Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - Jungle Storms [5.5]

[Courier]

There was something very odd about that lion's body English. No fear, no real interest in the strangers... it didn't act like a wild animal and it didn't act like a pet. Sentient? Controlled?

Warren quantum scanned and looked up and down the EM spectrum.

No quantum funkiness. Not a robot. Not a cyborg. Normal lion seemed unlikely. What did that leave? Bonded animal? Psychic-linked animal?

From the others there was also the hint of... could this be a subtle joke or test of some sort for Traveler’s students? Primitive looking but seriously advanced?

Bonded, whether genetically or psychically, was the obvious answer, but that was something baselines could do and think of so disregard it for the moment. What would be a really hard test by their standards?

Warren considered that as Einherjar and the Morrigan left.

...

The usual suspects would be... Temporal Paradox. Future Warren takes future Cora back in time, she shifts into a lion and then husks to hide quantum.

Warren consciously tried to check the surrounding area for a paradox.

{I’ve no clue how to resolve his last action. Awareness check? Auto Failure? Something else?}

"So that's Alex," her chorus chirped, bouncing into the air again, "Any more takers?"

Warren nodded and said, "Always. Let's go explore."

[LydaLynn]

Epiphany shook her head, "Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll stay here for now. I never got around to working on that quantum language I was thinking about. And this place makes me think it might be a good idea to look into working on that again. I'm tempted to see if I can push past whatever interference is causing the static I'm feeling in my head, but I don't think it's a good idea to go testing that right now. So . . . language work it will be. If anyone else wants to stick around I'd be happy for the company and any help. But I doubt it will be even a quarter as exciting as exploring." Smiling in a slightly welcoming and warm way she seems . . . less uptight that she has been for a while.

[Karren Gaunt]

"Maybe after dinner, Pip," Coraline volunteered warmly, "Sounds like a good idea but honestly Butch would be a better bet to help on the starting out end things if his silence means he doesn't want to come along right now."

She nodded at their healer of a sibling, bobbing in the air before adding with a chuckle, beautiful features happy, "So we fly over to the docks and work our way back to the palace by sunset? Keep out eyes and ears for potential trouble and keep out of trouble ourselves?"

She had never planned this kind of excursion before, so openly exposing herself to baseline attention on nonbusiness affairs without the link up. Pushing herself to not husk to see how they might react when it was Maia's turn to walk these streets. Being brave in a place Uncle Shen vouched for the safety of. It was a tricky feeling, but a good one so far with at least two of her siblings along.

[Butch_Cole]

"I'm with you on exploring, Cora," Butch said. "Just a little out of it from dealing with Maia and Justin. Pip, I'm glad to help out with a language, but I'm looking forward to seeing what's going on outside of the palace. As long as we're back in time for dinner. I don't want to be discourteous to our host."

Butch rubbed the back of his neck. He added, "I'm a bit of a slow flyer though, so if anyone is willing to give a lift or join me on foot, I'd appreciate it."

[Courier]

Warren said, "No problem Butch." A pair of mirrored surfboards appeared under Warren and Butch. Warren commented, "It's the only way to fly."

{OOC: Attune Butch, Activate EM:Warp (Flight)}

[LydaLynn]

Pip nods her thanks, "Before you all head out though, let's see if we can find the edge of the dampening effect and set the network back up. For all that it should be safe here, I'd feel better knowing we can call each other for help."

[Eingar]

Ein didn't miss the close scrutiny from his ward and her friend, but his pale gaze was studying the knife, noting the primitive but skilled construction and the sheer size of the tooth it had been made from. His eyes narrowed as he hefted the weapon in his palm - it would be a fine stabbing implement. Smiling, he held it up to his eyes - an unnecessary move, really, but old habits died hard even for novas - and studied the tribal carvings on the tooth, trying to determine their origin. Finally his gaze flicked to Morri.

"This is interesting." he said mildly, still smiling. "Where did you get it?"

"On my trip." Morri hedged, her eyes on his face. "Do you like it?" she asked, trying to read his expression. She thought he did, but it was hard to be sure sometimes, with Ein.

"Love it." he beamed, giving her a gentle hug with one arm, his other hand holding the dagger up for further inspection as they continued walking. "It's very nice work. I don't recognise the carving style, but it's beautiful." He gave her a sidelong - and downways - look. "Is there a tale attached to this?" he asked her with a grin.

[z-The Morrigan]

No one else on this world or any other could have hugged the Morrigan and drawn back their arm unscathed. “There is,” Morri said, smiling at her guardian. His blue eyes glowed with more than their normal azure hue as he gazed at her, plainly waiting for her to continue. She smiled as she drew out the silence a couple of beats before she said, “There are so many people now. Even in the wild places, there are villages and roads. I get tired of people. So I found a place, somewhere where there are fewer people.”

“And that is where you go on your trips?” Einherjar asked, more to continue the conversation than actually needing to ask.

“Yes,” Morri said, tipping her head up to glance at the arches of the hallway. They reminded her of the Yrim Forest, with its trees that went eighty or ninety feet up before any branches grew from the great trunks. “Tahir is a prince there. And the tooth comes from a Phunan that we hunted together. I asked a Sky-caller to carve it for me, after I’d dried, honed and shaped it.” Her words were tumbling out rapidly, her secrets flowing like water as she finally started to reveal them. “I want to show you – Tahir has finally decided you’re not a bad guy.”

[Karren Gaunt]

Pip nods her thanks, "Before you all head out though, let's see if we can find the edge of the dampening effect and set the network back up. For all that it should be safe here, I'd feel better knowing we can call each other for help."

Coraline hadn't known that Pip's telepathy was being interferred with on the palace grounds, but a precaution like that was slightly obvious with politics involved. "Makes sense," she volunteered, belatedly realizing that they were missing Marina and Darrik still, "I wouldn't be against putting the link back up if you think it'd work with you staying here at the palace to watch Maia and work on your project while seeing if Marina and Darrik show up. Just say the word when you can do it."

The young metamorph left unsaid how much longer she thought she'd *want* to be part of the link on a permanent basis, but she had promised to not make a choice about that until Maia was recovered. So she wouldn't.

She flitted into the air, eufiber dress rustling with the motion as she took to her element, the tights she habitually molded from her colony preserving her modesty against those below who lacked x-ray vision. Coraline pulled off a few gentle spirals on her way up, coming to a halt some 50 meters above the palace grounds and scanning the city while she waited. Parks. A trio of elegant arcologies. Open air markets. Tramlines. Old seamlessly blended with new. And... Yes, docks for Alex to get a look at. She couldn't wait to get started.

[Quantum Fire]

For anyone who had lived in this city almost 20 years ago, it would have been such a dramatic change, the mix of old and new would would be surprising to such an individual, the fact that the streets were now clean and in good order was one difference, but there were many others, the city was an amazing mix of tradition and modern methods, and even as the clouds gathered ahead to begin a storm, the rain beginning to fall rather heavily it was still quite lovely, sense it was now the rainy season, of the two seasons that this part of africa had, rainy or dry. Of course, the power of the King could alter that, as he could change weather to suit his own whim, but changing normal weather wasn't something he did until he felt there was need.

[Eingar]

"He has, hmm?" Einherjar glanced at Tahir, eyebrows raised, and was rewarded with the sight of a lion almost looking sheepish. The tall nova smiled then as he regarded Morri.

"What's so funny?" she asked him, trying not to let her mild frustration bleed into her voice. Ein was... well, Ein. She adored him, but even to her he could be baffling at times, and the Morrigan hated feeling baffled.

"I'm pleased, not amused." he said, still smiling. "Thank you, Tahir, for your trust. It is not misplaced." He nodded formally to the young lion, who gazed back at him with bright blue eyes. "So, tell me about this place, and about the Phunan you hunted." He glanced at the tooth-knife. "It must be a big beast - this looks like it came off a dinosaur." As he spoke, he continued to lead the way to his own rooms, only to stop talking as he heard someone waiting for him. "One moment." he murmured, then as they rounded the corner he smiled at the nova waiting there. "Tavon, you rascal. What can I do for you?"

"Chief of chiefs." The other man said with a bow. Tavon had grown into a decorated warrior, a stern general, a father (of adopted children), and head of Einherjar's palace guard, but the nova who'd walked into Vyse Elites all those years ago still smiled like a boy when Einherjar called him a rascal. "Morrigan." he added, respectfully. "I heard we had guests, and came back from the training grounds as soon as I could."

"Nothing to fear from these guests." Ein told him with a clap on the shoulder as he moved past the younger man and entered his palatial suite of rooms. "They're students of the Traveller. But I want them looked after with zero restrictions on their movement. Whistle up some personal anti-dampers for them so they can use their gifts in the palace, and make sure that the police forces know their faces. Any problems regarding them come straight to my attention, even if your men take care of it, clear?"

"Yes sir." Tavon nodded, curiousity all over his features. But he knew better than to ask why these guests were so special - if Einherjar had wanted to tell him, he'd have been told. Short of Bombshell and Danica, no-one other than Morri enjoyed that much largesse from the king, despite appearances to the contrary. The Congolese security services were masters at covert 'minding' even of metasensory novas, having more than a few novas themselves.

"Good." Einherjar said. "I'd like you to join us for dinner tonight - bring the wife and kids. Informal, and I'll introduce you to the guests. They're all quite charming." Ein collapsed onto a couch and flicked a salute Tavon's way. "Get them those anti-dampers, then review security with an eye to keeping out motherhunters. Any prominent Terats in-country at the moment?"

"The Count is at his southern villa." Tavon said. "Not sure who else might be with him. I'll find out and report before dinner."

"Excellent. Now shoo, it's family time." Einherjar grinned at him. "See you tonight."

"Yes, sir." Tavon grinned back, then bowed and left. Einherjar removed his king's mantle and hung it on the back of a nearby chair, then relaxed back onto the couch and gave Morri a shrug.

"Right, business is over. Let's relax and you can tell me about Tahir's home and people."

[LydaLynn]

Epiphany nodded, "I should be able to hold the network, even against the dampeners, now that I know they are there. If everyone is ready, we can find the edge and set it back up now. I wish I'd known before we came, I'm not sure when we'll be able to pick Marina and Darrik back up, but for now, any link is better than none."

[z-The Morrigan]

Morri took a seat on the couch next to Einherjar, crossing her legs and turning to face him. But instead of talking, she looked at Tahir. Her expression was rather expectant and lion heaved a sigh. The pink nose twitched once before those blue eyes settled on Einherjar again. The man felt his own blue orbs widen a little as he realized the intense blue of the cat’s eyes were becoming even more extreme. They shimmered like the clearest ocean water; minute imperfections in Tahir’s face were disappearing. His fur changed, the tawny color now best described as gold and the dark shadows of his cub-dapples fading further.

“He can’t speak human,” Morri said softly when Tahir was finished undorming. “But I’ll translate, if necessary.”

“So I assume that each species has their own language?” Einherjar deduced.

“Yes,” Morri replied, “but most types of animals share a common language, usually one that is very complex. I haven’t learned the lion’s tongue perfect; Feliod was been easier to master.” Tahir growled softly and Morri said, “But he has learned English, and he’ll understand what you say. He just doesn’t have the mouth for it, just as I probably don’t have the mouth for lion. The common languages, like Feliod, are designed to be easy for most species to use.”

Einherjar nodded; if he had a question, Morri didn’t give him a chance to ask it. “Tahir is the heir to the Tribe of the Sun, the… conglomerate of lions in the Primal Lands. I defeated his father in single combat; Tahir traveling with me is a compromise that allows the Suns to regain their pride.

“There are many animals that are like the lions,” Morri continued. Her eyes shone with delight as she spoke; this world brought her to life like few other things did. “The Greys are wolves, who live in the forests to the south, and there are giant spiders that call themselves Dwellers. Oh, I can tell you all about it, but Ein! You have to see it!”

“I want to!” her guardian assured her, grinning at her bald enthusiasm. “So where does this come from?” He hefted the knife.

“The Phunum is the Feliod word for Tyrannosaurus Rex.” Morri grinned at the glint that appeared in Ein’s eyes.

“There’s dinosaurs in the Primal Lands?” Einherjar asked, his voice soft but eager. His expression was the same mix of wonder and excitement that Morri had felt the first time she’d seen a live T-rex.

Morri nodded. “Dinosaurs and nova animals,” the feral told him. “It’s a perfect place.”

[SalmonMax]

"I think, with a little time for study, I can probably make some counter-dampeners," Alex noted. "Though that might be considered rude. Frankly, the best course of action is probably just to ask him for countermeasures."

[LydaLynn]

Epiphany shrugged, "Perhaps. At the same time, I'd like to know my personal limits. To know if I CAN get around them. Knowing that I can hold the link despite dampeners is a good thing to know, a good skill to have. I won't try to push past it with anything except holding the network without talking to Einherjar first. But I do want the network up. And to know we can trust the network even against defenses such as this."

[SalmonMax]

Alex nodded, conceding the point. "Sounds good. Okay, I'm off to check out the seaport. Cora's probably chewing her arms off by now. Later!"

As she headed for the large, open window of the suite, a complicated-looking set of equipment materialized either strapped to her back, or possibly part of her back. She leaped out, and a pair of fanjets blazed to life, propelling her out and up with a thunderous roar...and a gust of wind that sent loose objects scampering everywhere around the suite.

By the time Alexandra met Cora up above, she'd fully manifested her 'flight suit' as a harness, jetpack and set of leg braces for landings...as well as a pair of goggles for HUD and to keep the wind out of her eyes.

"I see the ships down there," she shouted over the roar of her rockets as she hovered near Cora. "I'm gonna go check it out!" Then she was angling down into a powerdive towards the port of Kinshasa, the jet noise nearly drowning out her whoop of excitement.

[Karren Gaunt]

Cora rolled her eyes goodnaturedly, following Alex in happy little spirals along the clearly marked 'airlanes' towards the docks, neat idea as she considered that. She took in everything as she flew over the city, a Nova at clearly at play. The young metamorph passed under the rainstorm, getting soaked enroute to the docks and not caring.

[Eingar]

"Okay, you have definitely got my interest." Ein told the Morrigan, his grin excitedly boyish. "This place sounds... well, awesome. And that's not a word I throw around." He held the tooth-knife up in front of his eyes, his gaze sparkling. "A tyrannosaur tooth... fresh from the Rex himself."

"Herself." Morri grinned at him. "She was a big one, too."

"So in this place, the animals - that is, what are considered animals here - have evolved intelligence and a society?" Ein asked, receiving a nod from Morri. "So what of the primates?"

"They're there too." Morri told him, her own excitement obvious now that she was able to share the secret. "But different. There's no industrialisation, no high-tech. It's so much... cleaner and less crowded."

"I bet." Einherjar said thoughtfully. "I wonder if..."

"It doesn't work there." Morri smiled. She'd been waiting for Ein's brain to move in that direction. "Technology just doesn't work. So they don't need to worry about invaders from, say, here. Any army going through with guns and tanks will find them not working... and then they'd be up against organised, intelligent animals, some of whom are novas."

"Sounds fascinating." Ein marvelled. "Causality has a different spin there, then. So... Are you going to show me this place?"

"Yes!" Morri said, leaning forwards eagerly. "I've wanted to tell you since I found it, but I... I wanted to know more, and then I met Tahir and I thought it should be him that decides, because he's my friend and it's his world. I knew if he got to know you, he'd learn to trust you. And now he says you can know about it, so I want to take you."

Einherjar was thoughtful as he gazed at her, his mouth curved in a smile. She was all grown up, and that was hard to acknowledge sometimes. Part of it was her nova semblance of youth - she only looked perhaps three years older than she did when he found her. The differences were in her movements, her assurance and confidence, but there was a bit of Ein that missed the simple days, when he could cheer her up just by offering her a raised palm and asking 'Morri okay?' Now... Now she was her own person, which he had helped her to become, of course, but he'd missed spending time with her. And that was a revelation: at some point over the last ten years, the girl he'd rescued and taught had become a woman whom he missed. He didn't show it, but inside the nova king was a little perturbed by that. He didn't miss anyone - when his friends came to visit, like Bombshell, he was happy to see them, and when they went he said farewell and went back to his life. He didn't wake up in the mornings and miss her... Apart from when he was feeling a little lusty, perhaps. But that wasn't the same thing at all. When Morri was gone, though, a part of his nova brain was always wondering where she was and when she would be back. Another man might turn away from that bit of self-realisation. Or be disturbed by what it might mean. Ein simply tasked some of his brainpower to noting it, and went back to the conversation at hand.

"I'd love to see it with you." he nodded, his blue eyes studying Tahir's nova form. "I can't go right now, of course."

"Yes. Your guests." Morri studied him now. "Shen appears after not talking to you for years, and asks you to look after his sick students. Why?" she asked with her usual straightforwardness.

"Because this is the safest place... and because one of them is my daughter." Ein had considered keeping that under wraps, but this was Morri. She deserved to know. "The girl who's recovering... Apparently I knew her mother some time ago. Before I realised I was fertile again. She doesn't know." he added, watching Morri for her reaction. "Her mother and Shen haven't told her, and I asked Shen not to tell her for now - she's dealing with enough." He sighed, spinning the tooth-dagger over and over in his large fingers. "Also, I'm not sure how I feel about it. She's my flesh and blood relative, but I haven't been a father to her. Now, her and her friends are on Proteus's hitlist and Shen drops the bomb on my lap. I think I'd have preferred not to know, and just done a decent thing for some strangers."

[z-The Morrigan]

The smile disappeared from Morri’s face as Einherjar delivered his newsbomb. Ein watched her closely as uncertainty crossed his ward’s features. Morri hated when her life was altered; her phobia of changes was tied to her earliest remembered days of life. When she’d been passed around by the pit bosses and then Vyse, changes in her routine meant new humiliations to endure and new pain to learn. Ein had been the first good change, and Morri clung to him and all that he had given her. It was like any child that had been abused; they found it hard to trust and harder to let go of someone they did trust.

Women came and went in Ein’s life without really touching it. Morri didn’t mind them and didn’t feel they were a threat to her place in Ein’s existence. They were transitory, but she was Ein’s daughter and he was her alpha. So long as those two factors remained in place, women could drape themselves over Ein twenty-four-seven for all Morri cared.

A daughter, a real daughter, was something else.

Abruptly, Morri slid across the couch until she was pressing herself against Ein’s side. The Nordic nova lifted an arm and his ward snuggled under it, drawing solace from his acceptance and his touch. His big arm curled around her like a shield against the world. It was metaphorical at the moment, but in the past, it hadn’t always been figurative. After a moment of quiet reassurance, she said, “Was he afraid that you wouldn’t help them? I thought you were better friends than that. I mean, maybe he would have been like that before you two patched things up.”

Ein smirked, shifting so that they were both more comfortable. “I’m not sure,” he replied, his head resting on the back of the couch.

“You would have helped them without knowing she was your daughter.” Somehow, the words came out easily, but Ein’s arm still tightened around her gently. Tahir watched, absorbing the scene before him with his discerning and disconcerting blue eyes. “So he must have just thought you should know.” Morri was quiet; Ein felt her body tense a little under his skin so he wasn’t surprised when she asked softly, “Do you like her?”

“I barely know her,” Einherjar quickly answered. He’d thought this might come up.

“Do you think you’ll like her?” Morri asked in an even smaller voice.

“I have no idea, Morri,” Ein said with that endless patience of his. She was being ridiculous and she knew it but her fears were driving her right now. Her guardian leaned over and kissed the top of her head; he’d long ago learned to keep some actions that were for Morri alone, to use at moments like this. Little touches worked better with his feral ward than words; his reward for the gesture was Morri turning against him and burrowing her face against his ribs. The red-eyed nova was curled up in a tight ball, but he knew it wasn’t uncomfortable for her. And right now, that huddle and his contact with her were telling her clearly: he might someday like Maia a great deal, but he’d never stop liking Morri, either.

[LydaLynn]

Sighing as she watched the others leave, Epiphany went and found a room for herself. She hadn't bothered choosing before, allowing her siblings to make their choices first. Careful as she moved through the areas that damped telepathy to hold onto the reestablished network, Pip was happy to note that not only was it possible, once she could feel the difference, she could almost ignore the extra effort that holding to the network took. She didn't feel it would be easy to establish within the field, but already existing links were simple to maintain despite the defensive technology.

Settling on her bed Pip wished she had asked Alex for something that would reflect quantum sounds before her sister left. Shrugging, Pip pulled out her notebook and began working on creating the quantum manipulations that would be the foundation for a new language, noticing the way she could layer information. Not thinking about how the manipulations would carry, not having practiced this before, Epiphany didn't realize she was practically shouting as she worked on creating a new quantum based language.

[Butch_Cole]

Butch looked down at the mirrored warp surfboard under his feet. This should prove interesting...

"Thanks, Warren," he said. Then, he pointed after the girls. "Now, how about we follow the intrepid explorers before we get left behind?"

[Eingar]

You're not replaceable. Einherjar silently told the half-wild woman with his presence and his arm around her tightly curled body, smiling a little at the feel of her nuzzling into his ribs. Somewhere between protective and affectionate, he gently stroked her hair.

"Morri okay?" he asked her with a small smile in his words.

"Morri very okay." she replied in a muffled voice, then peeked up at him semi-accusingly. "I'd be more okay if you were a bit more careful. You might have other children. What if all of the ones Shen brought here were yours?" She was rewarded with a wide-eyed look of surprise, and smiled at him. "I don't think they are, but you never know."

"He would have told me." Einherjar replied slowly, pondering the matter. "At the very least, he'd have told me if any of the girls were mine." Morri didn't need to ask why. Her opinion of Ein's habits was one of the less-discussed elephants in the room of their friendship.

"You shouldn't." was all she said. "They're little more than children." Ein winced a little.

"You're right. Damn, but I feel old. There's teenage nova girls who do lingerie modelling running around and now all I can think about is 'I have a daughter that age'." He sighed gustily, then gave her another affectionate squeeze. "Will you and Tahir be coming for dinner?"

"Yes." Morri said with another rare smile. "I want to see this thing: Einherjar behaving himself around beautiful young women. I think it's impossible." she teased him lightly, as she did now and again. Tahir rumbled something that Ein doubted was disagreement. He laughed at them both.

"Well, stranger things have happened." he said with a shrug.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

It was an hour later, and Ein was walking through the palace with a package under one arm. The Morrigan was settling back into her palace routine - which is to say she was roaming around somewhere, Tahir in tow, and probably notgetting pretty for the dinner later. Now and then she did wear tribal-formal wear, and once Ein had even gotten her into a ballgown... for all of three hours before she turned it into a nearly-indecently short dress. Fortunately, the meal tonight was informal: Ein, his guests, Tavon and his family, and of course Morri. A family dinner in the royal apartments, rather than the dining hall.

He knocked on the door of the guest wing, then opened it and entered without further preamble. As he did, the nagging pulses from his node that he'd felt down the hallway became louder, and he saw Epiphany bent over a notebook, wings furled and her pretty face set in a mask of concentration as she worked on something that seemed to be involving a lot of strange pulses of quantum.

"Excuse the interruption, but I thought I should bring these myself." the chief of chiefs rumbled as he held up a slim black case, looking around. "The others gone a-wandering?"

[LydaLynn]

Looking up a bit startled, Pip just stared at Einherjar for a moment before realizing he had spoken to her. "Oh, ah sorry. I'm a bit distracted." She managed not to add that she was intentionally distracting herself. "The others, yes, they said something about exploring and the docks. They should be back for dinner. Do you need them now? I can call them back if you'd like." She peered at the box, wondering what it was.

Then, realizing the mess scattered around her, Epiphany started gathering and straightening papers. What would he think of her? She wasn't normally this disordered, but her mind was still a bit disjointed and it seemed to be bleeding into her surrounding world. Then, realizing there was a king standing there, Pip blushed darker under her fur and scrambled to stand. "I'm sorry, I . . . not really used to protocol or anything, I . . ." she trailed off as she realized she had a sheaf of unruly papers in her hands. Looking around for someplace to put them Pip mentally kicked herself for the impression she must be giving him. At this rate there was no way he would take her seriously, and she had hoped to beg a serious conversation with him after dinner for the following day or so.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to recenter herself, shoving a few unhelpful imprinted voices into her 'other mind' Epiphany smiled at Ein and gave a slight curtsy. Her knees bending just enough to give her a slight dip, her hands and wings arching out and her head nodding respectfully, she tried again. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone. How may I help you?" She mentally berated herself for sounding like a shop girl, but tried not to think about it, waiting to see what Ein wanted, having completely forgotten the box he carried into the room.

[Eingar]

"It's actually more a matter of how I can help you." Einherjar said with an amused smile, nodding in response to her curtsey. "At ease, girl. We're not in the throne room, and I put my pants on one leg at a time like most." He grinned like a Nordic pirate and handed her the carry-case. "The curtsey was nice, though." he added with a roguish spark in his his blue eyes as Pip looked at the case. She blushed a little more and looked up at him again, curiously.

"Those are counter-transmitters." he told her as he settled onto a couch, waving one large hand at the case. "Designed to be discreet, there's some that look like jewelry, and other that look like watches. They tell the quantum-noise emitters around the palace to ignore you, which should make using extrasensory perceptions easier."

[LydaLynn]

At the relaxed atmosphere he encouraged, Epiphany smiled in a thanks that still carried a bit of chagrin. "Counter-transmitters, they'll block that annoying static noise in my head? It's been hard to keep the network up with that and I never even realized how much I felt the people around me before. It's been a bit nice, actually. Not to mention educational. I need to get a better handle on that so I don't risk reading someone unconsciously. I . . . sorry, I'm a bit rambly. Do you mind if I look?" She gestured to the box and waits for his go ahead before opening it and looking through the assorted devices. Her fingers linger near a deep amber gem in a gold setting before she closes the box back up, leaving the devices undisturbed.

"I think everyone will be happy to have these, thank you very much. I . . . I think my parents might have met you once, in passing probably, the memory isn't very strong. I . . . when I head Traveler was bringing some of us here, I wanted to come. I've been . . . I've had some thoughts I've been struggling with and you seem like someone who knows what he's doing and . . . it's, I have hard time understanding the difference between what is possible and what is right and how to make the choice on what to do, to be sure I'm not making things worse and I thought maybe you would have some insight and . . . I'm rambling again. I'm sorry, just . . . I'm a bit on edge lately, things have happened and I still don't understand how I feel about any of it or what I should do with some of the consequences I'm still dealing with." The smile she gives manages not to be desperate, barely.

[Karren Gaunt]

Meanwhile, out in the city, Coraline had descended on one of Kinsasha's open air markets that seemed to have an interesting array of things Maia might like as get well presents, Warren trailing behind after being 'volunteered' by his less worldly sister to help her out if she needed it. The reaction she got was... not quite unexpected, but still mildly disconcerting in it's intensity and personal strangeness. A general air of fascination and interest that affected foot traffic through the market like a clog in a drain. Offers of gifts that the young metamorph refused as politely as possible and insisted on paying for in the prices marked on vender's stalls if she thought Maia would like them. Frankly disturbing requests by a few for her to bless their children that she didn't quite know what to think about.

Was this what it was like for Maia *all the time* now?

The smile she turned on the now bag-enburdened Warren between venders was just a little bit frayed at the edges, the impulse to run clear in her eyes but sternly quashed. She could do this, and there were some colorful scarves that should be up Maia's alley... Just because baselines were weird and her descion to not mask her quantum aura made their weirdness even more extreme in a mostly good if overwhelming way didn't mean she had to run away. So she choose not to. And went shopping for scarves.

[Eingar]

Einherjar blinked at the stream-of-consciousness style speech from the unconventionally lovely nova, his glowing gaze studying her. For someone with such natural poise to be so evidently rattled was an obvious tell of youth, but the wily ex-Elite, now-King knew there was more to Epiphany's nervousness than mere inexperience. But he hardly thought Shen would approve of any advice he would give to the monastic old man's students - Ein's approach tended towards Gordian Knot-solutions rather than Zen koans.

"It sounds like you have a lot on your mind, no joke intended." he said mildly, his smile reassuring. "I'm flattered you think I might be able to advise you, but..." he paused, taking in the big catlike eyes and the mute pleading expression, and smiled "Ahh, alright. You've got my attention, Epiphany." he told her with another smile, shaking his head slightly at what a pushover he was for a cute face. "However I can help, I will." He gestured for her to join him on the couch. "Start with the conflicting thoughts."

[SalmonMax]

Alex left the shopping to her sister. She did a flyby of the port, then landed and took a little impromptu tour of the facility. She only went where the public was allowed, conscious of the need of the country's king's goodwill. Besides the only things she really needed to check were the depths in the bay, and the size of the drydocks. The first was easily determined by simply dropping into the water and exploring a bit. The second was still easy since the drydocks weren't secure...a situation she'd have to change if they ever made use of it.

The existing facilities would need to be retooled a bit, she decided...but that was no surprise. Only Russia had docks specifically designed to deal with Typhoon-class hulls. Fortunately, she could easily supply the port with the necessary data to fabricate appropriate docks. It would probably have to be open-air, which wasn't ideal...but by the time they needed to make use of a drydock, secrecy would probably not be an issue anymore.

From her undersea explorations, Alex made her way to the beach and took a moment to relax and recharge. Literally, in fact, as her body did require energy input from time to time. Any kind of thermal gradient would suffice though, and the hot Congo sun was an energy bonanza as it heated up the outer layers of her chassis, letting her harvest a rich bounty of energy through its thermal interactions with the cooler, inner layers. And it was nice, very nice, to give herself a few moments not to think, She wasn't the only nova on the beach either, nor even the most attractive, so the gawker crowd wasn't even that obnoxious. And when she decided it had gone far enough she simply dived underwater, reshaped herself, and came back out as a normal-looking woman.

Finally she was done with that and reconfigured back into her flight suit, jetting up and away and leaving a scalded crater in the beach where she lifted off from.

Cora...where are you? I'm done with the port now.

[LydaLynn]

Epiphany looked the couch over for a moment, but though she almost never sat on couches, she couldn't not after Ein had been so gracious. Hoping it wouldn't offend him, Pip sat on the arm of the couch, her feet on the cushions. For all that couches looked comfortable, she had never managed to sit on one in anything less than distressed discomfort, pain, or a serious moulting. But the arm of the couch allowed her wings to trail over the side and not get crushed beneath her.

Taking a deep breath, "Okay, conflicting thoughts. Presuming you mean thoughts on what I want to do and not the people who disagree and for some reason are more vocal lately . . . " Realizing that would sound rather odd, Pip looked to Ein with another blush, "Ah . . . I mean, I have a few fragments of other people's personalities that I've picked up over the years and sometimes they express their opinions, it's just . . . part of it I guess. Keeps me grounded at least."

Shaking her head, "Anyway, I've been having a really hard time with . . . what feels like most of everything, but my Mother would say I was being dramatic. I just . . . There are evil people out there. People who honestly intend to do bad things. But I don't think that's most people. Actually, I don't think it's very many people at all. I just . . . alot of the time there's fear or confusion or manipulation or . . . whatever behind people's actions. They're doing the best they can in the world they live in, or at least the world they think they live in. And I can see that. I . . . I don't think most of my other siblings do."

Another shaking of the head, "That might not be right, they might see it, but it doesn't affect them the way it affects me. I see these mother hunters as horrible and terrible and needing to be stopped. But I also see them as human and terrified of us and what we could or would do, of what that means for them and their families. I seem them as encouraged in that fear or manipulated into thinking with their fear or . . . all kinds of different things. Maybe they arn't truly innocent, but neither are they truly evil. Not most of them. And defiantly not those who don't even know what's going on or what the people around them are doing."

"So then I think, how can we just summarily judge them and act against them with lethal force when they could be just misguided. Or scared and we're really justifying their fears with our actions. At the same time, I see my sibling and the lives they lived. Mine wasn't great but it wasn't bad either, I didn't deal with as much as most of them. So I think maybe they have a right to their hatred, but I know that's born of fear too. It's born of that place where you run all the time and you lose everything you love. And it's hard not to carry that and know that the people who did that to you or ones just like that are out there and not want to kill them. So I understand, and I don't think my siblings are bad or evil even though they do things that might be seen as evil to those who are frightened of them."

"So then I think about what will happen if everyone keeps not understanding and keeps being afraid and lashing out and hurting, hunting, killing each other because of that. And the only thing that could come from that is war which means more killing and someone, maybe everyone, losing. And no matter how it turns out we'll have lost something in the process and how can we not mourn that. But I don't think anyone looks at it that way, maybe it's just me, maybe I'm the one who is wrong, but I can't see how that outcome could be right."

"So then I think about what can change everything. And if everything gets changed someone has to be doing the changing and who can do that and how and do they have that right and how would they know how to make the changes so it doesn't make things worse. And what makes it not bad to change people when changing them is in a way killing who they are in order to get them to be who you want them to be. And . . ." Epiphany stops suddenly, slumping in on herself. "And I don't know that there's an answer, but I have to keep looking, don't I?" With those last words she looks up at Einherjar, eyes shining and heart on her sleeve. Would he understand or laugh and could he possibly help.

[Eingar]

"Ahh." Einherjar leaned back against the opposite arm of the couch, his gaze thoughtful as he studied Pip. He said nothing else for a long moment. Epiphany waited, watching him and desperately wondering what was going on behind that strongly handsome face. Even through the static, it was plain to the skilled mentalist that Einherjar had incredibly strong mental shields. If she tried, she might break through, but there was no stray leakage, no echo of his conscious thoughts in her mind. It was strangely restful.

"You've hit the same wall we all hit. The same wall anyone with any sort of power hits. The wall created where ability to effect change meets moral and ethical questions." he held up his hands, facing each other, and pressed them together smoothly to illustrate his point. "You" he pointed at her "Can change people's minds. Literally. Correct?" Pip nodded. "And so you wonder, rightly, whether you should, or whether you should let the hate and bigotry and revenge cycle continue."

"Right." Epiphany nodded again. Einherjar shrugged his broad shoulders.

"That's a tough one. But if you want my opinion..." he looked her in the eye. "Conflict is normal. Natural. War, horrible and wasteful though it is, is natural to humanity and to us, humanity's sons and daughters. Maybe we will grow beyond that, someday, but that growth would be natural too. You're trying to see the broad picture, to see all sides of a problem, and thats not a bad thing at all. But what you have to consider is simple..." he settled back in his lounging position, glowing eyes narrowing.

"The motherhunters, fearful as they might be, weak and hate filled as they are, have made a choice. They choose to pick up guns, and bombs, and poisons, and hunt down members of a subspecies of humanity for having the temerity to breed. Whether they are Directive, or Proteus, or working for a government or corporate entity, they are treading across the oldest line in the sand: the right to propagate. Our very survival as a species depends on that. And they would deny it, for whatever reason. So their fate, and the fate of those that encourage and support their activities, is on their heads and hands, not yours. All you can ethically control is what you do as a reaction to that aggression." The warrior sighed, looking up at the sky through the opening in the atrium's ceiling.

"Making judgements is what sapient species do. We all have a point where we say 'this is right, this is wrong'. It's easy to say something is wrong and do nothing about it. It's also easy to take too much on yourself, make the wrongness your responsibility." he looked at Pip and smiled. "You might be able to wave a hand and make everyone behave how you wish... but should you? No. Because then they're not people, they're robots you've reprogrammed. People should be allowed to make mistakes, and suffer the consequences. So a war might happen... Life will go on. Stars will continue to shine, the universe will continue to spin, and rain will continue to fall. What matters isn't that we eliminate all challenges and conflicts, but how we handle each one as it comes. Use your gifts to help by fixing broken minds, rather than by belittling the choices made by free will."

[LydaLynn]

Epiphany, her expression introspective, nods. "I . . . I see what you're saying. I think that makes sense. Fix what's broken . . . " Another, more firm nod, she looks up again, "Thank you. I think that helped. I think . . . maybe I have an idea. I'll have to work on it some, but, thank you." The smile she gave was genuine and full of innocent hope.

"I think my mind is even settled enough to start being productive again, at least for a bit. I'm sure there's a way to get another layer into the coding if I just had some way to hear it before it distorts in reflections . . ." Blinking just before picking her papers up again. "Okay, my mind is still a mess cause I just moved on without even . . . I'm sorry. You've been an amazing help. Just being able to talk is helpful, but your insight is very clarifying. And not that I don't have this jumble of frustrated emotions I think I might have just seen a way past the limiter I was dealing with in my work earlier."

[Courier]

Overburdened to the point of comical, Warren wondered, How did I end up carrying Cora's luggage?

If memory serves, she asked and I said yes.

It's not that I mind... although thank god for enhanced strength and also thank god for the practice I got moving rocks around that asteroid belt for Alex...

...but...

Warren watched yet another vendor drop everything, ignoring his existing customers and attend to Cora. Far from being irritated the customer looked on the vendor enviously; He had an excuse to be close to Cora.

Warren apparently faded into the background with Cora around. Even that didn't bother him... but he had to wonder...

Was he really different from them?

[Karren Gaunt]

Thanking the latest merchant in her somewhat rusty french as he handed over a bag of her purchases, Coraline tried not to worry about how happy the small gesture of graditude made the man, how the venders further down the way were subtly and not so subtly preparing for her arrival and the ones behind her who she had bought from enjoyed a bloom of business over their by-passed rivals. She had picked out the click of a dozen odd cameras as she worked this far, too, hopefully reporters and tourists and not lurking motherhunter agents or tools. The young metamorph wasn't even exerting herself, for node's sake.

Alex's message shook her from her introspection. 'Oh, yeah. We're in a market and...,' she let the blurt lapse when she saw Butch and Warren, comedically overburdened, and laughed sympatheticlly, chorus honest and rueful at her oversight. Perhaps there was a thing as being too focused on the now.

'...And I think I'm abusing my brothers good nature a bit. Want to head back to the palace, Butch, Warren?'

OOC: Edited due to my being an idiot and typing the wrong name.

[Butch_Cole]

When Warren and Butch followed on their warp surfboards, there was no indication that they would become quantum powered porters of gifts for Maia. Cora's capacity to shop was, unfortunately, greater than he had expected. Still, the ability to walk about in Kinshasa freely was something to enjoy.

The pile of gifts he was carrying was not heavy, but it certainly was becoming unwieldy. The stack reached up to his eyes, and it caused his sunglasses to shift slightly. If anyone looked closely, they would see the green multi-faceted eyes Butch had been born with. Carefully, and surprisingly deftly, the young nova shifted the boxes and caused his sunglasses to perch securely once more on his nose.

He responded to Cora's message:

Yeah. I'd say it's time to head back. I may be strong, but I don't have six arms here.

[Eingar]

"Glad I was of some use." Ein said wryly as he flowed to his feet with a grace eerie in a man his size. "I'm curious about what you're doing that's causing so much shouting in the quantum stratum, but I'm sure you would prefer to work it out before anyone starts prying." He gave Epiphany a broad smile and headed for the door. "I'll see you at dinner later. Remember - informal."

[LydaLynn]

"Yes, ah, I, sure. I . . . shouting?" Looking chagrined she doesn't notice as Ein slips out before she can explain it to him. Then again, he likely wasn't really interested. But Pip made not to tone down her testings.

[Courier]

Yeah. I'd say it's time to head back. I may be strong, but I don't have six arms here.

Warren added, Agreed. Although it's been... interesting, or maybe a better word would be 'educational' watching you shop.

Warren's mental tone was at once humorous, serious, and understated. Even before the first bag he'd switched from shopping to people watching. Exploring the world by just walking around and watching the crowd react to Cora. He'd have to mentally digest that one for a while.

[Karren Gaunt]

Coraline looked mildly chargined. 'Yeah. It's my first time shopping without Maia to babysit me. I apoligize for going a little crazy, you guys. It just seemed like there was so much she'd like here.'

And with that, she slipped the chains of gravity and flitted into the air with her single bag of purchased scarves, her brothers trundling in her wake upward with their own far more unwieldy burdens towards the palace. Maia was in for a surprise when they got back, more than enough local goods to provide direction and whet her own apetite for shopping once she recovered from empowering her boyfriend. That was still mildly weird to the young metamorph. A Baseline? Really? Whatever made her sister happy though.

And just in case Alex was still listening... 'Meet us back at the palace, Alex. I think I'm going to like this city.'

[Eingar]

A day in the life of the Congo's king was more or less as expected for any head of state. There was the Senate to oversee, which he did usually by remote audio feed link so that he could work on other matters whilst keeping one ear on the proceedings. This worked surprisingly well, for it let the elected representatives of the nation's government debate, argue and pass laws without continuously feeling the need to keep a weather eye on the figure on the throne at the head of the Senate chamber. In the early days, Ein's presence was such that he acted as a lead weight on the discussions even when silent, the men and women of the Senate always trying to read his expressions for fear of displeasing him. That had been over a decade ago, and his godlike bearing's effect on people had grown exponentially. Now, he only made personal appearances in the Senate on ceremonial occasions and when they, for some reason, needed some direction.

So he reviewed the Kolwazi regiment, smiling as he strode down the ranks of proud-faced men and women, some of whom were about to cycle out of full-time service but many more of whom, veterans and new recruits, would stay. He had a drink with the garrison's commander, a grey-haired woman with a face like a hatchet who was one of the better senior officers in his army. Then he flew back to Kinshasa to meet with the Angolan ambassador, to assure that country of the Congo's aid should Zambia grow too belligerent and to offer his nation's services as intermediary. Then he had lunch with the Zambian ambassador, listening to their grievances against bandits that came across the Angolan border unimpeded by that country's armed forces... and suspiciously well equipped. That meeting resulted in him dispatching an order to have a couple of Ravens, as members of his elite scout and reconnaisance companies were called, sent to investigate and report back with evidence of what was truly going on. Knowledge was power, and more than that, his stabilising influence over African politics was one of the things that kept the Directive and Utopia from interfering more directly.

Then it was an hour of reading reports from the Interior Ministry, keeping an eye on the various nova cults that inevitably found fertile ground here. The Church of the Immanent Escheaton was popular amongst the more Christian members of his populace, but there was still an overwhelming trend to idolise him and the Morrigan amongst the baselines. Whether they were considered to be angels, saints or gods, nearly every household had a shrine to the two of them, even if it was as simple as some photographs set on a shelf over burnt incense. Morri's cult was more zealous and active in the hinterlands, but far from a threat to law and order at present. The only cult he worried about was the Church of Mal, and he made a note to speak to Raoul about them at some point. Fanatics with nodes were serious business.

The last hour before dinner he spent practicing, honing skills that he'd never let get dull over the years. 17 years after his ascension to kingship, and Einherjar was if anything twice the warrior he'd once been... with perhaps a quarter as many reasons to fight a war. It was something he joked about even as inside he was grumbling. The flowing motions of his sword, hands and feet were reminscent of a samurai's kata as he whirled through an imaginary melee of foes. And as always he remembered each and every face, each and every name, silently chanting them in time with each killing stroke. Honor the valiant dead, yours and theirs was part of his code, and he lived that code as though the chains were made of stuff as unbreakable as his blade.

The first gong rang for dinner as one of his handmaidens, a dusky beauty with light-coloured eyes and cafe-au-lait skin, finished redoing the braid at the temples of his freshly-showered long hair and kissed him on the shoulder, her face a mixture of love and awe. Smiling at her, he gave her a kiss on the cheek that made her blush and rose, his eufiber in the shape of a plain linen trousers, loose and flowing for the tropical evening, and a white soft cotton shirt open over his broad chest.

"I won't need attendants at this dinner." he told her as he started for the door. "Go ahead and relax."

"Shall I relax here, highness?"

Ein paused, looking over his shoulder at the warm, playful tone in the young woman's voice. He laughed, a rumble of thunder in the large room.

"That's not necessary, Zawena. You've done admirably for a first day. Tell Esperance that I would like you to be made a permanent member of the palace staff." he said with a smile. The girl smiled back, full lips slightly parting as she tucked her hands behind her back, thrusting her silk-clad bosom forwards a little.

"So my king does not wish me to stay?" she asked with a coy smile. Einherjar shook his head and chuckled.

"Your king has said that you can have the evening off. What you do with it is at your discretion, young lady." he said with a raised eyebrow, chuckling some more at her dark blush before leaving the room. "Don't forget you have training tomorrow." was his parting shot. "You may need all your energy for that."

Still smiling amusedly, he moved through the royal apartments to the private dining hall, where servants had already set the table and laid out food for his guests and himself before making themselves scarce. When the king wanted a private dinner and his guests wanted for anything, it would be he himself that fetched it from the drinks chiller or the sideboard. No servants, no attendants, and no formality, which was just how Einherjar liked to relax with friends and family.

Pouring himself a glass of rum, he sat stood by the open patio doors to the gardens and waited for the first of his guests to arrive.

[Butch_Cole]

Upon returning to the palace, the group carefully made their way to Cora's room, where they stashed the gifts she had spent all afternoon purchasing for their ailing sibling. Butch was quite sure that there would be no way that Maia would suspect anything as the last he had seen of her and Justin, they were completely knocked out from their experience. He hoped that they would be awake and able to attend the dinner, which was rapidly approaching.

In his room, Butch spent some time cleaning up. He put on a clean black t-shirt and took out a dark blue button-down long-sleeved shirt to wear over it. His jeans were in good shape, so he didn't change them nor his boots, though he did quickly wipe some dust from them. In the mirror, Butch studied himself for a moment, and decided to go to dinner without his sunglasses on. The people in the palace seemed very accepting of novas, and Einherjar had ensured that it was a secure location, so Butch had little reason to fear that anyone would find out any information about him and trace his progress over the years. There were still plenty of people out there who had helped Butch when he was young, and the young bioenergy manipulator did not want any harm to come to them.

When he was satisfied, Butch left his room and walked to Cora's, the next door over. Knocking, he called, "You almost ready, Cora? Dinner's gonna start soon."

Then he heard the first dinner gong.