(12:33:42 PM) Reise: In the safety of her home once again, Reise sighs and makes the call she's been dreading for the last day or so. An AR window hovers in front of her, displaying the connection attempt to "Captain Ana."
(12:34:46 PM) Ikiryo: It's not long before the call is answered by the familiar, seemingly more mature eldarin. "Oh, hello Riese~" She doesn't use her actual rank.
(12:43:12 PM) Reise: "Hey," she grunts. "Look. I need you to know, serious business time, I'm making a trip to one of the locations we pulled from the Horizon creep's equipment. Sphere is Xanadu IV. I have a hunch that the Circle Orboros is involved, 'cause otherwise it's a plant world full of tree-hugger literal trees and no way could they have fought off that band's schtick without help."
(12:46:43 PM) Ikiryo: "I see." She nods, suddenly serious. "Go on."
(12:48:26 PM) Reise: "Hopefully it's just fact-finding; if they really DID knock the Abyssal attack away on their own, we need to find out how so it can be replicated. On the other hand, if it's the Circle involved, well...I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you know even better than I do what kind of threat they represent."
(12:49:41 PM) Ikiryo: "Of course I do~" And there is the smug again.
(12:54:06 PM) Reise: "Right." She rolls her eyes. "Any time Your Infinite Wisdomness feels like dispensing some of that knowledge, just give me a ring. Also Eden is handling my cover's schedule so I shouldn't have to worry about risking that. I can't promise that, if the situation is bad enough, we won't leave without setting some part of a garden world on fire."
(12:55:03 PM) Ikiryo: "We'll give you some tools to help avoid that. We HAVE just invested in a new engineering division~"
(12:58:27 PM) Reise: "Oh yeah? About time HQ got with the times. What's on the docket?"
(12:59:37 PM) Ikiryo: "I can't say over this communication device." Reise gets the feeling she can but doesn't want to. She sends an address.
(1:00:17 PM) ***Reise carefully hides a sigh. She double checks the location and estimates her travel time. "I'll be there in fifteen."
(1:03:39 PM) Ikiryo: It's oddly enough in the temple district. Not really usual.
(1:05:52 PM) ***Reise cuts the call with little ceremony--honestly, she'd be surprised if Captain Ana was NOT there, waiting for her--and dresses better than "crop top and panties." As promised, she arrives in the temple district a few seconds shy of her predicted fifteen minutes, staring at the address provided.
(1:06:24 PM) Ikiryo: It's...an old, run down shrine. The only parts of it looking well maintained is the two massive golden lions by the door.
(1:07:04 PM) Reise: "Open, Sesame," she mumbles, pushing her way in through the doors and looking around.
(1:07:58 PM) Ikiryo: ...and then the lions move, looking suddenly alive. "Identify yourself."
(1:09:05 PM) Reise: "Whoah." She glances at them, trying to determine if they're animatronic or magic. "Uh. Reise?"
(1:15:39 PM) Ikiryo: One of them leans forward...and licks her forehead, the solar caste mark glowing. "A solar, she is allowed." The lions step backwards...and are statues again.
(1:17:25 PM) Reise: She tries to flinch away from the lick, but is left with cowlicked bangs because of it. "Eugh. Go me, I guess. Better not try taking Tana here." With one last look at the pair she finally enters.
(1:18:51 PM) Ikiryo: Through the door...she finds herself in a massive city of stone and gold and silver. More a work of art than a city...and almost everyone on the streets is an angel or dressed in the robes of a cleric of the gods of Order and Neutrality.
(1:19:16 PM) ***Reise stops cold. "What."
(1:22:38 PM) Ikiryo: "Heya!" She hears a familiar voice. A woman  dressed in shorts, a tank top and a short jacket. She has a white pageboy haircut and seems to be playing an AR game of some sort. Sister Eloise Renaud, Sidereal.
(1:25:06 PM) Reise: "Eloise?" She seems dumbfounded. "But...then this is...?" Left unasked: a, or the, conclave for the Sidereals.
(1:28:17 PM) Ikiryo: "Welcome to Yu-Shan!~" She smirks, offering Reise a hand.
(1:30:43 PM) ***Reise shakes herself out of her stupor and takes the hand. That name settles that. "Well. I can honestly say, I wasn't expecting this."
(1:32:01 PM) Ikiryo: "I'd be surprised if you were. It's a rather well kept secret~"
(1:32:42 PM) MaximusPrime left the room (quit: Ping timeout).
(1:36:22 PM) Reise: "Well, and given who had me come this way," she adds, deadpan.
(1:37:26 PM) Ikiryo: "Yeah, we got the message from Serenity. They want to see you." She frowns. "And of course, they picked me to take you there."
(1:38:11 PM) Reise: "Sorry to burden you with babysitting the little Solar."
(1:41:12 PM) Ikiryo: "Not that." She shakes her head. "I'm happy to see you again. It's...Serenity..."
(1:44:36 PM) Reise: "Then let me add 'Through Serenity' to the end of that," she smirks slightly. "You could just point and say 'Go there,' though. I won't touch, promise."
(1:45:24 PM) Ikiryo: "It's fine, it's fine. So, you want to go straight there?"
(1:46:26 PM) Reise: "Yeah. No offence to your golden paradise here, but it kind of gives me the willies. Must be just because of dealing with Ana."
(1:47:51 PM) Ikiryo: "Sorry." She shakes her head. "Some time then I'll show you a couple of bars. There is a really good one where the Golden Lions go after work." She starts to lead on.
(1:49:32 PM) Reise: "Those guys can drink? Man, alright, *that's* impressive."
(1:50:05 PM) Ikiryo: "They are the cops here, of course they can drink~" She grins. "There is a store around here that sells catnip doughnuts.
(1:51:09 PM) ***Reise blinks, then thinks, running her tongue over her lips. "...I might have to pick up some of those."
(1:53:28 PM) Ikiryo: "You are that catty?~" She smirks as she leads through the streets, nodding to a few people as they pass.
(1:54:02 PM) Reise: "No, but my best friend is. She's a ctarl-ctarl."
(1:55:29 PM) Ikiryo: "That will do it." She nods. Up ahead is a massive multi-story complex...in a brilliant pink and white. "Welcome to Serenity."
(1:56:06 PM) Reise: "...It's pink. Of fucking course it is."
(1:57:53 PM) Ikiryo: "And white. Mostly pink." She rolls her eyes. "So, which department are you looking for?"
(2:05:57 PM) Reise: "...Engineering, I guess? She didn't really say. Just gave me the address to the place."
(2:13:10 PM) Ikiryo: "Engineering sounds about right." She nods. "That's...second floor, building B." She walks past the guards, including some very annoyed looking pink painted lions.
(2:14:18 PM) Reise: "Lead the way and I shall follow, I suppose."
(2:14:21 PM) ***Reise follows Eloise.
(2:15:08 PM) Ikiryo: All of the staff here are...stunningly pretty, even by the standards of Exalts. Whoever does thier makeup is a god. Possibly literally.
(2:15:52 PM) Ikiryo: She leads through a pink-leafed garden and a soy pizza and skim milk latte cafeteria before pausing in front of a door. "Here we go."
(2:17:28 PM) Reise: "Thanks, Eloise. Hope you don't get in too much trouble."
(2:20:02 PM) Ikiryo: "They literally asked me too. I just need to get out of here before they try to give me a makeover or try to talk me into swapping departments." She rolls her eyes.
(2:47:12 PM) Reise: "I did notice a lot of face paint," she nods. "It looks really good, but then I assume it's supposed/me  to. Alright, go on, I'll go in here so you can safely flee."
(2:48:11 PM) Ikiryo: She rolls her eyes. "I'm not fleeing. I'm leaving before I get brainwashed into a brainless model or escort or something." She pauses. "...you are a smart model."
(2:48:51 PM) Reise: "Nice save," she grins, opening the door in front of her and slipping within...
(2:49:50 PM) Ikiryo: Inside is...a laboratory. A very extensive one...in bright pink.
(2:50:27 PM) ***Reise thinks to herself that the assault on her senses is completely on purpose, moving through and looking for Ana.
(2:50:47 PM) Ikiryo: There is a woman looking at a computer. Like most of the other people here she is stunningly pretty, curvy to a degree normally seen on Linny. Very visibly so, as her pink and white kimono is not remotely closed enough at the top.
(2:51:57 PM) Reise: "Knock knock," she calls, reminded vaguely of how Moriko fills out a kimono like that...when the tengu isn't busy being self-conscious about the look, at least.
(2:54:00 PM) Ikiryo: She turns, jiggling. Her long hair is bright platinum blonde, her skin almost plastic-white. "Oh, like Hiii!~"
(3:01:03 PM) ***Reise bites down on her tongue to keep it from delivering the first, second, *and* third sharp jabs that want to come out. When she feels safe enough, she lets it go. "...Hi. Sorry, I'm Reise, Anastasia--I guess?--said for me to come this way?"
(3:01:57 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh, little Ana! Of course! You are Reise, I've seen your work! It's like, totally awesome!"
(3:03:31 PM) Reise: "Yes, that's me, thank you. Hopefully I can keep it being ~totally awesome.~"
(3:04:02 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh, yeah!" She nods. "So, how can I help you!" She giggles.
(3:07:14 PM) Reise: "I...have no idea. Ana...said Engineering was working on stuff and then gave me the address to come here, so...?" She shrugs helplessly.
(3:08:16 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh, you are here for gadgets! I can totally hook you up with gadgets!"
(3:12:29 PM) Reise: "Sure. Gadgets are good, I like those."
(3:13:30 PM) Ikiryo: "Alright, so...like, what sort of mission are you going on?"
(3:14:25 PM) Reise: "Checking out a dryad colony planet to see how it managed to fight off Abyssals without help. Maybe diving nose-first into a Circle Orboros op."
(3:20:02 PM) Ikiryo: "Oooh...Dryads are totally cool. Hmm...you are a Spring so you're colours will be perfect for some of my new gadgets" She nods, rummaging through her desk. "Hmm...if you are going out into nature we could go with the Immobilising Stun Tan Lotion."
(3:20:50 PM) ***Reise blinks. "I'm sorry. 'Stun' tan lotion?"
(3:21:53 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh yeah!" She pulls out a bottle of Sun Tan Lotion. "Here we go! It's infused with a potent paralysis neurotoxin and the dispenser can spray up to fifteen meters!"
(3:22:33 PM) Ikiryo: "...Cherry Lip Bomb might be useful."
(3:23:27 PM) Reise: "Cherry lip bomb," she repeats flatly. "So...a little pot that explodes?"
(3:24:57 PM) Ikiryo: "No, of course not!" She gestures and a wall opens up to reveal a large sheet of reinforced bulletproof glass. She draws some lip balmb from her cleavage and draws a big love heart on it. "Here we go!" She clicks her finger and a small explosion later, there is a perfect love heart cut in the glass. "It can go up to three meters through ferrocrete!"
(3:26:19 PM) Reise: "That's...actually really cool," she admits.
(3:29:32 PM) Ikiryo: "...oh, Laser Lipstick! Being a model this is SO easy for me! I have so much trouble getting stuff for Eloise, that girl has NO fashion style."
(3:30:26 PM) Reise: "Oh, I think she does...it's just her own style. But what sort of laser are we talking here?"
(3:31:22 PM) Ikiryo: She rummages through a drawer. "What colour lipstick do you like to wear?"
(3:31:47 PM) Reise: "Uh. Paler stuff, usually."
(3:32:26 PM) Reise: "Too dark and it just looks like a girl getting into mommy's drawer instead of actually having an idea of what I'm doing."
(3:33:28 PM) Ikiryo: "Alright. We've got a nice pale pink one!" She pulls out a tube of lipstick. "If you twist it right..." Lipstick pops out. "If you twist it left..." A half-foot laser beam zooms into existence. "It's got a fourty five minute battery and is, like, totally a match for most power swords!"
(3:34:32 PM) Reise: "...Gimme."
(3:35:21 PM) Ikiryo: "I'm glad you like it!" She giggles. "Oh, do you have a favourite animal?"
(3:38:12 PM) Reise: "Rabbit," she answers without really thinking...then goes a little pink in the cheeks.
(3:38:55 PM) Ikiryo: "Rabbits are SUPER cute! I love them too!" She hands over a barrette with a cute cartoon bunny face on it.
(3:40:47 PM) ***Reise scrubs a hand over her face, vowing never to let Uytana see the barrette. "Anything to this one or is it literally just a barrette?"
(3:41:06 PM) Ikiryo: "Press the nose!"
(3:41:20 PM) Reise: She does so.
(3:41:44 PM) Ikiryo: It unfolds into a boomerang shape...and deploys a spinning buzzsaw from the rabbit. "Boomerang Buzzsaw Barrette!"
(3:42:32 PM) ***Reise laughs out loud. "Whaaaaat the fuck. This is hilarious." She presses the nose again.
(3:42:49 PM) Ikiryo: It goes back to being a Barrette.
(3:43:13 PM) Ikiryo: "...oh and since you are fighting Dryads most likely...Anti-Glare Anti-Hypnosis Contact Lens."
(3:43:36 PM) Ikiryo: She pulls out a pair of contact lenses...that would give her pink eyes with love heart shaped pupils if she was wearing them.
(3:44:22 PM) Reise: "...As a last resort maybe. Gods Khaira would never let me live it down."
(3:44:43 PM) Ikiryo: "I think that should be enough!" She smiles brilliantly at Reise.
(3:52:21 PM) Reise: "...Right." She looks at the items again. "Well...thanks. These should work great."
(3:56:49 PM) Ikiryo: "Like, don't be a stranger!" She smiles at Reise brilliantly. "Oh, I never introduced myself! "I'm Doctor Britney; PE, CCISO, J.D, M.D, ThD, DEd, M.F.A."
(3:59:51 PM) Reise: "It's...nice to meet you, Dr. Britney. You already know who I am, no extra letters sadly."
(4:00:47 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh, that's like totally fine! I've seen your work! That suit of yours is super interesting how you've optimised the servomotors!"
(4:02:12 PM) Reise: "Thanks. Yeah, it can be tricky at times. I'm trying to layer in an extra coat of mithral but it jogs up the joints and tends to interact poorly with the wraithbone circuitry. Can't really afford to lose magic-channelling tracery in critical moments."
(4:02:59 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh, yeah, for sure!" She nods. "I'd love to help some time! I've got a nuclear powered rocket gogo boot design that would be super great to integrate!"
(4:04:29 PM) Reise: "You know what, sure. When we get back from Xanadu, I'll shoot you some specs."
(4:05:40 PM) Ikiryo: "Yay, we could make a slumber party of it!" She giggles. "It's been totally awesome meeting you Reise!"
(4:13:16 PM) Reise: "It's been...a trip meeting you too. I'll let you get back to work though; I have an expedition to finish preparing for."
(4:18:41 PM) Ikiryo: Reise gets a squishy hug. "Alright, take care and pack plenty of makeup! Got to keep looking good!"
(4:20:21 PM) Reise: "You know it." She returns the hug gingerly and backs out of the Engineering office, retracing her steps from earlier to find her way back to the entrance.
(4:21:07 PM) Ikiryo: Outside she spots a familiar Sister...wearing more makeup than before. It looks pretty good on her. "...barely got out."
(4:24:06 PM) Reise: "...I have to admit, they do good work. You look pretty amazing even with your normal style of clothes and hair."
(4:24:28 PM) Ikiryo: "...what's wrong my clothes and hair?" She looks at herself.
(4:25:11 PM) Reise: "Oh, *I* think they're just fine. My point is that the makeup looks good regardless."
(4:26:48 PM) Ikiryo: "Yeah, I'm not sure you'll say that when it's done it's work." She grumbles. "Stupid nanomachines. Stupid Serenity. At least I avoided anyone that's part of the Serenity Psychological Society. They give the qualifications to half the shrinks in Sigil."
(4:29:52 PM) Reise: "...Nanomachines? The fuck? Also that second thing wholly explains Selesnya."
(4:30:45 PM) Ikiryo: "Yeah, Nanomachine makeup." Reise can SEE her lips plumping up slightly and her nose getting less 'Hawkish' and more 'Handsome'.
(4:31:15 PM) Reise: "...I take it back. I am so very sorry."
(4:31:42 PM) Ikiryo: "At least it's just makeup. You do NOT want to go on a spa trip here." She rolls her eyes.
(4:32:45 PM) Reise: "I'm not the biggest fan of ANY forced alterations, so yeah. I hope you can find a way to undo it. Can't you just like modestly rewind time or something?"
(4:33:51 PM) Ikiryo: "If I want to try to compete with the girl who put it on me. Contested fate manipulation is a headache. I'll get some neutralizer when I'm back at Secrets and it will be fixed by tommorow."
(4:35:52 PM) Reise: "Alright, good." She relaxes slightly. "Anyway, thanks for leading me through. I guess I have a little advantage in looking like this in that no one decided they needed to try putting it on." Her lips twitch. "I'm sure you saw on Annandra's home planet. They all thought I'd come out of the Office of Excess already."
(4:37:30 PM) Ikiryo: She laughs, it more musical than the last time Reise heard it. "I bet your boss was expecting you to get the full treatment or them to hot spa treatment you until your brain leaks out your ears."
(4:38:24 PM) Reise: "Probably. I hope she realises that I'm no good to her chess-playing if I'm just a vapid sack of plastic tits, though."
(4:39:03 PM) Ikiryo: "I dunno, Serenity seems to keep working~" She smirks
(4:40:04 PM) ***Reise chuckles. "I met Dr. Britney. I'll never know how she pulls off the bimbo act but invents the crazy things she does."
(4:42:33 PM) Ikiryo: "Well, for one - It's not an act. I've seen her push a pull door. Anyway, wanna visit that bar or would you like to leave this divine madhouse?"
(4:43:07 PM) ***Reise considers, then shrugs. "What the hell. Bar, donuts, then home."
(4:43:32 PM) Ikiryo: "Sounds good to me." She grins, her plumper lips making it look a bit sultry.
(4:50:54 PM) Reise: A couple hours pass over beers and work stories before Reise decides she should get back to reality. After a quick stop to pick up half a dozen catnip donuts, Eloise escorts her to the entrance to the hidden city. "I assume," Reise asks, "I won't be able to find here again unless invited."
(4:52:23 PM) Ikiryo: She shakes her head. "Nah, as a Solar you are allowed in due to old treaties. Solars, Lunars and Sidereals."
(4:53:14 PM) Reise: "Oh. Alright." She shrugs. "Well...I guess I'll see you around then. Good luck getting your face de-Serenitied."
(4:53:59 PM) Ikiryo: "We've got a heap of neutraliser. It's easy enough, just annoying."
(4:54:55 PM) Reise: "Alright, good." She waves and heads off. She's got a catgirl to test those donuts on...
(4:56:22 PM) Ikiryo: They are VERY effective.