	Arkalest	Far beyond it, on the approach vector to the hab...
[17:06]	Arkalest	You see a pair of wings.
[17:06]	Dorian	"How the fuck is any of that possible."
[17:06]	Arkalest	Transparent, pulsating- Like solidified lasers. A beautiful orange, like twin plasma beams.
[17:07]	Dorian	doesn't think biology is supposed to work that way.
[17:07]	Arkalest	"Fuck if I know." Alex sounds on edge.
[17:08]	Arkalest	"And don't look at the wings too intently. "
[17:11]	Dorian	"Why not?" Despite asking this question Dorian is busy examining Zaofu.
[17:14]	Arkalest	"Memetic agents."
[17:14]	Arkalest	She snorts angrily. "lots of them."
[17:15]	Arkalest	Dorian You see that the Zaofu appears to be vaguely wedge or triangle shaped, with flails trailing behind its main boody. Dozens, hundreds of dots swirl around it, like a small tornado.
[17:16]	Dorian	wordlessly heeds the warning. "So how the hell does that even get around? Biology... it doesn't work that way."
[17:16]	Dorian	"I mean, there's some sort of EM effect, but I can't figure out if that's part of some kind of organic engine or what."
[17:17]	Arkalest	"Biology is understating it. It's a blend of smartmatter, psionics and gods know what else. As for the  the...The Illize trailing her, it's just fucking psionics."
[17:17]	Arkalest	"And paradimensional science."
[17:18]	Dorian	has no idea what paradimensional science even is. "...fucking psis."
[17:20]	Arkalest	"Amen."
[17:26]	Dorian	"The hell is 'paradimensional science', anyway?"
[17:32]	Arkalest	"Wormholes, that kinda shit."
[17:34]	Dorian	"Oh. FTL science."
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[17:37]	Arkalest	------------------------
[17:41]	Arkalest	Dorian The shuttle's windows obscure as it lurches into orbit, and then lands. You're shuffled into a small, seemingly msotly empty terminal- Arched white ceilings covered in spiral-shaped skylights, whtie marble floors, help-desks made of teak. Here the air is dusty, thick with the smell of oil and it's  quite warm. Outside the windowsd you can see an endless tarmac, costrained by tall metallic walls.
[17:44]	Dorian	"Okay, now I have to ask: why is all the wood around here the same?"
[17:45]	Dorian	At this point, Dorian's clearly masking his anxiousness.
[17:46]	Arkalest	"There's a giant-ass forest of cloned trees the size of spiral city. Grow faster than it can be cut down."
[17:47]	Dorian	"...yeah, that makes sense," Dorian concedes. It doesn't /quite make sense but nothing ever really does anymore.
[17:48]	Arkalest	You see a small dot on the horizon- Burning a bright light, a black wedge in its core. A shuttle.
[17:49]	Dorian	"That's gotta be them," Dorian says, pointing at the incoming shuttle.
[17:50]	Arkalest	The black and white wedge slows down with a sonic boom, and bleeds speed- Flames dissipating around its thin, sleek frame as it slowly grinds to a halt and puts down in the platform. A single junction tube extrudes from the hull and connects to the building.
[17:57]	=-=	scya is now known as Sarah
[17:58]	Arkalest	Dorian You see a trio walk out of  the connection tube- Slumped forward.
[17:58]	Arkalest	Or rather
[17:59]	Arkalest	Your mother is slumped forward, holding Nona with one arm, one bag in the same hand, three bags in the other arm and hand combo- Wearing a backpack, another bag slung overshoulder, and dragging a trolley with her tial.
[18:01]	Arkalest	Olive is wearing a faded blue jumpsuit of sorts, with a tan jacket slung- Her eyes half-lidded from sheer stress. Tommy is inching along behind her, pulling a trolley about as tall as he is- Wearing a sort of drab grey jacket over overalls.
[18:02]	Dorian	"She's still got it," Dorian says to himself. Then he yells,, "Hey, Mom! Let me help you with some of that!" and approaches his family.
[18:03]	Arkalest	Dorian Nona turns her head intently and squeaks at your sight- Deciding that it's a good time to jump off mommy. Olive makes a pained face as the girl uses all of her weigh to bring down her mother's arm, sliding off it and bouncing down. "Dowian!"
[18:05]	Dorian	"Hey, Nono! You've gotten bigger, haven't you!"
[18:07]	Arkalest	She butts her head against your side and warbles happily- All while Olive regains her balance. Tommy stops mid-motion and breathes out. "ohgodcan'tfeelmyeverything."
[18:10]	Arkalest	"Dory?" She breathes out. "lil' help here?"
[18:11]	Arkalest	Dorian [That's so endearing.]
[18:13]	Dorian	rubs Nona's head and then rushes to grab some of his mother's cargo.
[18:13]	Arkalest	Dorian She slings off some of the bags with an ooof- And you notice she's gotten a bit gaunter, her scales a bit duller.
[18:13]	Dorian	[Yeah, she's adorable, isn't she?] Alex can almost /feel/ how much Dorian is restraining himself from gushing on about the little girl.
[18:14]	Arkalest	[Yup! I am giving you space. Hitting the cloak.]
[18:14]	Dorian	"You okay, Mom?" Dorian asks as he grabs and hefts the bags.
[18:14]	Arkalest	"Mhrhgm." She hisses. "Gimme..A bit. Tommy?"
[18:14]	Arkalest	"Uergh."
[18:14]	Arkalest	She sighs. "Care to help yoour brother?"
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[18:20]	Dorian	"I'll be fine, Mom. I mean, I suppose the coworker that came with me could've helped us, but I dunno where she's gotten off to..."
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[18:21]	Arkalest	[Dorian, do you really wanna show a two meter combat morph with a full body aug to your family?]
[18:22]	Dorian	proceeds to lift bags off of his mother in addition to the ones she dropped.
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[18:23]	Dorian	[In all fairness, I didn't know until you told me anyway. Either way don't actually worry about anything., I got this.]
[18:23]	Arkalest	[Do you?]
[18:25]	Dorian	Aloud, Dorian says, "Doesn't matter either way. I may not be the best in my lines of work, but I can lift!"
[18:26]	Dorian	Dorian is now by far the most encumbered of the group, but he seems to be handling the burden like a boss.
[18:26]	Arkalest	"Do? Wass that?" Nona points her fingers down the hall, to a pair of scuttling, lobster-shaped drones. They quietly walk over to Tommy, who freezes in place.
[18:27]	Dorian	"They're drones, Nono. Robots. Probably just spaceport maintenance or something..." Dorian says this last bit quietly. "...I hope."
[18:27]	Arkalest	They proceed to effortlessly lift the trolley.
[18:28]	Arkalest	[ent them.]
[18:29]	Dorian	"Scratch that, they're busdrones."
[18:30]	Dorian	"My coworker sent them to help us out."
[18:30]	Arkalest	"Seesh, you datin' her or what?" Tommy rubs his shoulder.
[18:34]	Dorian	"Nah, there's just a weird ratio of males to females in the Constable unit I'm with," Dorian explains.
[18:35]	Dorian	He wisely refrains from adding the... interpersonal weirdness some of said females have shown themselves capable of.
[18:36]	Arkalest	Tommy would quirk an eyebrow if he had, and Olive sighs. "Rein in your hormones."
[18:36]	Arkalest	The drones start moving the luggage towards the other shuttle's docking port.
[18:37]	Dorian	follows
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[18:39]	Arkalest	"So..." Olive eyes the ceiling as Nono runs after you. Tommy looks wearily over his  shoulder. "This place looks, well...High-class."
[18:41]	Dorian	"This is Nimmie territory, Mom. /Everything/ looks that way here."
[18:42]	Arkalest	Olivie sighs. " /Manners/, Dorian John Taylor.
[18:42]	Dorian	sighs. "Okay, mom..."
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[18:50]	Arkalest	"So...Uh.." Tommy looks down. "......Whattup, dude?"  He asks, somewhat stiltly- As the drones casually traspise past the  doccking tube.
[18:56]	Dorian	"Learning the ins and outs of my new job and the... colorful... locals," Dorian replies cryptically.
[18:56]	Arkalest	Olive's tail arches. "That doesn't sound too pleasant." She eys the entrance of the shuttle.
[18:58]	Dorian	"Eh, you get used to it after a while," Dorian says.
[19:00]	Dorian	remembers the antelopes. "...somewhat."
[19:01]	Arkalest	She looks at you while Nono rushes forward. "Oh this place is pwetty!"
[19:01]	Arkalest	"Pretty." Sighs Tommy."
[19:01]	Arkalest	"Pretty." shouts back the kid.
[19:05]	Dorian	tailsmirks. "I seem to remember a certain brother of mine being even worse when he was her age...
[19:06]	Arkalest	"Oh c'mon:" He rolls his eyes, right as the drones come back to grab more bags.
[19:10]	Dorian	"Just pulling your tail, kiddo," Dorian tailsmirks even more.
[19:10]	Arkalest	"As usual." He snorts, and starts stepping into the shuttle.
[19:10]	Arkalest	[If you want to I can decloak later on.]
[19:11]	Dorian	[Your choice.]
[19:12]	Arkalest	[Do you want me to give your brother a heart attack?]
[19:12]	Dorian	Aloud, Dorian says, "Well, it /is/ part of my job description as my older brother. I've got quotas to make up!"
[19:12]	Arkalest	Olive steps inside the lounge. "..............Whoa."
[19:12]	Dorian	*as the older brother
[19:12]	Dorian	"What?"
[19:12]	Arkalest	Nono is busy poking a smartmatter seat. "Is this....Erhm, a  Constable shuttle?"
[19:13]	Dorian	"Yeah. Like I said, everything's fancy around here. /Especially/ Constable gear."
[19:15]	Arkalest	"Elite operator operating, eh?" Tommy looks over to the in-built minifridge, right as the shuttle detaches its docking port.
[19:15]	Arkalest	Nona casually jumps up onto her seat and curls up, warblung happily.
[19:18]	Dorian	"Something like that," Dorian replies, remembering the events of a few days ago.
[19:18]	Dorian	"Much better benefits package though," Dorian quips.
[19:19]	Arkalest	The shuttle shudders as Olive folds into a seat next to you. Tommy walks over and plops down, looking outside- Right as the windows chrome over.
[19:21]	Dorian	"They, uh, didn't rush you all in to this, did they?"
[19:21]	Arkalest	"Oh, no. Uhm." Olive looks at the baggage. "That's like, barely a seventh of all the luggage. There was no weight limit so,  uh.."
[19:23]	Dorian	"You brought everything but the kitchen sink, didn't you?" Dorian is visibly pleased despite how he currently sounds.
[19:23]	Dorian	sighs somewhat contentedly. "Gotta say, I didn't realize they'd go all out for you guys."
[19:24]	Arkalest	"It was...A bit weird." Olive strokes Nona's head. "The mail, the various, well, the way they said yes to us bringing things."
[19:26]	Dorian	"The fact that this took a a fraction of the time it took me to get here..."
[19:29]	Dorian	puts a hand on his chin. "I get the feeling my boss is the 'spare no expense' type, and has the resources to see that through."
[19:29]	Arkalest	"So do I." Olive shoots a glare at Tommy, who slinks away from the bar.
[19:29]	Arkalest	"So.." She sighs. "How's life treating you? Do they give you enough stuff?
[19:33]	Dorian	"More than enough, actually," Dorian answers. "Pay's even better than... well..." Dorian's previous 'line of work' was a bit of contention between the two, and he still doesn't like talking about it much.
[19:34]	Arkalest	"........I am glad." She looks away.
[19:35]	Dorian	"There's some stuff I have to put up with, but nothing /too/ bad."
[19:36]	Arkalest	Olive blinks. "........Okayy:" She sounds unsure.
[19:36]	Arkalest	---------
[19:36]	Arkalest	The rest of the ride passes in silence, and eventually you realize both Tommy and Nona have crashed asleep.
[19:37]	Dorian	"Kids, huh?" Dorian whispers, pointing at the two with his tail.
[19:37]	Arkalest	Olive looks over them and rubs her eyelids. ".....Ride has been heckuva thing."
[19:40]	Dorian	nods
[19:41]	Dorian	"We should be at the hab soon, I think."
[19:42]	Arkalest	"how's it? "
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[19:46]	Dorian	"Very scenic. Not very populated. I hope you like rain, though, because it does that in there a /lot/."
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[19:49]	Arkalest	Olive closes her eyes. "Doesn't sound too  bad."
[19:50]	Arkalest	Dorian [We're entering the hab now.] The shuttle rocks.
[19:50]	Arkalest	Tommy jolts awake and curls up defensively, hands over his head. "Shit shithsit/shit/ " he hisses. Nona yawns, jaw unhinging.
[19:50]	Dorian	"Calm down, bro, we jsut arrived at the hab."
[19:52]	Arkalest	He blinks, looking around. "...Uh."
[19:53]	Dorian	"What?" Dorian asks, looking concerned.
[20:01]	Arkalest	"What what?" He says defensively, eyes narrowing.
[20:02]	Arkalest	[He looks spooked.]
[20:05]	Dorian	"YOu look like you had a nightmare."
[20:05]	Arkalest	"...Just tired, dude." He snrots aggressiely, slowly crossing his arms.
[20:06]	Arkalest	There's a hiss as the shuttle docks- Bringing a smell of rain with itself.
[20:06]	Dorian	"Tommy, please don't lie to me." The use of his younger brother's name instead of a joking nickname means Dorian's being serious. "Trust me, I know this sort of thing."
[20:10]	Dorian	"Tell me what's going on."
[20:10]	Arkalest	He looks away. "I. Am. Fine, dude. Just fuckin' had to leave my old life behind at a hat's drop, yanno?"
[20:10]	Arkalest	There's less hostility in his voice..And more like tiredness.
[20:11]	Arkalest	Nona springs down from the seat, blinking her eyes. Her nostrils flare. "Mommy, is dis rain?"
[20:15]	Dorian	"You'll feel better when you've had some food and sleep, Tommy. Then we can talk properly."
[20:19]	Arkalest	"Sssheyah:" He stands up, stuffs his hands into his pockets and walks towards the  exit.
[20:19]	Arkalest	He freezes.
[20:20]	Dorian	headtilts, trying to see what froze Tommy up
[20:21]	Arkalest	Dorian Tuissant is standing at the end of the ramp-Both feet planted down, smiling in a blue tuxedo. She has managed to regrow her fur- Slightly short- And her  hands are planted on the top of her cane.
[20:22]	Arkalest	She smiles jovially. "Yoou must be Dorian's brother."
[20:24]	Dorian	"Oh hey," Dorian says, somewhat unsurprised. "Mom, Tommy, Nona, this is my boss, Chief Tuissant. Chief, this is my family." Dorian halfway wonders whether Tuissant has familiarized herself with his family to the point that introducing them to her is useless.
[20:27]	Arkalest	Olive quietly slips into her business mode. "it is a pleasure to meet you, madam." She walks down the ramp, shoulders straitght- and freezes as Tuissant offers her a hand to shake.
[20:29]	Arkalest	She reclutantly takes it, and her eyes widen as the dog completes her handshake.
[20:30]	Arkalest	And then Nona races past them. Tommy freezes.
[20:30]	Arkalest	"Woooow this is a /biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig/ mech." She says, casually running around a mech.
[20:31]	Arkalest	The "mech" turns its four-horned head at you.
[20:31]	Arkalest	You can't tell what Ikris' expression is under the oval helmlet, but you're almost sure you /can feel/  her smirk. Her power armor is a baggy, bulbpous thing- And she's standing inside an armature, mechanical arms loading it up.
[20:32]	Dorian	"That's... not a mech, Nono."
[20:33]	Arkalest	"Indeed. " Tuissant smiles. "Now, Mrs Taylor- Shall we talk housing arrangements? Dorian can show the kids around while we do that.."
[20:33]	Arkalest	Tommy visibles bristles at this- And then flat-out stops as Tuissant beams her sunniest smile at him.
[20:35]	Arkalest	Olive narrows her eyes when the morph looks away, but still nods when Tuissant turns her attention to  her.
[20:35]	Arkalest	"We shall. Dorian, would yoou be so kind?" She asks you.
[20:36]	Dorian	"My pleasure," Dorian replies. To his sibs, he says, "C'mon , I know just where to take you two."
[20:37]	Arkalest	Tommy looks angrily at Tuissant as she and your mother walk off- While Non is still busy looking at the "mech."
[20:37]	Arkalest	Then he turns his head at you. "Yeah well whatever.."
[20:37]	Dorian	With this he guides them in the general direction of the Ringvolk-owned restaurant (a fact he is /still/ ignorant of).
[20:39]	Arkalest	Dorian Thankfully, it appears this hangar isn't far from the restaurant- A short elevator ride brings you up from the hangar to the floor level.
[20:39]	Arkalest	Tommy blinks at the hab. "..........holy shit."
[20:39]	Arkalest	"Doooo he said a bad wooord."
[20:40]	Arkalest	He hesitates to step outside- Into the street. The air's filled with the smell of wet vegetation.
[20:40]	Dorian	"Yeah, he did," Dorian says absently. He stage-whispers to his brother, "Don't worry, I did the same thing the first hab I was on."
[20:41]	Arkalest	"...." He silently stares at the looming buildings.
[20:41]	Arkalest	Nono rushes out. "Wow everything's so silent here!"
[20:42]	Dorian	"Yeah, like I told mom, the place is kind of empty for a hab this size."
[20:42]	Dorian	"...I'm not even sure if there are any kids your age here, come to think of it."
[20:45]	Arkalest	"Bird!" Nono points upwards. "Biiig bird!"
[20:45]	Arkalest	Dorian Among the clouds you see a Phedrian beast- Quietly sailing through the air on metallic wings with scythed endings.
[20:45]	Arkalest	Tommy blinsk. "uuuh, I think we..Oughta get..To...the restaurant
[20:46]	Dorian	"You're right, but if you think that's weird or scary you haven't seen anything yet."
[20:46]	Dorian	leads them on to the restaurant
[20:46]	Arkalest	Dorian Saiman waves jovially- And Tommy stops, while Nono rushes to meet up to him.
[20:47]	Arkalest	"It's sooo cute! He looks like some sort of toy!"
[20:47]	Arkalest	Saiman beams happily and pats the lizard on the head. "Good day to you, Mr Taylor! I see that you have brought your relatives with you?"
[20:48]	Dorian	"Yeah, way ahead of schedule too. The boss lady doesn't screw around apparently. What's good today?"
[20:49]	Arkalest	"We've got some local favlors. Steak, vegetables- And cream-based desserts."
[20:53]	Dorian	"I'll have some of that then," Dorian says and looks at Nona. "What about you, Nono? What do you want to eat?"
[20:57]	Arkalest	"Ice cream, and fruit juice."
[20:57]	Arkalest	Tommy looks down. "I, uhp, I am takinga...Steak?"
[20:58]	Dorian	"Good choice, little bro. The steak here's /amazing/."
[20:59]	Arkalest	He eyes one of the chairs, and skuls down to it.
[21:04]	Arkalest	Saiman returns with a steak-  Nearlyb loody, with some vegetable juice sprayed on it, and tomatoes- A pitcher of water- And a small jar of purple  and blue ice cream.
[21:04]	Arkalest	Nona squeals in delight, tail arching as she clasps her hands- Digging in voraciously.
[21:04]	Arkalest	Tommy eyes the steak, brings up a knife- Cuts a bit...
[21:04]	Arkalest	..Munches..
[21:05]	Arkalest	Then eats the rest in three bites.
[21:06]	Dorian	"Wow, you were hungry," Dorian says as he nurses his own steak. "You can order seconds if you want."
[21:06]	Arkalest	He already does, ordering some fries- While Nona makes a mess, splashing gelato on her mouth.
[21:09]	Arkalest	Tommy burps. "Oh god, oh god do you.." He wipes his mouth with a napkin, eyes squeezed shut in delight. "Do you eat like this all the time?"
[21:11]	Arkalest	Nona blinks and points her spoon at something in the air. "Was that?"
[21:14]	Dorian	"Yeah, I kind of do nowadays," Dorian replies. He then turns to see what Nona has seen this time.
[21:15]	Arkalest	It's a fluttering plastic bag.
[21:15]	Dorian	"That's trash, Nono."
[21:15]	Arkalest	There's a crash of thunder  behind you- Tommy nearly jumps out of his chair- And the sound of feet slamming against the ground. Another crash, and whatever did that is gone.
[21:15]	Dorian	wonders why there's trash floating around; usually this hab is super-clean."
[21:18]	Dorian	"The heck..." Dorian says as he sees the two sparring figures. He ups the magnification in his artificial eye.
[21:20]	Arkalest	Dorian You casually zoom too much.
[21:20]	Arkalest	In one alleway, an antelope and a Phedrian appear to be playing a game of tag.
[21:20]	Arkalest	With maces.
[21:20]	Dorian	"Bah, stupid implan... what the crap."
[21:21]	Dorian	"So yeah, remember how I said that the locals are... colorful?"
[21:21]	Dorian	"I think you're going to geta  firsthand look at that sooner than I'd hoped."
[21:22]	Arkalest	Tommy is ramrod straight. Nona blinks and turns around.
[21:22]	Arkalest	"Look Dorian, the mech!"
[21:22]	Arkalest	And Ikris is quietly walking down the street.
[21:24]	Dorian	"No, Nono, that's not a mech. That's one of my... coworkers."
[21:24]	Dorian	"She's a Vorak, an alien."
[21:26]	Arkalest	Tommy freezes even more.
[21:26]	Arkalest	Ikris waves, and Nono tilts her head.
[21:26]	Arkalest	"you a lizard?" she asks.
[21:26]	Arkalest	"Yup."
[21:26]	Arkalest	"Your voice sounds funny! Do you smoke! Also you are a biiiig lizard!"
[21:28]	Dorian	sighs. He was hoping not to see Ikris anytime soon. "Her voice 'sounds funny' /because/ she's big, Nono." Dorian makes finger-quotes when he says 'sounds funny'.
[21:28]	Arkalest	"Also because I wear power armor. So, how's the stuff going?"
[21:29]	Dorian	fidgets. "Got one goal of working here done, as you can see..."
[21:30]	Arkalest	She nods. "Glad of it. Seeya later." And off she goes, trudging.
[21:31]	Arkalest	Tommy meanwhile slowly unfreezes. ".......what was that."
[21:31]	Dorian	"That was a Vorak, Tommy. Try and keep up."
[21:32]	Dorian	"And yeah, they're /very/ scary," Dorian whispers to him.
[21:32]	Arkalest	His right eyes twitches. "Yea-yeah I...I gathered, ehn.."
[21:36]	Arkalest	Dorian [Tuissant here. Talked to your mother, arranegd things. ]
[21:36]	Dorian	"Breathe, Tommy. You're already wound up a bit too tightly as it is..."
[21:37]	Dorian	[Oh, good. Where should I take my brother and sister? The sooner they get settled, the better.]
[21:37]	Arkalest	Tuissant pings you a location nearby- A skyscraper.
[21:39]	Dorian	"Okay, I just got told where they're moving you all in. Wanna go there as soon as we're done eating?"
[21:40]	Arkalest	Both of them nod- Tommy shakily.
[21:41]	Arkalest	-----
[21:41]	Arkalest	Nona blinks. "This place is.."
[21:41]	Arkalest	Tommy eyes the marble pavement. "uhm."
[21:41]	Arkalest	"biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig." Your sister spreads her arms, trying to further emphasize the sheer size of the penthouse.
[21:42]	Dorian	"Yeah, that's skyscrapers for ya."
[21:42]	Arkalest	Dorian At the top of a skyscraper, with a living room so big it has more couches than you'd want for.
[21:43]	Dorian	"Wow, the bosslady /really/ pulled out all the stops.
[21:43]	Arkalest	Olive is unpacking by hand, grunting as she pulls along suitcases.
[21:43]	Dorian	moves to help unpack.
[21:44]	Arkalest	Dorian it takes a better part of two hours, but by the end of it most of the stuff they carried- And some more- Has been sheperded into their rooms. Tommy is familiarizing himself with the AR implant, while Nona is staring at the rain outside.
[21:44]	Dorian	"Still fascinated by the rain, huh Nono?"
[21:45]	Arkalest	You see your sister squint her eyes. "Wow, this place is biiiig and- Ooh, is that  a statue?"
[21:45]	Dorian	"I dunno, maybe?" Dorian zooms in to see what she sees.
[21:45]	Arkalest	Dorian It's  the statue in front of the precinct- The massive thing holding its hands open.
[21:46]	Arkalest	Dorian You catch a glimpse of something at its base.
[21:46]	Arkalest	Six arms- Sycthing through the rain.
[21:46]	Arkalest	A thunder rings out, and you hear Tommy mutter a muffled "fuck"
[21:46]	Dorian	zooms in more
[21:47]	Arkalest	Dorian It's art.
[21:47]	Arkalest	Clean, fluid movements. Art. Strikes, parries. A rythm unknown to things with only two arms.
[21:47]	Arkalest	A thunderbolt rings out.
[21:47]	Arkalest	For a moment, you see something in the rain.
[21:47]	Arkalest	A polished white skull.
[21:48]	Dorian	shudders involuntarily, memories of a few days earlier running through his head.
[21:50]	Dorian	fires off a message to Tuissant. [Hey Chief, we don't have any... Wretches, I believe Miss Norland called them... on the Hab, do we?]
[21:50]	Arkalest	[Actually about three of them. Two are Kòll's employees, and one of them is Bardok. ]
[21:50]	Arkalest	[And the polite term is differential posthuman, Dorian.]
[21:51]	Arkalest	[If yoou are looking at the statue, then it's Bardok there.]
[21:52]	Dorian	starts coughing as he fires off a reply. [Three of them?! And yes, I am looking at the statue.]
[21:52]	Arkalest	[They are people too, Mr. Taylor. As much as I and you are.]
[21:54]	Dorian	declines to reply and instead shakes his head.
[21:55]	Arkalest	[Anyway, I saw your brother being fairly shaken.]
[21:56]	Dorian	really, really hopes that 'Differential Posthumans' don't stalk you if you make eye contact or something like that...
[21:56]	Dorian	[Yeah, I dunno whats up with him. I'm hoping the food and some rest will at least loosen him up enough to tell me what's going on.]
[21:57]	Dorian	[He says it's because he was 'ripped from his life on short notice but I'm not buying it. I know lingering fear when I see it.]
[21:57]	Arkalest	[Was he in contact with gangs or whatnot?]
[21:59]	Dorian	[Shouldn't have been...]
[22:01]	Arkalest	[Still. Be sure to  check on him. ] Meanwhile, Olive has started cooking dinner- A pre-heated thing.
[22:01]	Arkalest	When she brings the plate to he living room, Tommy simply shakes his head-  While Nona quietly tilts hers. "Do got us foood."
[22:02]	Arkalest	Your mother snorts. "You'll spoil them, Dorian."
[22:03]	Dorian	"This place is going to end up spoiling the lot of us eventually...."
[22:06]	Arkalest	Eventually, your mom and Nona go to sleep- Leaving you and a restless Tommy, who's flickering through the options on the AR. "C'mon, securityf eeds.."
[22:07]	Dorian	"I'm pretty sure you need to be a Constable for that kind of access, little bro."
[22:08]	Arkalest	He turns towards you. "Arne't you?"
[22:10]	Dorian	"Yeah, I am, but I'm /preeeetty/ sure someone would find out if I let you on the network. The boss keeps her eyes on almost everything that goes on around here."
[22:12]	Arkalest	He sighs. "Fine, whatever.."
[22:12]	Dorian	"Why are you trying to get on them, anyway?"
[22:13]	Arkalest	"I wanna look around without..Actually mgoing around."
[22:13]	Arkalest	Tommy looks right, then left- And ducks his head. "And this place gives me the creeps, D."
[22:13]	Arkalest	"lighting in a hab? Ain't natural."
[22:13]	Arkalest	he blinks. "I mean, it's /more/ unnatural than a ha- Yeha you get it, do you?"
[22:14]	Dorian	"Yeah. This place really is weird."
[22:15]	Dorian	wisely declines to tell him that it's literally an Ashen Burial Ground
[22:17]	Arkalest	Your brother looks down. ".....Yeah. "
[22:18]	Dorian	"Wanna tell me what's going on now?"
[22:18]	Arkalest	He sighs. "The usual."
[22:18]	Arkalest	"Was thinking about stuff, then bam. Hi Tom, we're taking our shit and moving it light years away."
[22:19]	Dorian	"Last I checked, 'the usual' didn't include acting like you were flashbacking in your dreams."
[22:19]	|<--	ckk185 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 123 seconds)
[22:20]	Dorian	"You know you can tell me about these things - I won't tell anyone."
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[22:21]	Arkalest	He snorts. "Yeah, no. "
[22:21]	Dorian	"It wasn't something gang-related, was it?"
[22:21]	Arkalest	"Don't worry, dude. It's...It was a shit period, okay? Not piss my pants bad, but.." He sighs and leans back. "But I was, you know." Tommy makes  ahalf circle with his finger in the air. "making progress."
[22:21]	Arkalest	"No, not really."
[22:22]	Arkalest	"Mom finally let me touch the garage equipment, and I was makind some headway with the trike. Then bam."
[22:23]	Dorian	"An accident?"
[22:24]	Arkalest	"What? No."
[22:26]	Dorian	"Well, why the hell are you angsting so hard about moving? I mean, if it's the trike, then I'm pretty sure that she would've brought all that stuff with you, and if it's not, you were probably going to end up joining up like I did if I hadn't..."
[22:26]	Dorian	has a horrified realization.
[22:26]	Dorian	"Please tell me you weren't planning on..."
[22:30]	Arkalest	"What?" His eyes widen. "Nooo! Just.."
[22:30]	Arkalest	Tommy sighs and closes his eyes. "..........Please don't tell mom but.."
[22:30]	Arkalest	"..............She's slipping, Dorian."
[22:30]	Arkalest	He shakes his head. "She's, well."
[22:31]	Dorian	"Getting old?"
[22:31]	Arkalest	"You know what it was like. She thought it- Well. No."
[22:32]	Arkalest	Your brother's tail curls. "There was this...Proposal. About, well, basically this course about getting a promotion to a ranked place in a corp."
[22:32]	Arkalest	"She was thinking about takin' it, before the news came. She can't keep fixing bikes forever."
[22:33]	Dorian	"No," Dorian says gravely. "I suppose not."
[22:33]	Arkalest	"It's just- She...Doesn't know what to do."
[22:35]	Dorian	"Something tells me things'll work out one way or the other.... and you know I mean it because I'm the biggest cynic here usually."
[22:36]	Arkalest	He snorts. "...Yeah."
[22:37]	Arkalest	TOmmy falls into silence. ".......But....For what it's worth....Tbanks."
[22:39]	Dorian	"Anytime."