Oblitus Magia: Verse 1 - Fateful Encounter in the City of Fools

[Tami]

"What are you waiting for....didn't bring you out here just to stand at the gate." Mercer waved them all towards the base, Saint included.



"We'll need to head upwards....there are some lifts over near the base" Mercer pointed. "Take a moment to look around if you like, grab something to eat....we farm all our food in the area. Pretty good too."

"I reccomends the spuds..." Mulvric stated in his low, world weary voice. ".......dam....good to be home...."





"Not sure how long its been here.....but I've been living here since I was 10." Mercer laughed. "Mulvric is the oldest of us.....been here since En was founded, 47 years ago. He's the one to thank for keeping the place from falling apart......and En, well...." Mercer crossed his arms and smirked. "Well...you'll see...."

As he took a step forward, his heart raced slightly. He hated to admit it to himself, but he's been curious about this place ever since he first laid eyes on it. The thought of finally stepping foot inside gave him a slight adrenalin rush. Soon his pace picked up slightly, then slowed as he looked around.

The forest was behind them, and surrounding them on all sides. Beyond that were walls of stone, the sides of a canyon, or at least that is what it looked like. The only way a structure this size could remain hidden for so long was how it was camouflaged by nature. Looking upwards, he could see the edges of the canyon, the place where he first looked down and saw this behemoth, the place where he first met Ange.

The city itself was above them, farther away than the trip here suggested.

He then turned and continued his walk, following the others into the ship.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"The inhibitors will keep magic based attacks from causing us serious damage, and blankets the area so nothing can be detected....its also a pretty strategic spot, the nearby hills and treelines make it so you have to be looking and fairly close to find this place. But....if the admins came in force, I'm not sure...." Mulvric nodded. "I work on adding new defenses where I can.....but really....this place still needs a lot of work."

Selma stared up at the massive ship with a frown, squinting slightly as she said "It looks like it's made of metal, so it should hold up, if momentarily at least. Probably be long enough to get out of it. Though I don't know what we'll do after. Especially if the Administratum sends more than a couple of Witches. Which they almost certainly will."

Xia took all what Mulvric and Blondie had to say and concluded that if they Big Bosses sent more than just a few foot soldiers, they were fucked. In other words, being in this "aircraft carrier" didn't make her feel any safer. At least they had some kind of shelter, but letting their guard down was out of the question.

"Can't let our guard down, then. We need to be ready to move if it comes to it." And she had a feeling it would, one way or the other. If not the Big Bosses, then whatever the hell was lurking in these woods and beyond. This was a whole wide open world; there was no telling what was waiting out here for them.

[Noldere]

"Not sure how long its been here.....but I've been living here since I was 10." Mercer laughed. "Mulvric is the oldest of us.....been here since En was founded, 47 years ago. He's the one to thank for keeping the place from falling apart......and En, well...." Mercer crossed his arms and smirked. "Well...you'll see...."

"To be honest, for the first time in my life, I'd rather not," Lucifer said, not at all liking the implications of that smirk or the words that accompanied it. "Everytime I've heard someone say that I ended up having to deal with..." Lucifer's words trailed off as he shuddered in remembrance of Osiri, Myria, Mnemosyne, and countless others- including a certain golden hair individual whose name his mind utterly refused to recall. "Anyway, I think I'll stay down here for a bit. Take a look at the spuds and other thing you've got growing in the fields." ~You know, keep a respectable distance away from... that...~

[Tami]

"To be honest, for the first time in my life, I'd rather not," Lucifer said, not at all liking the implications of that smirk or the words that accompanied it. "Everytime I've heard someone say that I ended up having to deal with..." Lucifer's words trailed off as he shuddered in remembrance of Osiri, Myria, Mnemosyne, and countless others- including a certain golden hair individual whose name his mind utterly refused to recall. "Anyway, I think I'll stay down here for a bit. Take a look at the spuds and other thing you've got growing in the fields." ~You know, keep a respectable distance away from... that...~

"You'd be wise to reconsider." Matthias' tone of voice was reminiscent of when they first met in the prison, "It is far more dangerous out here, alone, than it would be inside the ship." With that word of advice, Saint continued on his way towards the entrance fo the ship.

[The Chou Lives]

“ Now is not the time to be picky. This is survival, friend.” Addressing Lucifer as he too walks over to enter the ship.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"What are you waiting for....didn't bring you out here just to stand at the gate." Mercer waved them all towards the base, Saint included.



"We'll need to head upwards....there are some lifts over near the base" Mercer pointed. "Take a moment to look around if you like, grab something to eat....we farm all our food in the area. Pretty good too."

"I reccomends the spuds..." Mulvric stated in his low, world weary voice. ".......dam....good to be home...."





"Not sure how long its been here.....but I've been living here since I was 10." Mercer laughed. "Mulvric is the oldest of us.....been here since En was founded, 47 years ago. He's the one to thank for keeping the place from falling apart......and En, well...." Mercer crossed his arms and smirked. "Well...you'll see...."

Jacob enters the ship with Rhea. Rhea looks back at Lucifer as she walks into the ship. ( I hope Lucifer doesn't tell Jacob what I told him back at the bunker. I want to keep the fact that amalgamation of souls, which Jacob's wife's soul is part of a secret from Jacob,) Rhea thought.

( And the fact I been pulling knowledge from Jacob and making up bogus stories about a spirit realm, a contract and a Goddess of Death, which don't even exist so that he wouldn't catch on. I have a connection with Jacob and had been trying to get the details on a said place and a person that Jacob seems to have knowledge of but hit a dead end with that,) Rhea thought.

( If Jacob found out, he would trust me anymore, and I don't want that,) Rhea thought.

[MrSandman]

"To be honest, for the first time in my life, I'd rather not," Lucifer said, not at all liking the implications of that smirk or the words that accompanied it. "Everytime I've heard someone say that I ended up having to deal with..." Lucifer's words trailed off as he shuddered in remembrance of Osiri, Myria, Mnemosyne, and countless others- including a certain golden hair individual whose name his mind utterly refused to recall. "Anyway, I think I'll stay down here for a bit. Take a look at the spuds and other thing you've got growing in the fields." ~You know, keep a respectable distance away from... that...~

"Not in the dark ya ain't." Mercer quickly retorted. "Besides, She won't stop whining til you say hello...and we need time to get your accommodations set up. So don't chicken out now." He said the last bit with an even bigger smirk as he urged him on with the others.

As the group approached the base, it was easier to make out movement among the many huts, shacks and buildings either on the ground or build further up. People were moving between them, carrying equipment, chatting, and keeping watch. Children were playing closer to the ground, but were quickly being gathered up before nightfall. Higher up, a group of older men and woman were watching the groups approach, but they were too far up to judge their expressions.

The group was led to a primitive lift, though Mercer made sure to point out the various ladder alternatives for the more spirited and elevator fearing members. In any event....the lift had a max limit and it would take two trips minimum to get everyone up. (included the dragon girl, but mercer avoided making any comment about a diet for fear of the dragon decided diet food was a good idea....and diet witch was pretty much just everyone else.)

Those taking the elevator up were given a fantastic view of the surroundings, lights moving in the distance where the farms had been set up, people coming back to the base after a long day of work. Those that took the ladders would naturally get their exercise....as they snaked their way from level to level, requiring switches at various points and passing by suspended huts with curious onlookers.

Rather then going all the way to the deck, the elevator and ladders led to various access points along the side....and at this range the amount of work gone into repairing the wear and tear was considerable. At some points it even seemed as if new equipment had been installed, though the purpose remained unclear.

Finally inside, they were led single file through interior hallways that fared surprising better then the exterior....or had also seen some major repair work over the years. Still...most were narrow, and more then once Arx would resort to having to bend a certain way to get through. Soon stairs led them further up....and up....and up.....

Then they all came to a large sealed door, and with a twist Mercer undid the latch and pushed it open....motioning them inside.



The large room beyond was undoubtedly the bridge of the carrier.....but it look even more polished then the exterior. There were some signs of replacements and repair work, but done with a much better eye for detail. Several consoles sat around the chamber, inoperative but still essentially intact. A desk sat in the corner, covered in papers and plans....a picture of Mulveric and several others sitting together.

Yet beyond that....the bridge was empty. The windows allowed a nice view of the flight deck, with various piles of equipment and old scrap littering it, but that seemed to be it....

"Welcome Aboard!" A polite, mildly excited voice came around all around the room....quickly the source could be determined as the speaker system. "Its so good to see you all made it here safe....just a moment, let me warm up the emitters."

A soft glow emanated from multiple projectors, spilling a multicolored light that converged into the center of the bridge....first coalesing into a blob of shimmering rainbow light before growing and taking on a proper shape and color.



"En." Mulvric smiled.

"Welcome home papa." The holographic girl, barely half the size of Morgan, fluttered excitedly. ".....and the rest of you as well! I guess I can give you a much better introduction now."

The girl plants her hand on her hologram chest. "I am the onboard digital knowledge archive and navigational assistant for the USS Enterprise, CVF-12....My name is Enterprise, but people just call me En. You can call me that too, but I'm still taking suggestions on a nice code name."

[The Dog]

"Not in the dark ya ain't." Mercer quickly retorted. "Besides, She won't stop whining til you say hello...and we need time to get your accommodations set up. So don't chicken out now." He said the last bit with an even bigger smirk as he urged him on with the others.

As the group approached the base, it was easier to make out movement among the many huts, shacks and buildings either on the ground or build further up. People were moving between them, carrying equipment, chatting, and keeping watch. Children were playing closer to the ground, but were quickly being gathered up before nightfall. Higher up, a group of older men and woman were watching the groups approach, but they were too far up to judge their expressions.

The group was led to a primitive lift, though Mercer made sure to point out the various ladder alternatives for the more spirited and elevator fearing members. In any event....the lift had a max limit and it would take two trips minimum to get everyone up. (included the dragon girl, but mercer avoided making any comment about a diet for fear of the dragon decided diet food was a good idea....and diet witch was pretty much just everyone else.)

Those taking the elevator up were given a fantastic view of the surroundings, lights moving in the distance where the farms had been set up, people coming back to the base after a long day of work. Those that took the ladders would naturally get their exercise....as they snaked their way from level to level, requiring switches at various points and passing by suspended huts with curious onlookers.

Rather then going all the way to the deck, the elevator and ladders led to various access points along the side....and at this range the amount of work gone into repairing the wear and tear was considerable. At some points it even seemed as if new equipment had been installed, though the purpose remained unclear.

Finally inside, they were led single file through interior hallways that fared surprising better then the exterior....or had also seen some major repair work over the years. Still...most were narrow, and more then once Arx would resort to having to bend a certain way to get through. Soon stairs led them further up....and up....and up.....

Then they all came to a large sealed door, and with a twist Mercer undid the latch and pushed it open....motioning them inside.



The large room beyond was undoubtedly the bridge of the carrier.....but it look even more polished then the exterior. There were some signs of replacements and repair work, but done with a much better eye for detail. Several consoles sat around the chamber, inoperative but still essentially intact. A desk sat in the corner, covered in papers and plans....a picture of Mulveric and several others sitting together.

Yet beyond that....the bridge was empty. The windows allowed a nice view of the flight deck, with various piles of equipment and old scrap littering it, but that seemed to be it....

"Welcome Aboard!" A polite, mildly excited voice came around all around the room....quickly the source could be determined as the speaker system. "Its so good to see you all made it here safe....just a moment, let me warm up the emitters."

A soft glow emanated from multiple projectors, spilling a multicolored light that converged into the center of the bridge....first coalesing into a blob of shimmering rainbow light before growing and taking on a proper shape and color.



"En." Mulvric smiled.

"Welcome home papa." The holographic girl, barely half the size of Morgan, fluttered excitedly. ".....and the rest of you as well! I guess I can give you a much better introduction now."

The girl plants her hand on her hologram chest. "I am the onboard digital knowledge archive and navigational assistant for the USS Enterprise, CVF-12....My name is Enterprise, but people just call me En. You can call me that too, but I'm still taking suggestions on a nice code name."

Selma stared at the holographic girl for several long seconds before bursting out into laughter. But wasn't what one would normally consider laughter. Instead it was one that rang with a mixture of almost manic gleefulness and deep sadness, producing a distressing sound, as though she were on the verge of madness. This was compounded by the sight of tears flowing from her eyes down her face, though whether they were from the gleefulness or the sadness, you could not tell.

[grampagen]

"Not in the dark ya ain't." Mercer quickly retorted. "Besides, She won't stop whining til you say hello...and we need time to get your accommodations set up. So don't chicken out now." He said the last bit with an even bigger smirk as he urged him on with the others.

As the group approached the base, it was easier to make out movement among the many huts, shacks and buildings either on the ground or build further up. People were moving between them, carrying equipment, chatting, and keeping watch. Children were playing closer to the ground, but were quickly being gathered up before nightfall. Higher up, a group of older men and woman were watching the groups approach, but they were too far up to judge their expressions.

Preening the last of the urban wear from the fur trim of her coat, Kinu's white mask scanned the environs and the little life they'd managed to carve out for themselves here in the wilds. It was a little...less rustic, perhaps, than she was used to, but the mere existence of this place proved something those gathered around the Conflux Spire would rather have you forget.

Outside of the Wards, life goes on.

Of course, didn't En mention something over the radio, something about a recent schism between the Witch Administration and the Outsiders?

The group was led to a primitive lift, though Mercer made sure to point out the various ladder alternatives for the more spirited and elevator fearing members. In any event....the lift had a max limit and it would take two trips minimum to get everyone up. (included the dragon girl, but mercer avoided making any comment about a diet for fear of the dragon decided diet food was a good idea....and diet witch was pretty much just everyone else.)

Those taking the elevator up were given a fantastic view of the surroundings, lights moving in the distance where the farms had been set up, people coming back to the base after a long day of work. Those that took the ladders would naturally get their exercise....as they snaked their way from level to level, requiring switches at various points and passing by suspended huts with curious onlookers.

Rather then going all the way to the deck, the elevator and ladders led to various access points along the side....and at this range the amount of work gone into repairing the wear and tear was considerable. At some points it even seemed as if new equipment had been installed, though the purpose remained unclear.

The sound of the winches as they slithered spun cable up that distance to that sour-smelling rust bucket between the forested cliffs seemed to go on far longer than she could stand.

"...I'll see you up there, Mercer," she remarked glibly. "Don't wanna take up too much space."

Rolling her shoulders, the large bundle of supplies on her back heaved.

She'd overheard Airwalk, Blondie, Gumshoe and Fandango on the way in, concerned whether or not this...thing - was it a boat? Wayyy too big - would hold up in the event of a Witch attack. Could bottleneck the enemy...and everyone inside...

And so she climbed up, rung by rung, to get a closer look at the situation.

Ah, what a thrill; with darkness and silence of the night!

Even though the air seemed quite still from ground level, the higher she went, the louder the cypress boughs waved on the cliffside with the rush of winds as they passed! Scoping out the distance, Kinu got a closer look at the underside of that behemoth where it straddled between two cliffs.

...big, big boat. The hell did it get up here?

Risking her balance for just a second, she loosed one hand, and turned around, scanning the dark horizon from this distance, the wind whistling through the holes of her mask as she surveyed the blinking lights of the city below, the forest beyond...and always, that green light in the distance, now no more than a hazy glow where those who purchased the world dwelled.

We ain't finished.

Finally inside, they were led single file through interior hallways that fared surprising better then the exterior....or had also seen some major repair work over the years. Still...most were narrow, and more then once Arx would resort to having to bend a certain way to get through. Soon stairs led them further up....and up....and up.....

Then they all came to a large sealed door, and with a twist Mercer undid the latch and pushed it open....motioning them inside.



The large room beyond was undoubtedly the bridge of the carrier.....but it look even more polished then the exterior. There were some signs of replacements and repair work, but done with a much better eye for detail. Several consoles sat around the chamber, inoperative but still essentially intact. A desk sat in the corner, covered in papers and plans....a picture of Mulveric and several others sitting together.

Yet beyond that....the bridge was empty. The windows allowed a nice view of the flight deck, with various piles of equipment and old scrap littering it, but that seemed to be it....

"Welcome Aboard!" A polite, mildly excited voice came around all around the room....quickly the source could be determined as the speaker system. "Its so good to see you all made it here safe....just a moment, let me warm up the emitters."

A soft glow emanated from multiple projectors, spilling a multicolored light that converged into the center of the bridge....first coalesing into a blob of shimmering rainbow light before growing and taking on a proper shape and color.



"En." Mulvric smiled.

"Welcome home papa." The holographic girl, barely half the size of Morgan, fluttered excitedly. ".....and the rest of you as well! I guess I can give you a much better introduction now."

The girl plants her hand on her hologram chest. "I am the onboard digital knowledge archive and navigational assistant for the USS Enterprise, CVF-12....My name is Enterprise, but people just call me En. You can call me that too, but I'm still taking suggestions on a nice code name."

Peeling her mask off her perspiration-covered face, Kinu, shook her bicoloured mane out, and scrunched her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating from the elevation.

"...so you're a ghost?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

"Not in the dark ya ain't." Mercer quickly retorted. "Besides, She won't stop whining til you say hello...and we need time to get your accommodations set up. So don't chicken out now." He said the last bit with an even bigger smirk as he urged him on with the others.

As the group approached the base, it was easier to make out movement among the many huts, shacks and buildings either on the ground or build further up. People were moving between them, carrying equipment, chatting, and keeping watch. Children were playing closer to the ground, but were quickly being gathered up before nightfall. Higher up, a group of older men and woman were watching the groups approach, but they were too far up to judge their expressions.

The group was led to a primitive lift, though Mercer made sure to point out the various ladder alternatives for the more spirited and elevator fearing members. In any event....the lift had a max limit and it would take two trips minimum to get everyone up. (included the dragon girl, but mercer avoided making any comment about a diet for fear of the dragon decided diet food was a good idea....and diet witch was pretty much just everyone else.)

Those taking the elevator up were given a fantastic view of the surroundings, lights moving in the distance where the farms had been set up, people coming back to the base after a long day of work. Those that took the ladders would naturally get their exercise....as they snaked their way from level to level, requiring switches at various points and passing by suspended huts with curious onlookers.

Rather then going all the way to the deck, the elevator and ladders led to various access points along the side....and at this range the amount of work gone into repairing the wear and tear was considerable. At some points it even seemed as if new equipment had been installed, though the purpose remained unclear.

Finally inside, they were led single file through interior hallways that fared surprising better then the exterior....or had also seen some major repair work over the years. Still...most were narrow, and more then once Arx would resort to having to bend a certain way to get through. Soon stairs led them further up....and up....and up.....

Then they all came to a large sealed door, and with a twist Mercer undid the latch and pushed it open....motioning them inside.



The large room beyond was undoubtedly the bridge of the carrier.....but it look even more polished then the exterior. There were some signs of replacements and repair work, but done with a much better eye for detail. Several consoles sat around the chamber, inoperative but still essentially intact. A desk sat in the corner, covered in papers and plans....a picture of Mulveric and several others sitting together.

Yet beyond that....the bridge was empty. The windows allowed a nice view of the flight deck, with various piles of equipment and old scrap littering it, but that seemed to be it....

"Welcome Aboard!" A polite, mildly excited voice came around all around the room....quickly the source could be determined as the speaker system. "Its so good to see you all made it here safe....just a moment, let me warm up the emitters."

A soft glow emanated from multiple projectors, spilling a multicolored light that converged into the center of the bridge....first coalesing into a blob of shimmering rainbow light before growing and taking on a proper shape and color.



"En." Mulvric smiled.

"Welcome home papa." The holographic girl, barely half the size of Morgan, fluttered excitedly. ".....and the rest of you as well! I guess I can give you a much better introduction now."

The girl plants her hand on her hologram chest. "I am the onboard digital knowledge archive and navigational assistant for the USS Enterprise, CVF-12....My name is Enterprise, but people just call me En. You can call me that too, but I'm still taking suggestions on a nice code name."

Owen stares a moment, then smiles warmly and doffs his hat with a polite bow.

“Investigator Owen Calliburn, Miss En, at your service. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”

[Sub-Zero MKA]

There was a lift and a ladder as the means to reach the top of this structure. Xia opted for the latter.

Cloud Floats Over the Stream

Using the ladder rungs as miniature stairs, she gracefully flipped and ran up the side of the ship, easily transferring from one ladder to another when she needed to. The lift was too slow, too crowded, and would probably need more than two trips to get everyone up. At least this way, she was able to get her exercise out of the way. They put in some work on this thing, she commented. As she climbed, she could see evidence of all the repairs that had been made to the carrier over the years. She could also see that much of the equipment seemed to be new, or at least she assumed it was. She couldn't really tell the difference unless the new stuff was shinier.

She easily hoisted herself inside one of the access points along the length of the carrier and returned her weight to its natural... weight.

Seems the inside is better off than the outside, she noted as she and the others were led through a narrow hall and eventually up a long flight of stairs. The entire trip had her questioning just how expansive this thing was. It looked huge on the outside, but clearly it was one of those things that was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. She was about to ask how much further when Mercer opened a door and motioned them inside.

"..." If the inside fared better than the outside by a noticeable degree, then this room fared even better. It was polish. Much of the stuff held within was either new or had been repaired with a critical eye. She supposed that this was where all the planning and "research" took place; or she would have if it wasn't empty. She expected it to be filled with people flitting to and fro, using the machines and writing stuff down. I don't know. I'm just guess. I saw people before, but what gives?

Then, a familiar voice rang from somewhere nearby. It belonged to En, but a body wasn't around to match the voice. That was until a body just... appeared out of nowhere, in the form of a girl with... bug wings? "What?"

She had bug wings. Butterfly wings? With the Dragon and Roach within spitting distance, that didn't bother her. What did was the fact that this person just appeared out of thin air. Xia had seen some **** in the last day, but this... "What the hell is this, some kind of ghost?" she demanded of Mercer.

[Tami]

"Not in the dark ya ain't." Mercer quickly retorted. "Besides, She won't stop whining til you say hello...and we need time to get your accommodations set up. So don't chicken out now." He said the last bit with an even bigger smirk as he urged him on with the others.

As the group approached the base, it was easier to make out movement among the many huts, shacks and buildings either on the ground or build further up. People were moving between them, carrying equipment, chatting, and keeping watch. Children were playing closer to the ground, but were quickly being gathered up before nightfall. Higher up, a group of older men and woman were watching the groups approach, but they were too far up to judge their expressions.

The group was led to a primitive lift, though Mercer made sure to point out the various ladder alternatives for the more spirited and elevator fearing members. In any event....the lift had a max limit and it would take two trips minimum to get everyone up. (included the dragon girl, but mercer avoided making any comment about a diet for fear of the dragon decided diet food was a good idea....and diet witch was pretty much just everyone else.)

Those taking the elevator up were given a fantastic view of the surroundings, lights moving in the distance where the farms had been set up, people coming back to the base after a long day of work. Those that took the ladders would naturally get their exercise....as they snaked their way from level to level, requiring switches at various points and passing by suspended huts with curious onlookers.

Rather then going all the way to the deck, the elevator and ladders led to various access points along the side....and at this range the amount of work gone into repairing the wear and tear was considerable. At some points it even seemed as if new equipment had been installed, though the purpose remained unclear.

Finally inside, they were led single file through interior hallways that fared surprising better then the exterior....or had also seen some major repair work over the years. Still...most were narrow, and more then once Arx would resort to having to bend a certain way to get through. Soon stairs led them further up....and up....and up.....

Then they all came to a large sealed door, and with a twist Mercer undid the latch and pushed it open....motioning them inside.



The large room beyond was undoubtedly the bridge of the carrier.....but it look even more polished then the exterior. There were some signs of replacements and repair work, but done with a much better eye for detail. Several consoles sat around the chamber, inoperative but still essentially intact. A desk sat in the corner, covered in papers and plans....a picture of Mulveric and several others sitting together.

Yet beyond that....the bridge was empty. The windows allowed a nice view of the flight deck, with various piles of equipment and old scrap littering it, but that seemed to be it....

"Welcome Aboard!" A polite, mildly excited voice came around all around the room....quickly the source could be determined as the speaker system. "Its so good to see you all made it here safe....just a moment, let me warm up the emitters."

A soft glow emanated from multiple projectors, spilling a multicolored light that converged into the center of the bridge....first coalesing into a blob of shimmering rainbow light before growing and taking on a proper shape and color.



"En." Mulvric smiled.

"Welcome home papa." The holographic girl, barely half the size of Morgan, fluttered excitedly. ".....and the rest of you as well! I guess I can give you a much better introduction now."

The girl plants her hand on her hologram chest. "I am the onboard digital knowledge archive and navigational assistant for the USS Enterprise, CVF-12....My name is Enterprise, but people just call me En. You can call me that too, but I'm still taking suggestions on a nice code name."

Pulling his hood down from his head, Matthias stepped forward to get a little closer look. "Well," he smiled, "You're more of a Surprise than an Enterprise." He then gave her a slight nod, "It's an honor to finally meet you, En."

[grampagen]

There were so many lights in this room, streaking across the floor, jutting out of the ceiling, that it was already reminding her of the slums they just left. How do your eyes adjust to this mess? Blech!

"...so, uh...Spirit of the Boat," she address En, "I guess that Dampener...thing, Red mentioned has certain exceptions for butterflies, right?"

Selma stared at the holographic girl for several long seconds before bursting out into laughter. But wasn't what one would normally consider laughter. Instead it was one that rang with a mixture of almost manic gleefulness and deep sadness, producing a distressing sound, as though she were on the verge of madness. This was compounded by the sight of tears flowing from her eyes down her face, though whether they were from the gleefulness or the sadness, you could not tell.

Kinu blinked stiffly, looked over to Blondie, back to the phantom light array, the blinking consoles, and back to Blondie again.

"...heh heh...heh...," she shrugged, nodding as she chuckled over a toothy grin, eyes, darting from side to side revealing utter confusion. "...yeah...that's a good one...?"

...I don't get it.

[Tami]

Selma stared at the holographic girl for several long seconds before bursting out into laughter. But wasn't what one would normally consider laughter. Instead it was one that rang with a mixture of almost manic gleefulness and deep sadness, producing a distressing sound, as though she were on the verge of madness. This was compounded by the sight of tears flowing from her eyes down her face, though whether they were from the gleefulness or the sadness, you could not tell.

This was an unexpected reaction to En, "Ms. Selma?" Saint asked gently, "I can imagine how overwhelming this might be. If you need time, there are places to sit down and rest. If you need water, I'm sure that can be arranged."

[MrSandman]

Selma stared at the holographic girl for several long seconds before bursting out into laughter. But wasn't what one would normally consider laughter. Instead it was one that rang with a mixture of almost manic gleefulness and deep sadness, producing a distressing sound, as though she were on the verge of madness. This was compounded by the sight of tears flowing from her eyes down her face, though whether they were from the gleefulness or the sadness, you could not tell.

"Aha.....ahhh......why is she laughing like that?" En mouthed quickly in Mulvrics direction, to which the old man replied with a confused shrug. "....Ahhh.....did the projectors induce an epileptic fit? There is a really small chance of that.....hey, can you hear me! Hey Listen!" En flew around Selmas head. "Don't swallow your tongue! It'll be really bad.....lie down on your side and think of something happy but not funny to calm down."