Fiat Justicia 1.1: Part 1ish (The True Paintings)

[01:17]	Arkalest	The pod streaks forward onto the rail. "I can use Instrumentals." She closes her eyes, leaning backwards onto the cushions.
[01:18]	Sabina	"I had gathered that from our previous conversation."
[01:20]	Arkalest	"I can not play them for more than a few times, and I just- " She taps her head. "I am shut off afterwards. But I've learned a few things."
[01:20]	Sabina	nods
[01:23]	Arkalest	Sabina: For a moment, the walls are all grey and then-
[01:24]	Arkalest	Then you're plunged into a soft blue hue. The walls of the spherical room are downright flowing like the surface of a room, and there are massive objects- Blurred and out of focus- Floating around- Geometrical, menacing.
[01:24]	Arkalest	The pod is headed towards a teardrop-shaped building seeemingly hovering in the middle- White, sleek surface with a single access point.
[01:31]	Arkalest	(TIME TO UP THE ANTE.)
[01:31]	Sabina	(Yay)
[01:33]	Arkalest	"We have reason to believe the paintings have a common autho with another set of paintings used as a calling card by- Well, a criminal syndicate. "
[01:33]	Sabina	nods
[01:34]	Arkalest	"And the thing is-" The pod comes to a stop into a spherical hangar, smelling like fresh rain and vanilla. Here the air's warm just right. "We once caught a runner for the syndicate with one of these paintings. Blew their own brains own."
[01:34]	Sabina	"I cannot fault their dedication at least."
[01:35]	Arkalest	She leads you down a tunnel. "But the implant was a bit faulty, so we recorded some of their psionic imprint- And well."
[01:35]	Arkalest	A warehouse-like room, with metallic monoliths. One of them opens in a cobweb of grey filaments and metal. "This."
[01:36]	Arkalest	(Picture's that of the night council on the cliff)
[01:36]	Arkalest	"But...You expose it to the right psionic imprint.."
[01:36]	Arkalest	And it changes.
[01:36]	Arkalest	It changes....
[01:36]	Arkalest	He is hungry.
[01:37]	Sabina	blinks
[01:37]	Sabina	"That is rather disconcerting."
[01:37]	Arkalest	Bared teeth chewing into bloodless, stained and soft lips. He's straining- This...Shell of a man, fingers enveloped into natty grey rags- More claws than digits raking the skin of his skinny shoulders, drawing something thick and oozy and black.
[01:38]	Arkalest	The level of detail approaches the photorealistic- An endless grey background, and the man torso front and center- Rusted chains around his wrist. There's something at the center of his chest, covered by his crossed arms- A single...Bony thing, like a spur.
[01:39]	Arkalest	Save for his mouth and nose his entire head is covered in dirty white bandages, but you can see black stains running down his cheeks...
[01:39]	Arkalest	A light brown stubble covers his chin, and brown spots aroundthe corners of his mouth- Dippled across his neck.
[01:42]	Sabina	takes a half step back from the painting. "This Night Council. . . there's something to it, to that, more than. . it's a imprint but not like the others. Something about it feels different."
[01:42]	Arkalest	His skin is a sick white- Not albino, not even close to pale, just...Sick.
[01:43]	Arkalest	"If exposed to the right imprint it just shifts. It's a code."
[01:43]	Arkalest	"A message."
[01:43]	Arkalest	"What we don't know is who this fucker is. "
[01:43]	Arkalest	(Redact the fucker in the last sentence.)
[01:44]	Arkalest	"Is he a planned victim? Is this how they plan homicides? Someone to look out for? Or- Perhaps this is some sort of...Identificative. An icon."
[01:45]	Sabina	(ANything I can/should roll here?)
[01:45]	Arkalest	(Empathy- Notice. your choice.)
[01:47]	Arkalest	Hunger- Barely restrained, barely even human- Hunger, for...Everything, Flesh, soul, mind, body. You have the feeling he'd leap out of the picture and....No, that'd be too horrifying. So he is chained- To prevent him from consuming.
[01:48]	Arkalest	"There is more- But before we go." A door slides open in the side of the warehouse. "I'd like to hear your opinion"
[01:49]	Sabina	". . . . I'm not sure. . there's something wrong here, about that. I can't shake this feeling that. . ." She closes her eyes.
[01:49]	Sabina	(I take it this is a bit more/diffrent feeling than a "normal" imprint here?)
[01:50]	Arkalest	(yeah. It's incredibly raw- Incredibly more..Real. Like it's almost like staring at a real person...)
[01:53]	Arkalest	(Anything else?)
[01:53]	Sabina	(Ok, going to invoke her Main Aspect to get a bit more info here, tapping into the Instrument a bit to hear/commune with her ancestors as well as seeing if that sheds any more info. To be clear she is *not* in any way shape or form going to reach out to that painting)
[01:54]	Sabina	(And if eating some stress or even a consequence is needed then so be it.)
[01:54]	Arkalest	(Nah.)
[01:54]	Sabina	"That's not a imprint ma'am. Or at least it's a different level than the paintings are."
[01:56]	Arkalest	The Instrument thrums...A single female voice. Inhales. She exhales- A single note. Others join, and the chorus whispers.
[01:57]	Arkalest	Sabina: And you can almost feel the teeth gnash- A cracked, dry tongue running over them desperately- lOoking for the last drops of something. The man shudders- Lowering his head- Breath stained with raw meat. WHy, he whispes? Why you must hide so?
[01:58]	Arkalest	Why you are so distant from me?, he asks, fingers digging out more. Can't you see I /need/ you here, with me?
[02:00]	Arkalest	WHy did you do this to me, he asks, with empty eyes.
[02:00]	Arkalest	(That's all.)
[02:02]	Sabina	shakes her head. "I don't know. That isn't a imprint, but if it is a monster or a victim I'm not sure. But even oblivion would be a mercy."
[02:03]	Arkalest	Tuissant's lips quirks. "We are in the realm of monsters."
[02:03]	Arkalest	"This is no syndicate of normal-grade criminals- Just..COme. "
[02:03]	Sabina	quickly hurries away from the painting. "A Abomination from the Void, like in my mother's stories." She smiles mirthlessly "And here I thought I would be dealing with criminals."
[02:03]	Arkalest	(FOllow her or stare more at the picture?)
[02:04]	Arkalest	"Criminals can be abominations and viceversa."
[02:04]	Sabina	(Follow follow follow! Sabina is GTFOing.)
[02:04]	Arkalest	She leads you into the elevator.
[02:04]	Arkalest	"Now...Before we..See this, I reassure you."
[02:04]	Arkalest	Tuissant closes her eyes. "She isn't in any sort of pain."
[02:05]	Arkalest	"Or- Well- Physical danger. But- We have to keep everything on a strict regimen."
[02:05]	Sabina	"No, criminals are of our world, I do not use that term lightly, it is. . . a rather loaded term where I come from. A very specific meaning." She tilts her head "I will endeavor to not misjudge this on appearances alone then."
[02:05]	Arkalest	The elevator opens on a large corridor- A pair of metallic double doors at the end, covered in a circular green symbol. "This is...We found her together with another shipment."
[02:07]	Arkalest	The "She" is slightly bigger than Sarah, laying on a grey slab- The room temperature nearly glacial, two single blue lines shining down.
[02:08]	Arkalest	It's...Almost merciful. The stakes have been clearly designed to pierce only her joints- And her joints only. Several tubes snake under a light blue cove3r pulled up to the...Morph? Alien's chin.
[02:09]	Sabina	"Was she like this?" Her hand drifts to her mouth
[02:09]	Arkalest	Facially she appears to be some sort of canid- Angular muzzle with an nearly deep crimson fur. Teeth that could cut through metal. Eyes closed, relazed- Floppy ears barely cover what appear to be the nubs of four grey horn.
[02:09]	Arkalest	"No."
[02:10]	Arkalest	Her shoulders are wide-set- And her arms are big but not muscular, ending in fingers that seem to have little finer control. A single almost saruain tail pokes out of the sheets- And you notice grey and light orange patterns on her fur.
[02:11]	Arkalest	(Goddamit the PMs are actually supposed to be the /truth/ while the IC is the cover story)
[02:11]	Sabina	(Whoops, sorry that wasn't clear.)
[02:11]	Arkalest	(nah, my mistake- but yeah, time for dissimulation)
[02:12]	Arkalest	Tuissant gestures for you to come closer..
[02:12]	Arkalest	Right as the Instrumental stops whispering.
[02:12]	Arkalest	"We're not sure what she is, to be honest. Taking samples is..You'll understand."
[02:13]	Sabina	steps forward
[02:13]	Arkalest	The dogmorph lifts a massive wrist.  "Look."
[02:13]	Arkalest	Metal- No.
[02:13]	Arkalest	Bone.
[02:13]	Arkalest	SOmething like this.
[02:13]	Arkalest	Something veiny.
[02:13]	Arkalest	Something- No.
[02:13]	Arkalest	An Instrumental.
[02:13]	Arkalest	And it's poking neatly out of her fur- Skin seamlessly joining around it.
[02:14]	Sabina	"Oh. . ."
[02:14]	Arkalest	Tuissant whispers "I am sorry" and then reaches out to remove the cover.
[02:15]	Arkalest	Shoulders- Thighs and waist- Like Sarah's bone spurs, but unmistakably made of the same material of the Instrumental.  Even her neck- and under her horns.
[02:16]	Arkalest	"We breached the subject of mindjacking but...."
[02:16]	Sabina	"What in the 13 hells. . ."
[02:16]	Arkalest	"We have no idea of how the instrumental would react. Hell, even active scanning doesn't work. It's just- "
[02:16]	Arkalest	The dogmorph runs a hand through her curls. "We don't even know if the Instrumental was grown /in/ her or if she was grown /around/ it."
[02:17]	Sabina	"Depending on their bond it would vary, but chances are it would react poorly to a attempt to enter her mind."
[02:17]	Sabina	"They are, or at least based on mine, rather possessive."
[02:17]	Arkalest	Your own Instrumental remains silent.
[02:18]	Sabina	"Why are you showing me this?"
[02:19]	Arkalest	"Because we hoped you would know more. Because we hoped scanning your brain would give us at least a hint of how to approach all of this- This, which is...It /has/ to be funded by someone /rich./ "
[02:21]	Arkalest	(Do you wanna try anything here?)
[02:22]	Sabina	"Do you want me to try something? Reach out to her perhaps?"
[02:22]	Arkalest	"If...You feel like it. I must advise you it may end poorly."
[02:23]	Sabina	"I know. . . " She glances to the girl on the table "How stable is she?"
[02:24]	Arkalest	"Normal heartbeat if slowed down in two of her hearts. She's...Incredibly effective in metabolizing nutirent paste but needs shitload of it. and well- Attempts at scanning show something like REM sleep."
[02:25]	Sabina	"I would like to try and help her, but not tonight. I'm sorry, but I'm tired and the paintings, from the morning and just now, were somewhat trying and I'd rather not risk this when I'm already somewhat spent."
[02:25]	Arkalest	She nods. "I know this is..A lot to take in."
[02:26]	Arkalest	"But...You can talk me anytime you want." She sends you contact info."
[02:26]	Arkalest	*ignore the last "
[02:26]	Sabina	"I appreciate it, thank you ma'am."
[02:28]	Arkalest	She opens her arms to deliver a hug.
[02:29]	Sabina	blinks. ". . . Uhh, thank you?" She awkwardly returns the hug
[02:29]	Arkalest	[Posthuman's Best Friend Slash Chief] (Invoked to calm Sabina down)
[02:30]	Sabina	(She's not upset or even distraught, just a tad surprised at the hug.)
[02:30]	Arkalest	Maybe it's the fluff-Maybe it's the way she gently rubs your back, while squeezing your shoulders- The way she faintly smells of vanilla- But apparently...Hugs are good for the soul