Aeon - The Odyssey

[Xinnidy]

Walking along the docks... these adbots always annoyed Karina, but this time it seemed like she'd avoided their detection, which was a welcome turn of events. The docks were a bit busier than usual, which Karina assumed to be the factor in her fortunate walk. Regardless, the destination, Dock C-142, was in her sight of view at this point.

It occurred to her that she was entirely oblivious to Babylonian culture, looking at that massive ship. Whatever was going on here? To add to her confusion, a woman that seemed to be greeting most was in a very... unusual maid attire. Unusual in the sense that Karina it was more to their side of the solar system than Babylonian. Perplexing.

It wasn't much of a point of contention at all, in the end. This woman, a serf judging by her hair, was around familiar people --Melanie, Monika, Hitomi and Linus, and some other girl. It meant she wasn't particularly late, for one, which was good. "Hey there." Walking closer, hands in her pocket, Karina still felt fairly off. "So what's this all about?" The communal part of being in a team hadn't kicked in, so she didn't quite feel comfortable approaching them yet, but she wasn't fretting about it.

And seeing so many hands petting Melanie was amusing on its own.

[Afterglimmer]

After a short drive, the sign indicating “Dock C-142” directed Aska’s taxi to the venue.  Eupraxia’s notice quickly flashed across his phone, one that he had seen many times before on many business trips outside the station’s jurisdiction, as his ride dropped him off.  The driver had been quiet throughout the tripped, probably too unnerved by the costume to strike up a conversation with the masked player.  After thanking the driver, Aska activated his voice changer and headed towards the docks.

The exhibit area was a lot livelier than Aska had anticipated.  It was no BatCon, but between the Babylonian architecture and House Riaz’s influence, the event packed a powerful presence.  There were a lot of things that the masked player wanted to do, such as meet Thomas and get a closer look at the mansion.  Business, however, was top priority and as such, he needed to meet up with the rest of the team. 

The attendees nearby had mixed reactions to Aska’s arrival as he regained his bearings.  Some were creeped out by the costume, some wanted a picture with him, and others thought he was part of some presentation later.  After a few photos, some of which had him do various poses, it was time to find the others.  Thankfully, it did not take long to find the Team Odyssey attendees, especially with a certain streamer also present.  He couldn’t help but sneak a chuckle at Mewlanie’s….predicament.  That’s the price of fame for you.  There was also another woman with them.  She seems….familiar, but where have I seen her before?  Aska waved as he approached.   “ Crazy turnout, huh?  Took me awhile to find you all in this crowd,” he pleasantly greeted his other teammates.

[Phoenix]

Oh no, Melanie gave her a surname ... a fancy one, but that was all Carmen would need to fall back on her usual habit.

"Ms. De la Croix," Carmen sighed in relief as she began stroking Melanie's ears. Her pronunciation was rather on point, too. "No pulling." Simple enough. She was gentle with Lyra, too.

"Now you've done it," Hitomi shook her head at the feline streamer, "They trained her to always use honorifics to the point she has to undo it one person at a time. You're stuck with Ms. De La Croix or Mewlanie for a while," she explained with a pitying grin. Hitomi had just been inching toward Melanie's tail to poke at it with her finger when Linus arrived and chimed in. Excellent ... and hilarious with Melanie turning into something of a sideshow. They should seriously look into adding a cat maid to the roster for the afternoon.

"Linus," Carmen greeted him with a smile. She didn't stop what she was doing, which left Melanie helpless for the moment. "I'm glad you could make it. And don't worry, I'll be especially careful with this one~"

"It was Carmen's idea actually," Hitomi clarified, gesturing at the woman, "but I'm 100% positive curiosity would have gotten us here eventually. She's going to be wearing one of those maid costumes, after all."

Carmen barely flinched at the reminder. She had to go get changed ... but ... reunions and ... fun with the catgirl ...

Karina and Aska arrived in short order, followed by none other than Irvine. He stepped out of the latest arriving train a few seconds after the former two had greeted the gathering. "Oh hey, guys," Hitomi waved to them, "So far so good. No one who knows about the team pestering to join."

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Irvine made his way past the group, though he at least spared a toothy grin in greeting, before heading over to Sheridan at the entrance to C-142. "Afternoon, Lovely Lady~ Say did Beebs cover our fees yet or do I have to wait?"

Sheridan struggled with her composure just a little but managed not to laugh. "We're still waiting on the rest of your group from the look of things. That said, the corridor is somewhat congested, now. Since Carmen invited your group, feel free to head on inside. We'll sort out the entry fees later."

"Thanks, Angel," Irvine gave her a thumbs up and turned to address the others. "Hey, I'm headin' in to check out the place! By the way," he turned back to Sheridan, "Anyone else wearin' these?" he indicated her outfit. "... not just a lure, is it? Oh yeah, and you've got actual G-frames here too, right?"

"Oh, I'm not the only one ... for better or worse," she nearly betrayed the serfs' predicament with a forced smile. One of the people waiting to pay their entry fee started chuckling. "Our greater frames are the Hound, piloted by Thomas, the Cavalier, piloted by Euphrosyne Alba, and the Journeyman ... usually piloted by Nero Bellomo or Carmen Cass. We have a show planned for 15:00, but until then you're free to speak with Thomas or any of the pilots."

"Awesome. Thanks for the info."

"... kinda name is Euphrosyne?" Another man in line spoke up.

"Ancient Norwegian if I remember right," his friend clarified.

Sheridan didn't bother correcting him.

[Nanami Touko]

"Ms. De la Croix is fine... Mrrrhhhh... Ben lâ, I geev up." Melanie sighed, not even bothered by Linus' arrival and momentary grasp of her tail. "Zis feels too good... Eef you are going, zen take me wis you, non? I tried to not give eento ze pets, but you 'ave forced ma 'and, so to speak." Whatever going with Carmen entailed, Melanie was totally entranced. Between the surprising amount of care being put into these scritches, the aura this woman was giving off, and the lack of worry over a rowdy crowd appearing, Melanie had turned into a purr factory.

"I am sorry, Monika, Karina... Zey got to me too soon... Très bien~" Hopefully some of this pleasure stayed when they were away from Sheridan. She didn't want being this comfortable to be a fluke.

[Sarki Soliloquy]

"Good morning, on behalf of the guest services desk, we've annulled your previous request & reprocessed your order. We apologize for any inconvenience, on behalf of the Suites at Euprax-"

"Seven times already? Enough of your frumbrioli imbrolgioles." Makala pressed the ejection panel on the pillbox-shaped service drone's mainframe.

Pfffffst! The front compartment released to the hiss of compressed coolant wafting through its grilled vents. A tray unfolded, presenting a ribbed box lined with foil at the edges. Makala swiped it with enough velocity to cause the tray to shuffle upon return.

"Please do not hesitate to issue any further service requests, should any errors or defections be found."

"Don't mention it." Makala slunk back into his room, shoving the door. Waiting for the squeak of a coil, he then pressed a few fingers until he traced the interior of the blank locking scanner where most hollow. His hand receded wrist deep, dribbling his tongue at his syrup-encrusted lip as clawed at a corrugation surfacing beneath his grip.

From the crease, he lodged some kind of button-operated switch soldered to a brick of circuits, chips, & diodes bound in masking tape. All jury-rigged to the generational frame between through adapters. The switch crackled to a pop, leading a thrum coursing along the lateral slats within the door's locking mechanism.

Since childhood shadowing his father on the junking lines, the supervisors occasionally dismissed workers clocking out with some of the components & systems left over from their convoys. Granted, there was enough precious metals to reclaim per cubic meter satisfying quota. Most of the supply got strung along to tight-knit antiquarian shops (or 'cargo cultists' much to their chagrin), reconstructing facsimiles of these machines as if they were dinosaur fossils: memories of an unreachable age only possible knowing one planet. But with enough documentation paired with hands-on methodology, a few generations of the Barrios line managed to refurbish & maintain whatever computers or appliances they were able to scrounge.

Makala's learned eye recognized how different methodologies informing ancient tech designs, coming to abhor the myopic movement towards 'automation' as manual modes phased out along the 21st century. Said manual designs weren't 'far future', so Makala embraced the security & functionality of said designs to circumvent the kudzu of 25th century data integration.

"Hell hath no fury like the Phillips II," Makala quipped, sauntering to the fridge. He smirked at the stock of instant meals he purloined from the hotel's service kitchen since last evening.

"Bitch out the pencil neck at the desk one meal after another, switch around the fibs enough times, who's losin' when my card ledger's basically zero split? Aye, us kids gots'ta eat free!"

He unsealed the plastic lid of the fresh box. Sizzling was heard from the bottom heating element activating from contact with oxygen. The tack loaf within rose as it hydrolyzed, oozing a red jam caked between yellow grahams of cream. Seasoned grounds and tomato pureé waft from a stream of steam as the ricotta lasagna was ready to serve - prepared within seconds to the authentic touch that would've taken 10-20 minutes by a chef's hands.

Makala took his first moist spoonful as he sank into his phone, scrolling along his Odyssey contacts. His index acting like a compass to the magnetic allure of Mewlanie's listing, a butterfly under his belly realizing he now owned his heroine's digits. Choking a moan, he clicked on her name - only to realize all team contacts were linked to a mass text sent by Hitomi.

"Sipa Lugal, C-142? How many hours ago~!?"

Perhaps he slept through the ping? Or the security AIs were limiting bandwidth? Whatever the excuse, he had to get going.

"¿Por favor me be wearings?"

...PING!

[Afterglimmer]

Well, this was an odd sight to be greeted with.  Aska was a little tempted to join in the petting fun.  However, he had more important things on his mind.  “I think I’ll take you up on that offer.  I’d definitely like to pay a visit to the G-frames before the show starts.  Call it a….show of respect.”  Aska grinned as he eyed the mansion.  The opportunity to meet Thomas was too big to pass up.  The Cavalier and Journeyman frames did not ring any bells; if he had to make a guess, they were custom frames from House Riaz.  If they were on display with Thomas, they had to be just as good, if not better.  The entry fees being settled later was some more good news, he was already pushing it with the split for the battleship package.

“Ah, before I forget.  Where we should meet before the show starts?”  They only had about an hour of free time and it would suck if someone got lost right before the big presentation.

Edited October 18, 2019 by Afterglimmer

[Xinnidy]

"Wow, giving up so quickly, Mewlanie?" Karina chuckled, oblivious that she was being affected by the harmonizing effects of the field surrounding her, as well. "Wouldn't do to lose you so quick, come on."

She reached a hand to pat Mewlanie's hear, giving her ear a nice scritch, this was very cute.

"Mm, I'd like to see that G-Frame too..." It occurred to Karina that she had come with seldom an idea what this was going to be about aside from the group's reunion. Well, if she was going to see G-Frames, she could stick around just fine. Surely there would be food inside. "Can't say I envy having to dress these things..." She digressed.

[Balcerzak]

"Oh yes, I wouldn't have missed that for Aeon," Linus agreed as Hitomi explained that the sight of Carmen in full maid regalia would have certainly drawn at least the two of them to the docks sooner or later, if not the whole team.

Motherloader's arrival had him on edge for a few moments, but thankfully the fellow seemed to have no indication of throwing around any imagined clout today. ...At least, not yet. That's not to say Linus was pleased with his over familiar manner either, but if Irvine was content to stick with just being minorly annoying, he could deal with it. Hopefully he wouldn't get too flirty with Sheridan, and the awkward smile on the serf's face led him to believe she shared that worry. But for now the G-frames seemed to command a greater interest than anything else, thankfully.

A couple of the comments--Melanie's and Karina's if one wanted to be precise about it--actually gave Linus an idea. Half of it was born of good-natured generosity, but he'd be lying if the other half wasn't maybe helped along by healthy hormones.

"Maybe some of us should volunteer to help out, do you have any extra costumes?" Even engrossed as Carmen was with the cat, it couldn't hurt to ask her questions. "Either male or female spares, not sure who might be interested."

Then he turned to address the team. "This is not required, of course, if it's even possible. By all means feel free to mingle, enjoy the G-frames, or anything else. But volunteering would certainly be looked at fondly." Linus had been panning his gaze around the recruits, happening by chance to finish as he reached Karina. It was honestly just subconscious, he hadn't planned on trying to threaten or coerce anybody; they were all official team members now anyway, there was nothing hanging over their heads anymore. But maybe the ones with weaker showings yesterday might step up to the plate today of their own accord?

The bzzt of an incoming message, from Flambre it seemed, kept him from adding anything further. A quick couple presses and a response was fired off. He doubted Makala had any fitting butlery clothes, and he wasn't even sure he'd want that one in a service role capacity:

Nothing fancy. Just casual clothes is fine.

 

Then there was the masked man's query to deal with. "A good point. If there's some splitting off, we do want to be properly regrouped before fifteen hundred. Hmmm, suggestions, Hitomi?"

Edited October 20, 2019 by Balcerzak

[Phoenix]

Irvine headed inside the dock and took in the sights. The serfs had really given this place a makeover. It looked like they had stepped out into the inner surface of a shield world, with continents and oceans in clear and partially clouded views overhead, all illuminated by a small but potent central star-like light. This was definitely a Larsa knockoff, and an excellent one at that. Even the breeze felt like part of a much larger climate. "Ah man, I'd love to take a vacation to a place like this."

Bringing his gaze back down to ground level, Irvine spotted the ranch over on the far right side of the mansion. He could see a couple of riders carefully getting familiar with the horses the exhibit had advertised. Not sure how far out they could ride before colliding with the disguised inner wall of the docks, Irvine started to wander around, trying to see how the corridor leading into Eupraxia Grand Station proper, and C-142's Agarthan aesthetic reconciled with one another. As it turned out, looking back at the entrance the guests were coming into the dock through, it was disguised as another building without a clear purpose. It was also obviously a disguised building seeing how it wasn't nearly as long as the corridor inside it. Approaching the side of the hangar wall, Irvine managed to find the real cracks in the illusion ... though they were by no means immersion breaking, not for him at least.

The words, Please Return to the Exhibit, slowly faded into view along the invisible wall as Irvine came closer and closer to it. The text also followed him laterally as he walked along sideways, clearly marking the spot where air met metal. "So that's where the back wall is ... which means for a dock this size ..." Irvine glanced around and started toward the mansion, "Others must be way over there ... there ... and there?" He guessed at the distances but couldn't be too sure without knowing how large the occupying ship was. The Sipa Lugal was outside, and that alone made this place seem larger than normal. Add in the holograms and one really had to investigate to break the illusion.

As Irvine drew closer to the front courtyard, he saw a few individuals that really stood out. Two were serfs, and one was a varan, much like the one loitering at the corridor entrance. One of the serfs was wearing the leggy maid costume while the other was wearing coveralls and looked a lot like a grease monkey ... a fairly attractive grease monkey by Irvine's standards, but there it was. He decided to investigate~

C-142 Corridor

And they finally heard back from Makala, so that was good. It still took some interpretation but everyone was accounted for, now. Linus replied back, so there was nothing else that needed doing on that end. As for where to meet up, Hitomi figured the best place to gather would be wherever they would be watching the show from. Unfortunately, she had no idea where that would be ... "Uh, Sheridan? Where should we be when the show starts?"

"Oh, anywhere should be fine, really," Sheridan smiled, "The greater frames will be heading outside and flying in approved zones. We have plenty of monitors prepared, as well as camera rentals available for anyone who would like them. On that note, if you've brought your own, please give them to Euphrosyne before 15:00."

Hitomi was pretty sure Sheridan was referring to those cheap little flight cameras. They were essentially budgie sized drones that could take pictures from the sky. There was no way in Jove they could keep up with a G-frame, so handing them over to one of the pilots likely meant they were going to be telekinetically 'towed' along inside the G-frame's biofield. If that was all on point, then this was standard fare for an airshow ... aside from Thomas, of course. The Babylonians tended to reserve showing off with G-men for actual battles.

That still didn't tell them where they ought to meet up, so Hitomi decided to make a suggestion at random. "How about the courtyard behind the mansion?"

The Rear Courtyard

Ninos had opted to relocate since more and more patrons were arriving by the minute. One of the three G-frames assigned to the Sipa Lugal, the Hound, was present and kneeling a dozen meters from Ninos' table. Even kneeling, a G-frame was exceptionally tall, though neither Thomas' large body nor the mansion itself provided any shade from the light shining directly overhead. Only the occasional cloud could manage that. The captain of the Sipa Lugal had been hoping to at least manage another glass before he called it an afternoon and headed back to the ship to rest ... but Thomas had some sobering news for him.

"You have company," the metallic giant's voice seemed to manifest from the air itself, "Three. All espers. Cutting directly through the main building."

Ninos sighed. "They must be searching for me in particular ... and three espers, you said?"

"That's right. None of ours."

Ninos stood up from the table and turned to face the mansion's back doors. "Let's see what this is about then, shall we?"

Two men, clearly Babylonian warrior servants, opened the doors to let a surprisingly tall, cloaked woman through to the rear courtyard. Ninos pegged her at six feet and two inches without the form-fitting boots she was wearing, and six feet and four inches with. Her hair was jet black and her complexion just a shade or two darker than the average Jovian. Her cloak covered most of her body, but her outfit was similar to the bodysuits worn by Alliance and Jovian pilots. The markings and cuts of the design were distinctly Babylonian, however, meaning this woman and her two escorts were with the Iron Kingdom.

"Good afternoon," Ninos greeted her, "To whom do I owe the pleasure?" Despite his best efforts, Ninos couldn't hide his irritation, only his nervousness. He normally wouldn't feel particularly vulnerable, even to a powerful esper, especially not with Thomas right behind him, but he had a feeling this woman was royalty, which meant she probably wasn't altogether human.

"Captain Ninos," the woman smirked at him, "So good to finally meet a Prince of Riaz in person. My name is Rebecca, Fourth Daughter of Lord Ishkur."

One of Commander Ishkur's children ... and being such a low number meant she was likely in her early forties, despite her youthful appearance. Said youthful appearance, along with her sheer height, also hinted at her being an Archon. Ninos' instinctive nervousness was now fully justified. Thomas could take her down easily in this situation, but if for whatever reason Rebecca decided to end Ninos first, she had all the time in the world. There was no reason for hostilities, but Ninos was always ready for a situation to go sideways and violent. He blamed a certain serf of his for much of that.

"A daughter of Lord Ishkur? Pardon my asking, but what brings you here?"

"I'm on this adorable little island on behalf of my father," Rebecca answered easily as she approached, "I have a business proposition for you, Captain."

"... a business proposition, is it?"

"Why don't we sit down and I'll explain the matter in detail ..."

C-142 Corridor

"Oh, you're volunteering to help? My my ..." Sheridan was beside herself, though her own biofield kept her from ever having a substantial reaction to anything, no matter how surprised or excited she was. "Well, we certainly have extras, more than enough for anyone and everyone in your group. Euphrosyne normally wouldn't allow this, however, since some of you are Carmen's former teammates, I'm willing to wager that she'll make an exception~"

"You're not serious, are you?" Carmen blinked.

"Of course we're serious! Euphrosyne said it was just you, Sheridan, Mary, and Georgios, so that won't do."

"I appreciate it, but aren't you here for a team meeting? Serving guests is going to be distracting ..."

"We'll have the meeting right after the airshow before we head out. Simple."

"... alright," Carmen shrugged, giving Melanie a few more good ear scritches before preparing to head inside.

[Nanami Touko]

As Karina began to assault her ears, Melanie slowly drifted towards her, gently resting on her shoulder instead, sighing and smiling, completely content with the situation now... That was, until Linus brought up actually participating in this event. That meant getting dressed up in whatever the girls were supposed to be wearing... And considering Carmen's reluctance, it was either terrible, or she'd really, really missed Hitomi. "Ehhh... 'Elping wis zat...?" Melanie had done plenty of costumes on stream, typically either of characters from popular shows, matching outfits for new machine releases, even a few that Kirara had worn to previous events... Just, behind a screen. Never in public, NEVER, in public. That was asking for terrible things to happen, but...

"Be looked at fondly, eh...?" The more she managed to squirm into team Odyssey, the better it would look for several things. Her sponsors and their investments in her, for once. Getting closer to Odyssey meant more time on the field, which meant more streaming of legitimate team matches, more time to show off their products. That would make them happy, which would in turn, make her happy, in a roundabout sort of way... More audience. Sponsors aside, it would just help her image to be a mainstay of a rising team, even if she had to do silly things like this sometimes. Could she manage it? Maybe... It would her first time, but at least most of the people here were here for the frames, not frame ops... Maybe not alone, but... Sneaking a hand over, Melanie grabbed Monika, dragging her over to Karina.

"We will volunteer!" Best smile on, Melanie held up both their arms, wail wagging just a bit slower. "I am sure zat we will all be 'appy to 'elp wis a former teammate, non? Sree more cute girls for ze maid roster, zis cannot be a bad sing~"

[Xinnidy]

Murphy's Law had a way to show up at the worst times.

Right after her comment, Linus seemed inspired to throw the idea of taking part in the service fun... and was looking straight at her?? Was she supposed to take the initiative? "Um..." She was blushing, why did he have to be so direct? Was it her poor performance in the trial campaign? Probably was that, wasn't it? ...At leaat her mind chose to believe as much to save further embarrasment.

"I don't know, I--" Before she could really opine more, Melanie made the decision for her, talking about the three of them... probably including Monika. "Mmmm... Fine, I... suppose I'll volunteer." What a predicament... at least she wouldn't do it alone, yeah?

Damn it, Linus...

[Ether]

It seemed that some of the team might even be helping out with the exhibit, if Linus' words stuck at all... he seemed to look at Karina after he finished the suggestion... perhaps the fiery blonde would get roped into it by that alone. It wasn't too much of a concern to Monika, considering there was no chance that she'd end up doing such a thing. It seemed that around the same time, Melanie had gotten out of her pet-induced stupor, grabbing at Monika's hand... maybe she wanted an anchor of some sorts? Melanie had helped her out with the end of that crowd fiasco, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to return the favour in that regard.

That was, until something truly ludicrous entered the redhead's ears.

"Eh?" Monika squeaked, freezing up. Surely she had just misheard, r-right?

"F-funny joke, Melanie... aha... there's no way someone like me could..."

[Afterglimmer]

Looks like Linus was trying to get some volunteers.  Aska briefly entertained the idea of volunteering as a host.  Besides the obvious risk of his identity being found out, he would very likely feel out of place given his...choice of attire.  On the other hand, some easy brownie points could probably go a long way.  “I’d like to check out the G-frames first, but if things get dicey, I’ll come help.  Worst comes to worst, I'll make it up another way." the masked Frame Ops player grinned.  "Have fun with the café.  I'll stop by once I'm all done”  I don’t think the customers would appreciate the mask, though.  He waved goodbye as he entered the dock, mind completely focused on meeting Thomas and his Hound in person.  Once he was cleared to enter, he picked up an event program and scanned the map to locate the G-frames’ field station.  Man, I can’t wait to rub this in Otto’s face.   

[Phoenix]

So Karina was volunteering, and Mewlanie was volunteering, both herself and Monika. Hitomi was amused to see the situation slowly sinking in for the latter. As for her, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to volunteer or not, yet. She definitely wanted to try some of the food and drink here, particularly a genuine Larsan Shake since Carmen already confirmed for her that they were on the menu. As long as she could still do that ...

There weren't any volunteers among the men; Irvine had already headed inside before the suggestion came up and Aska was more interested in checking out the G-frames, a noble pursuit during Batcon. Linus might still throw his hat in and put on a costume, but that was yet to be seen.

"Oh Euphrosyne," Sheridan closed her eyes and called for her fellow serf, though her voice couldn't carry nearly far enough to reach the woman if she wasn't already present. Hitomi didn't see anyone when she looked around, so maybe Sheridan was on a call. It didn't look like it, but some people had implants ... not that Sheridan looked like she had any cybernetics, either. That was far too rare with serfs. "There are some volunteers for the exhibit. Carmen is bringing them to you, now."

Carmen slowed her pace accordingly, letting the others catch up, and since Hitomi was planning on heading in anyway, she decided to just pipe down for a bit and see where she wound up in all of this. Maybe she would just end up watching this silliness unfold from behind the scenes, maybe she would get handed one of these maid costumes and told to put it on. Either way, this was fun~

[Nanami Touko]

"Très bien!" Karina had volunteered herself openly, so Melanie let go of her and started dragging just Monika. "Someone like you? What do you mean? Someone adorable? I do not see ze problem, non non, I do not. You will look great, Monika~" Hopefully she didn't put up more resistance than that. Melanie herself was already putting on a show, trying to steel herself for whatever they were going to be wearing. Catching up to Carmen, she held onto that smile for dear life.

"'Allo, Carmen~ I 'ave brought ze willing and... Worried volunteers. Make us cute, oui? Not zat we were not already, ben lâ, I am sure you know what I mean~"

[Rothene]

While she had originally planned to be only ten minutes late, Helena did the unwise thing and slept on the public transport, overshooting her stop by two stations. Thankfully, it was only two stops. Unfortunately, that made her much later than anticipated.

At the docks, the girl was disinclined to ask people for directions. Talking to absolute non-gaming strangers...uuurghhh. Also, those adbots. Some days, Helene wished she was a real pilot and had authorization to blow them up. Passing the multiple layers of perimeter defense consisting of boring people, noisy people, lame games people, work people, soldier people and the sort of horrors one found outside the safety and comforting sanctuary one called their room, the petite girl found the place she was looking for.

As a simple nobody, she managed to avoid any complications. Heck, she was practically invisible except when questioned by the vigilant staff on her purpose approaching Team Odyssey. Clarifying the fact she was invited in her shy squeaky way of conversing with people vastly taller than her, Helena finally reached Team Odyssey shivering, exhausted and socially exhausted.

"H...hey everyone! Umm...sorry...I'm late..." the girl greeted as she plopped onto a seat. Thinking on the one topic she was confident in, Helena asked with more strength behind her voice, "So what's the call for? We planning a training schedule?"

[Sarki Soliloquy]

"Nothing fancy. Just casual clothes is fine."

Makala heaved a sigh of relief. Outside of a quick shower & hygiene routine, there wasn't much of a demand at this exhibition beyond participation. Yet he dreaded the strung noses & scoffs some lowborn Jovian might inspire in the company of Babylonians. Whether or not it was a performance, getting in the bad faith of these political entities might warrant more trouble than otherwise.

Perhaps they have dress-up prepared for us once we arrive. He fidgeted a clump of his damp black & cream strands from the recession of his hood - recycling his signature jetsuit jacket yet again. No matter the anti-frizz, he didn't have the patience nor attention to dry down to his scalp. This just seemed a common inconvenience of bathing, though how it could be a conspicuous faux pas for the venue choice & after even just 4 hours rubbing elbows with his new crew.

The metro car breezed through the intertwined tunnels circumnavigating the vestibules along the Grand Station route. The time constraints made him heavily consider compak, bending to his stinginess in the end. Security drones had increased their vigil throughout Eupraxia out to its vicinity, delaying the commute by "3 sammiches EPA" as Mak put.

Come to think of it, this is the 2nd day of tryouts. Twiddling his phone between the mesh of his baggy sleeves, he peered over to the homebrew launcher that would get him over to Mi7ts. Wouldn't this be a private demonstration? Suppose I oughta hype it up, show those gluehuffin' bookies.

Diiinnn, dmmmmb! "Now arriving at, Grand Station-Star Harbor. Please remain seated until full stop. Doors will open on the right."

Edited October 24, 2019 by Sarki Soliloquy

[Ether]

"No... besides, I'm not really... and even then, it's not like I have a stream mode like you, I can't..." Monika stammered out as she was dragged along, several different thoughts melding together into one mostly incoherent sentence... wasn't anyone gonna step in? 

[Phoenix]

14:00 Dock The Rear Courtyard

"I see," Ninos pondered the situation he now found himself in, "So it's not me you need help from specifically ... but since I'm her captain and have charge over her ..."

"Need is a strong word," Rebecca smirked, taking a sip of some red wine, "I'd simply prefer it if our acquisition goes smoothly. According to our records, she should be able to control it, even at a distance."

The acquisition Rebecca wanted to make was definitely a big one, but it made sense. The League's government would probably try to find some way to stop her if they knew the Iron Kingdom was wise to their hidden weapon, which made things just a bit dangerous for everyone involved. "I'm certain you're aware that it would be unwise for me not to first consult my father about your offer. And yet, I can sense that you would prefer it if I left Lord Riaz out of this. Am I wrong?"

"If I believed there was no way to broach the issue without involving him, I would have contacted him myself. Having said that, I'm giving you a very rare opportunity to work with me and improve your own standing, not just within House Riaz, but also with my people. Your Lord will appreciate your efforts if you don't cause him any trouble in the long run. Yes? Surely that's why you've been given command of your own ship and the freedom to conduct business with the Jovians as you see fit. Either way, the choice is yours. You aren't wrong to seek your father's guidance, but any gains made for your house fall solely to him if you do."

Ninos grimaced. Rebecca wasn't pressuring him as much as he expected, given what she was trying to take from Eupraxia Grand Station, but she was still putting him in an uncomfortable place. Of course he would prefer to handle this himself ... but he was having trouble with the very crewmember Rebecca was trying to borrow for part of her acquisition. This would make it back to Lord Riaz a lot sooner than she thought if they went through with this. Even if the deal went perfectly and everyone got what they wanted, Ninos couldn't be completely sure his father would approve. He definitely wouldn't berate him for it, whatever the outcome, but the risk of disappointing his father to that degree was almost too big of a risk.

"Please, think it over," Rebecca offered with a gesture, "but do let me know if Lord Riaz becomes aware of my proposal. I'd like to continue this discussion with him at that point."

Subtle, but Ninos still felt the jab. She wasn't wrong; he was just an extension of his father, and irrelevant once Lord Riaz was brought in on this.

The Field

Kneeling over a small crowd of mech enthusiasts and curious guests, the Cavalier and the Journeyman went a long way toward making the estate look like a real private property on Larsa. Many noble houses tended to make customizations to their G-frames, particularly for their best pilots. These one offs were sometimes extreme, but usually, the unit they were derived from could be worked out visually. The Cavalier and the Journeyman were quite similar overall, borrowing aesthetics from both the 3rd Generation Hound and the Fourth Generation Ishkurite frames. The Cavalier had a massive central thruster with three binders for enhanced AMBAC performance, while the Journeyman opted for two back thrusters and a rack for two subunits. Because both units had legs derived from the Ishkurite class, they had room for additional integrated weapons. The Cavalier took things one step further by mounting its shield to its left shoulder and a large beam cannon to the right. The shield also contained a visible plasma link, which would prove devastating at close range. Both were well-rounded units, however, the Cavalier was clearly designed for high octane hit and run attacks while the Journeyman was a capable escort with all angle attack options at close to mid-range.

With the help of a few spare servants, Nero was able to handle the small crowd's onslaught of questions. Like Euphrosyne earlier, Nero wasn't wearing a servant costume and instead had on similar coveralls to her, with a black, loose hanging sleeveless undershirt. Like all modern serfs, his skin was ghostly pale. His hair was white, relatively short and running wild at the top. The rest--the long portion--was contained behind him in a loose ponytail that tapered off at his waist. Nero didn't look like he wanted to be there dealing with this, but Euphrosyne had left him to deal with it. Every time he glanced up at the Journeyman, his trigger finger twitched. Still ... a whole our until he could actually pilot. Still, that was far better than standing around being asked about how it all worked ...

... maybe he could ... just hop in and ... give a little demonstration ...

The Estate Main Building

The main building wasn't all fake, there were real partitions in use throughout much of it, though not enough to simulate every room in the estate. Some walls could be walked through if one didn't mind being briefly dazzled and disoriented. Surprisingly, the serfs had managed to create a safe, functional second floor. Most of the fake walls and decor were up there, as well as the changing rooms. The estate also had restrooms with flush toilets. Considering they weren't part of the hangar itself, the water system being used was likely well hidden and at least somewhat portable.

In terms of decoration, the estate was shining with golds, whites, and blues. Rather than the lions and other beasts of ancient Babylonian architecture, the halls of the mansion were lined with artistic portrayals of G-frames, some standing ready to do battle, others standing in line and flanking some of the larger corridors. While subtle, the building also featured authentic design considerations, such as the running lanes, small rectangular outcroppings separating the floor from the walls. They had accessways leading to higher and lower floors. These were used by the scarabs to travel throughout Babylonian style buildings without needing to negotiate human and varan traffic. Since the running lanes appeared in all of the larger rooms and corridors, and small entrances could be opened up into most rooms, the scarabs could be summoned to any part of the building where they were needed. The running lanes also served another useful purpose. They were just wide enough to discourage the curious from thoroughly investigating whether a particular wall was fake or not. Not knowing what was on the other side, one ran the risk of losing their balance and simply falling through any holographic walls they were lucky--or unlucky--enough to find.

The Estate Main Building - 2nd Floor Changing Rooms

The volunteers had to make their way up a branching central staircase to reach the second floor. From there, it was a short walk down the 2nd-floor hallways to reach the changing rooms. Aside from some chairs, countertops, those everpresent scarab running lanes, and mirrors lining two of the four walls--one sharing space with the countertops and the other taking up an entire wall on its own--there was very little to the place. The individual changing rooms weren't much different from closets, with a simple door for privacy, a bench, racks for the clothing, and a mirror for some good old self-assessment.

By the time Euphrosyne arrived to meet the volunteers and the volunteered for herself, Carmen had already shown them the outfits ...

"I mean ..." Hitomi held one of the outfits' dress portions up in front of herself and examined it through the mirror wall, "It's kind of tame by modern standards."

"You mean Jovian standards," Carmen grinned.

"Alright," Euphrosyne stepped into the room and closed the dual doors behind her, "How many do we have and ... do they even ... look the part ...?" She answered both of her questions by simply scanning the room. She wasn't completely disappointed but she knew they had their work cut out for them getting everyone to look like they belonged. As for the girl with the feline appendages, she didn't know what to make of that situation or how to address it.

Front Courtyard

Irvine, having finished up his investigation of the outer limits of the exhibit, wound up in the courtyard just in front of the main building. He had a seat at one of the many tables set out for the guests and had a look at the food menu. While things were of a Babylonian style, the exhibit itself was certainly Jovian friendly, with each table having a smart glass layer for easy access to any of the local networks, as well as said menu. The table still had a porcelain texture to it somehow, but the integrated display was crystal clear. Other guests, about five in total, were also seated in two other groups and were looking through the menus. The Remaining guests were either over at the ranch, walking around, or inside the main building.

The food was one of the big draws for Irvine, personally. The Babylonians were extremely particular about not only the types of meats they ate, but also how the animals were raised. They had also managed the seemingly impossible within the last century, meticulously engineering derivitive livestock bested suited for particular planets; they had done this without the usual negative side-effects. Overall, Babylonian cuisine had a bit less variety in animals, but nutritional profiles neither the League nor the Alliance territories could ever hope to match using their current methods. Irvine decided to keep things simple today and just try out one of their steaks. The exhibit was apparently going to be open today and tomorrow, so he had the rest of Batcon to sample more of the menu. He just had to choose a cut, now ...

One of the servants from the exhibit managed to approach from outside of Irvine's field of view, so he didn't notice her until she was standing over and slightly off to his side. She looked like a serf but was wearing one of those high cut maid outfits the others had gone off to try and squeeze into. She introduced herself as Leto, welcomed him to the exhibit and inquired about his choice of steaks ... she seemed to have already noted that he had at least the basic item selected on the menu. Irvine opted for the filet mignon, something he could actually make a comparison to what he normally ate ... at least what he normally ate when he could treat himself. His diet mainly consisted of chicken, pasta, sweet drinks and alcohol. Finishing up his order with his drinks, he ordered some water and some birch beer.

Edited October 28, 2019 by Phoenix

[Nanami Touko]

What an... Expensive looking mansion. Melanie's ears dropped, tail hugging close to her leg, as they were guided up to the 2nd floor. She still had a hand on Monika, the girl would try to run away at the first chance if she didn't. Melanie wasn't exactly sure why Monika was so afraid of this, she was plenty cute, and it wasn't like she had to act any different. She just had to wear the stuff, right? She had the look for it... Well, whatever. I am sure she will get over eet once she ees eenside ze outfit. Something to deal with when they came to it.

Melanie glanced back at the... Serf, of course it was a serf, who had come to help them. "Bonjour," she said, quietly, slowly letting go of Monika, though still ready to grab her again if the girl tried to bolt. "I 'ope we can be of 'elp. Ozzerwise, at least I will 'ave somesing new to take a selfie een."

[Ether]

"How is that in any way tame...?" Monika muttered softly, after having been dragged up to the change rooms, the wallflower had found herself staring at one of the provided outfits, face flushed a deeper red than her hair. Not just having to... put the thing on, that was bad enough already, but to then provide customer service in the thing? And weren't serf servants known for extremely high service bars? She had taken an office desk job for the express purpose of not interacting with customers!

[Afterglimmer]

The Cavalier and the Journeyman looked impressive, as expected.  Both units were displayed in their full glory; practically begging to be taken for a ride.  I can only imagine what these frames can do, shame I don’t see the Hound anywhere, Aska quickly snapped a few photos; quickly sending the best looking one of both frames to his older brother.  Otto is definitely going to love these.  I guess I’ll have to get one of the Hound during the show later.  He grinned as he pictured his older brother’s imagined jealously. 

The commotion from the growing crowd gained Aska’s attention.  It looked as though there was a Q&A session regarding both displayed frames, with the moderator barely able to hold off the onslaught.  The masked player definitely did not want to be the pale man’s shoes right now.  Despite his internal sympathies, Aska elected to join the crowd; wanting to learn more about the displayed frames.

[Xinnidy]

The estate had an impressively finished look to it for something that was put together in such a timeframe --not that Karina knew about its nature, but one would figure they didn't just put an estate in some ship's hangar before travelling here. The scarabs and ornaments to the likeness of G-Frames took Karina's attention as she followed along. Both eye-catching pieces of Babylonian culture, and easy for a Jovian like her to understand. Hitomi did mention somethig about G-Frames... which kindled an interest in at least meeting one live from within Karina.

In the changing room proper, the outfit of choice was... not ideal. It matched her style in exactly zero ways, but Karina had already volunteered for it. She was not one back out after agreeing to the conditions --besides, it counted as punishment for her poor performance, or so her mind rationalized it. A low grumble was all that came out of her before she picked a uniform to dress. "Gotta do what you gotta do." She sighed.

But the serf raised a valid concern, Karina stared her way for a moment. Merely a quick check of the serf's features, to put the role Karina would have to play in perspective. "Don't know if you have temporary dye. If not I'll just order some. Lenses are going to be harder." Karina pulled out her device, browsing cosmetics for what seemed the first time in over 6 months. At least her complexion was pretty close to fitting in with the serf standard. Her hair, however, was a shade too lively to pass as a serf. "And... how you guys serve, what you are saying. I'm going to need you to teach me the ropes too."

At least Karina was taking this seriously.

[Phoenix]

Changing Rooms

"It really wouldn't be worth it having you all wandering around aimlessly out there," Euphrosyne noted as she approached the group.

"Don't worry about hair dye," Carmen chimed in after Karina, "though if you've got lenses you might want to use those instead." She couldn't imagine any of them wanting to deal with the smaller scarabs poking and prodding at their eyes. Some of them were probably already going to be freaking out with the things crawling all over their faces. No point bringing that up until they were fully committed to helping out ...

"Everything begins with your mindset," Euphrosyne continued, taking one of the costumes from Hitomi, "Remember, first and foremost, you're a servant. Your pride and dignity are meaningless next to your master's. That's who you represent to the rest of the world. His honor, family, and legacy are your life and purpose."

"Who's our master?" Hitomi asked.

"Erm-" Euphrosyne flinched. She hadn't been tripped up by the question, per se ... she just didn't like the first thought that came to mind ...

"For this event," Carmen took a step forward, hand on her chest, "You are all servants of House Riaz. Lord Dagon Riaz is your master." She announced the head of House Riaz with such fervor that Hitomi couldn't help but straighten up and put her own hand on her chest as Euphrosyne nodded approvingly.

Field

"Yes, the barrier is strong enough to destroy missiles on its own," Nero scowled, "What kind of question is that?"

Another curious guest put in a question of his own, quickly running through a list of G-frame telekinesis thresholds he'd probably put together himself. "Can these sustain a full barrier and still use TK assisted AMBAC?"

"Of course," Nero rolled his eyes. It wasn't quite that simple, but the G-frames themselves could handle something like that. Unlike figura, a G-frame's potential was closely reflected by the pilot. The better the pilot, the more its innate capabilities could benefit them in battle.

"What's the upper limit on individual targets?" a different attendee spoke up, his hand raised to stand out as much as he could, "With targeted telekinesis I mean."

Nero shrugged with an irritated grin. This was another issue where the pilot was of equal if not greater importance than the frame. Most pilots could 'mentally acquire' up to a couple of dozen targets but acting on them individually was another matter completely. "If you're a lousy esper, your G-frame's telekinesis isn't going to be much better. Just look at it that way."

[Afterglimmer]

It took Aska a moment to attune to the flow of the conversation.  If he had to hazard a guess, they were talking about the Cavalier.  On closer inspection, he noticed that the leggings were from the Ishikurite Class.  Yep, these are definitely customs all right.  The show later tonight would now be more interesting since he was now even more curious of these custom Frames' capabilities.  Where to begin…I guess I’ll go with something basic regarding the frame itself….

“What’s the Cavalier’s top speed?” The masked man innocently asked the speaker.  Since that model looked to be designed for hit-and-run, Aska would hope it would be somewhat quick given the modified thrusters and legs.