TSW 29: Arina and Lily talk

[17:34]	IcePickLobotomy	Arina: You're almost used to it now. One moment you are asleep, the next you standing beneath the moon and stars, a pinkish haze hanging in the sky.
[17:35]	Arina	blinkblinks, looking around. "... Another one?"
[17:38]	IcePickLobotomy	This time you're in a city. Towering edifices of worn grey stone, empty and cracked by time. There is a layer of fine blacl sand on the ground. A cold wind howls between the towers, through the streets and avenues, stirring up lazy spirals of sand with it. It's a sad mournful sound, empty and forlorn. Somewhere in the distance you can hear the lapping of the sea on the shore.
[17:39]	Arina	frowns as she examines the environment. "..."
[17:41]	IcePickLobotomy	"Arina?" Lily steps into view from around a building.
[17:52]	Arina	blinks. "Ah, Lily?"
[17:53]	IcePickLobotomy	"You wanted to talk?"
[17:54]	Arina	"... You can tell? That's... oddly convenient."
[17:56]	IcePickLobotomy	"I can, but it's not something that's special to me." She gestures around "It's a part of this place, it's. ." She humms a moment in thought "You're thoughts, feelings, and desires ripple outward in this place. I'm just able to feel it."
[18:01]	Arina	"... So, ah, now that I actually believe you're real, what /is/ this place?"
[18:03]	IcePickLobotomy	"This exact place, or this entire dream-world you've found yourself in?"
[18:04]	Arina	"Uh. Well I was /specifically/ asking about the whole dream-world thing, but I'm a little concerned about the former too, so..."
[18:04]	Arina	shrugs.
[18:06]	IcePickLobotomy	"This city. . I'm not sure exactly, it was here before I came to this place. As for this land as a whole, it's a sort of. . . imagine a empty canvas, and then everyone who comes to this place brings some of themselves into it. Enough visitors, and enough time, will create something that covers the cloth beneath it."
[18:07]	IcePickLobotomy	"That cloth is made by the First Ones, a part of a network from what I can tell. Why or how they made it is beyond me, but I know that places such as this city, the woods, were created by others, reflections of places within their lives or events that transpired."
[18:09]	Arina	purses her lips. "The... First Ones are, what, alien terraformers?"
[18:10]	IcePickLobotomy	"No. They are the ones who created the Progenitors, the terraformers. They created the Angels, what you call the Intruders."
[18:12]	Arina	sweatdrops. "Seriously, why 'Angels'...?"
[18:13]	IcePickLobotomy	"Force of habit, the world I came from we called them Angels."
[18:14]	Arina	"... Why?"
[18:15]	IcePickLobotomy	"My understanding is that the name was taken from the texts that foretold of their existence." She shrugs "I wasn't "alive" at that time."
[18:19]	Arina	"Ah... and I suppose no one's been able to ask the, uh, First Ones why they terraformed all these planets... if they're even still around, considering it was before the formation of the Earth..."
[18:20]	IcePickLobotomy	She nods.
[18:21]	Arina	makes a face. "Joy."
[18:21]	IcePickLobotomy	"I wouldn't worry about the First Ones themselves. Should they take a direct interest in you, than there is nothing you could do to stop them."
[18:24]	Arina	"Their random subsystems are bad enough."
[18:25]	IcePickLobotomy	"What fragments I've seen tell me that what you've seen thus far are little more than their lowest level drones."
[18:25]	IcePickLobotomy	"Well, aside from that Lucifer fellow. Whatever that thing is."
[18:26]	Arina	"Ugh. Right. So something that actually carries a communication from them would hold an absurd value, wouldn't it?"
[18:27]	IcePickLobotomy	"It would, why do you ask?"
[18:29]	Arina	sighs, running a hand through her hair. "We seem to be using one as a lure for the Intruders. And or Lucifer."
[18:30]	IcePickLobotomy	". . . . . Excuse me? /what/ are they using?!"
[18:30]	Arina	"Beacon. Predates the formation of Earth."
[18:31]	IcePickLobotomy	"Wha. . tell me everything you know about it. What does it look like? Where did they find it? What does it do exactly?!"
[18:34]	Arina	shrugs. "I haven't seen it personally, but they found it in Brazil in the wake of the Red Plague. It contains information, though whether people can remain mentally coherent after getting the information seems a bit more... variable, so it's not really clear what's on it. Is this the sort of thing you're familiar with?"
[18:35]	IcePickLobotomy	"Personally? No, but I think I know what it might be. A network node for the First One's network. Which explains why you are here, your proximity to it and Syncing Abilities means it's easier to fall into it, and end up here, so to speak."
[18:36]	IcePickLobotomy	"And why it's giving people near it information, they're picking up on the network traffic."
[18:41]	Arina	frowns. "I see, so it's one of the... central hubs for this... alien phone system?"
[18:41]	IcePickLobotomy	"That's. . . close enough to it, yes."
[18:41]	Arina	"So... what exactly can you do with that?"
[18:43]	IcePickLobotomy	"It depends on who you are. For a human, they could use it to greatly accelerate their understanding of the sciences. For a Intruder? Likely they would gain true sentience and understanding of how to perfectly leverage their powers. For a Progenitor. . Same as the last only /worse/ ."
[18:46]	Arina	"Ugh. And for Lucifer?"
[18:47]	IcePickLobotomy	"Probably even worse than if a Progenitor gets it, based on what Sally said about it being a "Warrior" to the Progenitor's "Creator"."
[18:49]	Arina	"And everything's after it. Wonderful."
[18:50]	IcePickLobotomy	"Well I'm not."
[18:53]	Arina	"Yaaaaaay."
[18:53]	IcePickLobotomy	"Sarcasm suits you, strangely."
[18:54]	Arina	"At this point it's the only way I'm going to express much joy at all."
[18:54]	IcePickLobotomy	"Maybe you should consider expanding your horizons."
[18:55]	Arina	waves a hand. "That aside, do we have any idea why Lucifer is wearing Angel skinsuits instead of coming himself?"
[18:56]	IcePickLobotomy	"I could think of a couple of reasons. He may not be able to manifest, though I doubt that. It may be easier or quicker however. And with the node there, I doubt he will stop even if you kill all the angels on earth."
[18:56]	Arina	pauses. "... He's not even here, is he? He's just transmitting from thousands of light years away."
[18:57]	IcePickLobotomy	"For now yes, the. . place you found me and found Kasra is. . . very far from here, but there was a link between us."
[18:57]	Arina	"... no, wait. The meteor. Unless that was his transmitter?"
[18:57]	IcePickLobotomy	"Meteor?"
[18:58]	Arina	frowns. "... I'm... sorry about Kasra. We... weren't able to do anything."
[18:59]	IcePickLobotomy	"I know, and you're forgiven, though I never held any of you responsible." She smiles sadly "To be honest, it's how he would have wanted to have died at least. Few men can claim as much."
[18:59]	Arina	"... stupid Kasra."
[19:00]	IcePickLobotomy	"He was a fool but I could hardly hold that against him."
[19:00]	Arina	"... still, would've been nice if he were easier to keep alive."
[19:01]	IcePickLobotomy	"But then he would not have been who he was."
[19:04]	Arina	sighs. "... stupid Kasra."
[19:04]	IcePickLobotomy	She smirks and pats you on the back "Don't be Tsundere, you already have a boyfriend from what I hear."
[19:04]	Arina	"... What the heck is a tsundere?"
[19:05]	IcePickLobotomy	"You're probably better off now knowing. Nothing too bad though."
[19:05]	Arina	eyes her suspiciously.
[19:06]	IcePickLobotomy	"It's a archetype in romantic media. Refers to a girl who plays hard to get or acts somewhat hostile to her love interest."
[19:09]	Arina	blinkblinks, pointing at herself. "... er? I'm pretty sure I don't do that?"
[19:10]	IcePickLobotomy	"No, not really, just having a joke at your expense is all."
[19:12]	Arina	"I... see?"
[19:29]	IcePickLobotomy	"Anyways. I do suggest keeping the Node out of peoples hands as best you can, maybe sinking it into the ocean or launching it into space if you get the chance?"
[19:33]	Arina	"Ocean's no good, both Angels and humans can retrieve it. I was thinking destroying it, frankly. I certainly don't trust any of the humans who get a handle on that thing and I'm not about to start trusting the Angels to be any more reasonable sapient than they already are. And I'm starting to wonder if they're even attacking or if they just want that one damned thing, almost all the
[19:33]	Arina	appearances seem to have been to get a hold of it."
[19:47]	IcePickLobotomy	"Hence throwing it into space, or at least the sun. If someone wants it they'll probably leave you alone if they don't need go get through you for it."
[19:50]	Arina	"Mm. Is it even destructible?"
[19:51]	IcePickLobotomy	"In theory yes, but I doubt there is anything short of a black hole or some truly esoteric weapon that could unmake it."
[19:52]	Arina	"Damn. Space it is then."
[20:01]	IcePickLobotomy	"Though first I think you need to deal with the Intruders, Lucifer, and whatever else is standing in your way."
[20:04]	Arina	"First? I was hoping they'd all go chase it and leave us alone, honestly."
[20:04]	Arina	"Unless you have any idea what the hell they're all after?"
[20:04]	IcePickLobotomy	"I think the Intruders are after Lilith."
[20:04]	IcePickLobotomy	"And that Lucifer is using them to try and get at the node."
[20:05]	Arina	"... Who?"
[20:05]	IcePickLobotomy	"Lilith, a Progenitor. From what me and Mary worked out she rebelled against the First Ones and was imprisoned here on Earth, but she was still somewhat active, hence the visions you saw in that shrine under the base."
[20:08]	Arina	swallows. "/That's/ who that was? And no one ever bothered to tell me any of this?"
[20:10]	IcePickLobotomy	"I didn't have full confirmation that there was a fully bodied Lilith here until a few days ago, before then I wasn't sure if she was dead, gone, fragmented."
[20:10]	Arina	rubs her temples. "Ugh."
[20:15]	IcePickLobotomy	She pats your shoulder
[20:19]	Arina	"So, what, we have the Angels, Lucifer, /and/ an imprisoned alien super-criminal, and whatever exactly their relationship is with each other?"
[20:19]	IcePickLobotomy	"The Angels were the. . . prison guards so to speak. I assume that they activated when she reached a certain threshold of activity. Their hostility to human life is due to the fact that you are all her children of a sort."
[20:21]	Arina	"What."
[20:22]	IcePickLobotomy	"Lilith's blood was the primordial ooze that life emerged from in my world. Here it's likely the same, or at least close enough to it. She did fight a war on the Earth before life formed."
[20:22]	IcePickLobotomy	"Hence you register as being "Lilith" based life forms, even if you lack any of the mainstays of Angelic life forms."
[20:27]	Arina	"I'm going to stick with 'what'."
[20:28]	IcePickLobotomy	She shrugs "You did ask."
[20:29]	Arina	sighs. "Great, so the world was created by all-powerful aliens and we're the toe fungus caught in the middle."
[20:29]	IcePickLobotomy	"I'd more liken you to a particularly aggressive black mold myself."
[20:40]	Arina	"Gee, thanks."
[20:41]	IcePickLobotomy	'Fah, I'm just teasing, I really am a fan of you guys. There /is/ a reason I've stuck around as long as I have."
[20:42]	Arina	"I thought you were waiting for the alien god-bus," she notes, voice dry.
[20:46]	IcePickLobotomy	"Oh, but I felt my ticket at home and my mother would be quite cross if I were to darken herr door-step."
[20:46]	IcePickLobotomy	*left
[20:49]	Arina	"In this extended metaphor is that the First Ones, a Progenitor of some sort, or some horrible dark conspiracy?"
[20:50]	IcePickLobotomy	"A combination of the 2nd and 3rd options."
[20:51]	Arina	"Option three is far too damned common."
[21:00]	Arina	"I mean, I know people conspire and all but /what/."
[21:03]	IcePickLobotomy	"The long story of it is that wanted to use a outrider as a vessel for all of humanities souls in order to stop all death, pain, and isolation. In order to gather up all of those souls they had to hijack the Progenitor, hence they made a human-lilith hybrid, my mother, who alter fused with Lilith to provide a driving force and sapience to her. Through a rather convulted chain of events, this...
[21:03]	IcePickLobotomy	...Lilith ended up under the control of a 13 year olf boy in the middle of a mental breakdown who ultimately rejected Instrumentality. When this happen the souls returned to the earth, along with my mother, but a part of her was ejected, which became me."
[21:10]	Arina	blinks.
[21:10]	Arina	blinks again.
[21:10]	Arina	"... what."
[21:10]	IcePickLobotomy	"Look just roll with it."
[21:11]	Arina	"I have been rolling with it far, far too long."
[21:12]	Arina	"Seriously where do these people come /up/ with this twaddle?"
[21:12]	IcePickLobotomy	"I have no idea where they even got the idea. It did work, in their defense. Well it would have worked."
[21:13]	Arina	"That's /even/ /worse/."
[21:13]	IcePickLobotomy	She shrugs
[21:21]	Arina	"Seriously all people need to do is /stop/ /being/ /dicks/ /all/ /the/ /time/."
[21:22]	IcePickLobotomy	Lily giggles, then laughs.
[21:29]	IcePickLobotomy	"People have been saying that for as long as humanity has been able to speak Arina. I don't think it's going to work out that way."
[21:31]	Arina	"People trying to not be dicks all the time failed to fix everything. People trying to stop all death, pain, and isolation destroyed the world and caused far more of it than they ever averted."