2019-03-12: Long Way To Go

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<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

ON AN ARMS SHIP...

Marivel isn't around obviously. Who is Marivel? Some loser. Instead the mysterious shrouded and fully covered and obscured Leviram (honestly not the first name she's been handing around as Acacia has observed) hired Acacia, Clarine, and Clarissa to investigate some ruins. AMONG those ruins they found Kamui and Seraph Clarine. Leviram didn't seem particularly surprised by Kamui but found Clarine's vessel to be fascinating and has been very impolite about poking at it.

Notably, as Acacia no doubt understands, Leviram hasn't mentioned finding any of these people in the ruins and instead promised a nice refractor and didn't seem at all apologetic when Acacia didn't get PAID and instead ... apparently has a new dependant? MAYBE TWO DEPENDANTS? LOOKING AT YOU CLARINE. WAit is Leviram gonna be bothering you all the time too?

But she had one last promise: A lead which Marivel 'subtly' hinted about around Acacia's vincinity which encouraged her to come and was totally not blatant manipulation on Leviram's part.

And now everybody's on a boat heading to Elru and Leviram is sitting underneath an umbrella (how much more covering does she need??), reading a book you've never seen before.

<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

KAMUI

is

.....

She's currently standing ontop of the ARMS ship's tallest flagpole, seemingly having no trouble balancing on a small surface that is no doubt extremely slippery and wet given the conditions of the waters that exist between Ignas an Elru.

A dramatic figure, to be certain, a fluttering dark cape with tattered ends whipping in the wind, as well as her dark neck-length hair. She's clad in a simple white gown that Acacia found for her somewhere, which would be unremarkable save for the fact that she's clad in some kind of dark navy blue bodysuit with sky-blue lines underneath that end in a ancient-looking greave and gauntlet.

The red gem at her chest pulsates, as if overlooking her destiny.

"This is...."

A pause.

"A 7 out of 10. Nice pole to stand on..." she scribbles into her journalist's notes.

She hops down, faint afterimage trails rippling behind her as she lands by Marivel and possibly Acacia's side.

"But the view isn't very good."

... is that cookie crumb on her face?

<Pose Tracker> Clarissa Arwin has posed.

"In the end, Rupert wasn't even in Ignas, was he," Clarissa sighs as she looks out over the edge of the ship.

Hiring Clarissa had been pretty simple and intuitive: For an eighteen-year-old, she happened to be in the area anyway, and she knew a surprising amount about ruins and old technology. She didn't even ask about pay.

The girl smiles to herself as she looks out over the water, expression small and pensive. "Elru... maybe that's where we'll find him. If he's one of those people we've heard about heading that way...." She draws her hand into her jacket, coming out with a notepad and beginning to leaf through it. "I know Mother wrote about Elru a few times. Maybe theres something...."

There's a silent companion by Clarissa's right side - a taller man, youngish but still a few years older than her, dressed in black and with a long glaive leaning over his shoulder. He clears his throat at the sound of movement - someone jumping off the flagpole.

"Hm?" Clarissa turns, then gasps at the sight of Kamui making a landing.

"That was very graceful," she compliments as she starts forward, her smile warm. "How are you feeling?"

Clarissa is used to digging out relics from old ruins! People are another story.

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

Leant against the railing at the front of the boat and ignoring the way her hair whips around as she watches it cut through the waves towards Elru, Acacia Saitani wonders not for the first time exactly what the hell she's doing on board. She /should/ be back in Meria Boule taking a break, licking her wounds, then trying to get back to normal life. Probably curling up into a foetal ball every time she thinks about how much money she just lost watching a reflector crumble into dust in front of her.

(The fact that money wasn't technically /hers/ yet is not something that she's letting cross her mind.)

Instead, she's bound for the other side of the world on this ship, checking up a sketchy set of rumours pinpointed to her by an equally sketchy woman, travelling alongside her sketchy new-- new-- servant? little sister? ARM? ... whatever Kamui happens to be in the end, that's a puzzle that Acacia hasn't figured out yet.

Just as 'Leviram' isn't someone she's figured out yet either: she'd laugh at the fake name if it weren't directed towards her half the time. Someone that obvious should stand out like a sore thumb, and yet she couldn't turf up anything. Still... some kind of reporter's instinct still gives her pause, just as it did when they first met. Something about the odd woman seems-- intriguing, and quietly familiar, and she did lead Acacia to a scoop - even if it's one she can't quite bring herself to write about.

Besides, if she's going to mope over lost money, she can do it here /just fine/. She sags theatrically and expansively on the railing as Kamui lands, her arms hanging over it as she lets out a long and weary sigh - then forces herself back up to standing as she glanes across. "Don't leap off the boat by accident," she grouses, dragging a hand back through her hair to try to tame it down as she does so, before glancing at Clarissa and thinking the words 'and don't encourage her'.

But not saying them out loud. Complaining at Clarissa somehow feels like kicking a puppy.

Instead, something catches her eye, and she narrows the both of them. Despite being a parent-guardian-employer-something for only a couple of days, she has the 'you're in trouble' voice down pat. "... Kamui."

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Clarine's vessel was located in a dark, spooky ruin. ...You know, exactly the sort of thing a totally-not-a-vampire might be interested in. The shadowy aura around this place had drained her of energy, but after being removed from it and exposed to sunlight for a while, she's back to one-hundred percent!

...Well, mostly.

She was perfectly healthy, but she has been, for the most part, kind of been wandering about in a daze. It's understandable, really - not only has she been asleep for who knows how long, she woke up to find herself in a completely different world.

The fact that 'Leviram' has kind of been interested her vessel - the golden necklace inset with a prismatic gem that she always keeps close at hand - doesn't help matters.

At the moment, though, she's found herself a nice, sunny spot to sit in, sitting back quietly as she watches the people go by. This world may be different, but the light is still refreshing.

It helps.

She's still not entirely sure how many of them can actually see her here. A part of her was okay with that - she's a little out of practice when it comes to interacting with, well...

...Anyone.

<Pose Tracker> Brad Evans has posed.

Something tromps about belowdecks, heavy footfalls thump-thumping for a few moments before their accompanying human emerges into sunlight.

The man who steps forth is dark-skinned and built like an absolute tank, tall and muscular. He wears a single-strapped sleeveless compression shirt, leaving much of his shoulders and chest bare; over that, little more than a set of leather strapped joined over his sternum by a metal ring. Below, jeans and boots.

He looks like he should be crew, except even the more sweat-drenched crew wear more than this guy. Dark eyes peer around the deck, taking in its occupants, before Brad makes his way to the umbrella under which "Leviram" is specifically not sunning. His thumbs find the loops of his jeans. "Bit bigger crowd than I expected," he rumbles. "These Drifters?"

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Leviram doesn't say much to anyone honestly while she's reading. She seems invested in her book. She must be a lady of some means if she can charter an ARMS ship like this. She didn't ask permission. She /told/. And she even reassured the captain that Clarissa and the other unexpecteds (honestly that's...anyone not named Acacia or Kamui or Brad) would not be trouble or otherwise problematic. She has been polite to Kamui, if unhelpful, and downright incorrigable with Acacia. Solanine unfortunately doesn't get Marivel's polite side since there's this look in her eyes like she kind of wants to take her apart and see how she works. She hasn't tried, but well--she's a scientist, or so she says.

Leviram DOES speak up when Brad Evans stops by her umbrella.

"Miss Arwin is a drifter. The Seraph is an unexpected find and I am not one to turn away from good fortune. Acacia, well, I'll leave it to her to say whether or not she's a drifter but she is coming along." She doesn't say Kamui was an unexpected surprise, but she does look towards the reploid for a moment.

She closes the book, apparently settling that 'reading' isn't going to be happening with Brad here.

"How have you been enjoying the outdoors?" She asks of Brad.

<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

Kamui's gaze slowly glances over Clarissa as she says, "Clarissa Arwin..." A pause.

To the technically minded, it's almost like the unmistakable hiccup of a hard drive spinning as she struggles to recall something most humans just do naturally - look at someone, remember (or don't remember) that person.

Her attention is drawn towards Clarine for a moment. Kamui did seem to be naturally inclined towards the Seraph, having some propensity for light and sunshine herself. Maybe she's been more defensive when Marivel has been more nosy. And... despite being a machine, she seems to have no problem seeing her.

"This is a good spot..." she advises to Clarine, seemingly approving of her sunny place.

'Master' -- would be Acacia, Clarine and Clarissa would know. This seemed to be related to how she was sleeping dormant in a broken capsule within her ruin until Acacia approached.

... with a giant refractor that should've made her some mad bling bling cash gella, yes, but...

She seems to have imprinted on Acacia in a very... puppy-like manner, though.

But she addresses Clarissa, who asks about her well being: "I should be careful... Leviram and Master said I wasn't... waterproof. But otherwise I seem to be... functional."

That's an... incredibly obvious expression given the massive breaks in her mechanical body, honestly?

And perhaps of all included here, save Marivel because she's a cheater, Brad Evans is quite more than capable of identifying her mechanical features instantly -- given the myriad of ways her humanoid guise is broken in multiple places, from half her face to her leg and her arm... the round, red camera lens underneath that break in her face seems to have more in common with the Reaverbots than anything else.

"I am Kamui... a Maverick Hunter," she announces as she has in the past. ... and when asked what the heck a 'Maverick' is, she always answers, "I don't know."

Her machine-like gaze, her impassioned introduction suddenly gets disrupted when--

... Kamui.

urppppp

"I didn't eat all the cookies, Master, muuuuui..." Kamui whines to Acacia, instantly going child-like.

<Pose Tracker> Clarissa Arwin has posed.

Clarissa catches Acacia's glance and smiles gently back at her. Her eyes shine like the sun coming up. You wouldn't kick a puppy, would you, Acacia?

Knowing nothing of a hard drive, Clarissa just takes Kamui's pause as the person taking a moment to collect her thoughts. She adjusts the hem of her coat with a quick tug. "Well, then let's keep you above the deck," she advises lightly, managing not to seem over-curious about the obvious mechanicity of Kamui's being. Judging is a terible thing, after all. She opens her mouth to say something-

Then Brad comes stomping up onto the deck. Clarissa looks up at him with raised eyebrows, but her smile doesn't fade. "Yes, hello, my name's Clarissa and this is Felius. It's nice to meet you." She is, at least, incredibly polite for a Drifter.

Something else, though, is catching her attention. There is the sound of footsteps as something blue and pleasant glides across the deck towards--

"That looks really comfortable," Clarissa remarks as she moves to stand near Clarine - to one side so that she doesn't cast a shadow. "It must be a nice feeling, coming out into the sun after what must've been a long time."

The odd part of it all is that Clarissa has been able to see Clarine pretty clearly so far.

Felius can't seem to. He's looking somewhere off over her head and to the left before his attention is drawn back to Kamui. Again. He seems to look at her a lot, but not say anything.

Felius Arwin: Not Ethius.

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

It's not entirely clear whether Acacia can detect the Seraph. She had been... a little busy back in the ruins, between dealing with the sudden appearance of Kamui and the sudden loss of a jackpot crumbling in her hands. Since then, unless you're the sort to not care about her grumping or simply not understand it - hi, Leviram, Kamui - she's been kind of difficult to approach, keeping to herself and staying withdrawn.

If nothing else, she's self-aware enough to realize when she might blow up at people who don't deserve it, preferring to sulk in private silence. The fact that Clarissa hasn't tried to push it past angelic smiles is something she can be mildly thankful for, at least.

Even her funk can't ignore the sheer presence of Brad, though, and specifically the way in which he appears to know her odd new benefactor; for a moment she watches them interact with a light furrow to her brow, her eyes picking out details. "/You're/ bigger than expected. What are you, the anchor?" she shoots back in a bit of a juvenile fashion - and then catches herself, hand back in her hair. "Ugh. Sorry. It's been a long week."

With an effort she straightens back up, and then stretches further with a wince as she feels something in her back pop. "You say that like you aren't a Drifter yourself, but you sure as hell look the part," she rattles off in a more professional tone, folding her arms before offering a hand forwards to-- to--... a moment of sizing up Brad's hand versus hers and she settles for a quick wave instead. "Acacia Saitani, Meria Bouletin. This girl's my assistant--"

Oh, right. She's meant to be mad.

Kamui's sudden shift to blobbiness can't save her from Acacia's hand coming to rest on her head, keeping her in place as her eyes become obscured by black shadow. "Ka-mu-ii," she intones in a doom-laden voice. "/Don't/ tell me you tried to duck out of it by leaving the last one sitting in the pack. /Again/."

<Pose Tracker> Brad Evans has posed.

Brad grunts an accepting acknowledgement of Marivel's assessment. He is looking at Kamui when he mutters, "Seraph, ya call it, huh."

Brad would probably have found a way to make his own fun - he has, after all, apparently managed to get this long without asking Marivel who her new friends are - but there's a certain ease to his shoulders when she does deign to engage. "Still getting used to the sun," he says. Low. Not quite the mutter he did habitually right after he got out, but like he's still remembering what a conversational volume even is. "...talking. Noise."

He doesn't say it like a bad thing. He half-turns, craning his broad neck to peer as Clarissa comes up. Maverick Hunter? he wonders about Kamui's introduction. "Can't say I've heard of the unit," he admits. Golem? He's never heard of a golem with a human face before. Some new Reaverbot...? That'd explain it, actually, between Marivel and the reporter. Must've busted up its...think...parts? This one doesn't really act like it'd have a golem's concept nodes, huh?

He takes a little too long to get around to looking Acacia in the eye. He does, at least, lift his hand out of his pocket, flashing a few fingers in a casual simulation of a wave. "People call me Brad," he says, incompletely, and his posture suggests that's not changing. "I'm only the anchor if I misbehave."

He doesn't /smile/, per se, though his lips turn very slightly up at the quip.

He glances back toward Leviram. "Sure about a posse like this? His people don't much care who they hurt."

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Interacting with Marivel - I mean, Leviram - has been a strange experience for Clarine. Usually, people can't see her and she's okay with that. Leviram, though? Leviram can, and it's a little concerning. Kamui's presence has been helpful, though, and in the end she /thinks/ Leviram probably wouldn't do anything.

...Probably.

Kamui gets a nod from Clarine, though, as the 'Maverick Hunter' gives her approval.

"Ah, yes...the sky is nice and clear, and the sun is hitting the water just right..." Clarine agrees with a nod. She was glad there was someone else here who could appreciate proper sunlight intake.

Her eyes are briefly drawn toward Brad. He's hard to miss, after all. She doesn't address him, though - it doesn't seem like he can see her, judging by his reaction to the word 'Seraph'.

Clarissa, though.

Clarine doesn't respond at first. Her immediate assumption is that she's talking to Kamui. Their situation was similar, after all. But...no. It's unmistakable, isn't it?

Clarine stares at Clarissa for a moment, blinking.

"...Oh! Y-you are, ah...you are talking to me." She says. She sounds a little embarrassed. "Sorry, I, u-umm..."

Clarine hesitates. Something about that resonates with her a bit. And then nods.

"Y-yes, it's...nice. I'm...I prefer to avoid the darkness when I can help it..."

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Leviram laughs faintly into her hand at Acacia's quip. It's not an 'oh ho ho ho' laugh so she might have actually been caught off guard by that one. There's a distinct lack of theatricality that seems to be the norm with her. Her head dips enough, her mouth constantly hidden behind that scarf of hers. You can't see it, but she's smiling.

"You and me both." Leviram tells Brad. "I have a dark secret. I'm a bit of a shut-in. Noise, I'm used to. Never a shortage of that so you will adapt soon enough."

Leviram might not be aware that Solanine is supposed to be invisible since both eyebrows raise up when Clarine mentions it. Maybe she had some incomplete information.

She gives a thoughtful gaze to Brad for a moment after. Her eyes slant towards the neck. It's brief.

Leviram says, "You don't care for the darkness?" to Clarine, and then looks back to Brad, almost imperceptible.

He asks an important question. Is she sure about these driters? Acacia and friends don't exactly give off the image of professional soldiers. Leviram doesn't either, honestly, but there's certainly a kind of focus in her eyes sometimes that says she's seen some shit.

"Not really." Leviram says to Brad with ultimate brutal honesty. "Honestly half of them I picked up on accident. At least for ruin dives they are proven capable, but beyond that? Well..."

Leviram says, "I suspect the Drifters that slew Mother looked not unlike this when they started out."

<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

Kamui makes the motion of sweating profusely at Acacia (because she can't sweat) as Acacia's hand goes down on her head in a gunununu fashion--

JUST SLIGHTLY BELOW-DECK

A packet of chocolate chip cookies from Marina's Bakery back in Meria Boule lies mostly eaten except the last one!!

HERE

"Clarine, heeelp..." Kamui whines. There is a nod at Clarissa's suggestion to keep above-water, though she doesn't understand herself what may happen if she did fall into water and sink. Short-circuit? Hopefully she's not that poorly made. She does sober up to a slightly more serious face as she empathically adds: "You know that I will provide light for you anytime you need it."

As if to make the point, she lets her chest gem shimmer with the telltale whirr of a charge-- then diffuses it harmlessly a moment later.

Felius' introduction and gaze does cause her camera-eye to scan him back in turn. Whirr, lens focus. It's a bit unsettling. Even when the rest of her looks incredibly dopey by comparison.

"Brad..." she whispers. It's not just a one-off, the way she has to repeat the name.

The way he calls the Maverick Hunter designation a 'unit' seems to give her uncomfortable pause, though. Like hitting another mental block. "I do not know my unit. I am the only Hunter I... know of." Not to mention not knowing what it is she hunts, though she hasn't voiced that.

But Leviram mentions something that draws her eye.

"Drifters have to kill... their mother?"

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"No, that's purely optional." Leviram assures Kamui.

<Pose Tracker> Clarissa Arwin has posed.

Felius stares back at Kamui with his usual air of taciturn calm, otherwise continuing to act as Clarissa's shadow.

She, however, is quite a bit more animated - and engaged with Clarine. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your train of thought!" Clarissa widens her eyes a bit as Clarine's start. She cups a hand to her own cheek as if to hide a little blush, momentarily flustered and glancing away. The smile remains, though.

Then she looks back with a little clear of her throat. Her hand migrates back to rest at her hip. "Well, there's plenty of light here! Whatever state Filgaia may be in, at least the sun is still shining. And now you're seeing it again!"

It's questionable whether she can hear Leviram and Brad discussing their trustworthiness; she certainly doesn't say anything. The fact that this is some kind of paramilitary ship bothers her - but there's something going down in Elesius, and hints that the man she's after may have gone that way.

When Kamui makes that suggestion, though, Clarissa looks out over the water for a moment. Then she clears her throat before looking down at the notebook in her hands. "I wonder why so many people would be going to that part of Elru," she muses as she leafs through the book. "Maybe Mother wrote something about that."

She blinks once. "Huh. It says here that Mother took me to Elru once. Well, Elesius, anyway. I must've been so young that I don't remember it."

Looking away from Kamui, Felius moves to stand to Clarissa's right again. "...We might be confusing Kamui," he murmurs.

Clarissa blinks, then blushes and cups her cheeks in her hands. "Gosh, I didn't mean to--"

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

"I'll bet. You spend the rest of the time tossing other people overboard?" Acacia puffs out in return to Brad. For a moment she considers digging out her notebook, scribbling a quick description and name-- but that would be a bit rude, especially stuck on a ship together with who knows how many days left of sailing. There'll be time enough to wonder about the man's identity - and dig further into Leviram's - later. Of course there will. It's not like something untoward is going to happen twice in a row.

As Clarine starts to fuss and worry, Acacia finally gives the game away; feeling a little better about herself with so many people around, she lets her eyes flick towards the rather timid-seeming Seraph, but whatever she might have been about to say is cut off when the shrouded woman vouches for them.

"Oh, sure, just pile on the pressure. I mean, you can say that, but I'm pretty sure our last trip into a ruin ended in a failure, even if it was a pretty wild failure by most standards," the redhead points out, her eyes drawn down in a flat stare. "Besides, it's not like I'm going over there to fight. I'm just going to be there to track what happens and make sure everyone else knows. Don't know why all the weird stuff has to happen on a continent all the way off on its own," she grouses as she glances off towards the horizon, trying to catch a glimpse of the landmass they're headed towards.

Still, for all that she grumbles both around and at Kamui, there's clearly some level of care in there. Whether she really registers that she's doing it or not, Acacia's response to the smaller girl's uncertainty is to soften her grip, and turn her hold on Kamui's head into a couple of encouraging pats instead. She's another puzzle, that's for sure - another big question mark to pick at and figure out - but something makes Acacia more cautious about just diving right in to figuring it out.

"It'd have to be a while back," she finally decides to enter the conversation a bit more pleasantly, though it's hard to be too pleasant when talking about the state of Elru. "You're looking at-- I guess at least a decade. Maybe a few year's change on top just so you avoid the worst of the raiders, and all the Slayheim stuff." Someone's studied, at least.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Clarine blinks at Marivel for a moment. 'You don't care for darkness?' A difficult question.

"...W-well, I suppose there's some forms of darkness I do care about..." Clarine considers. "B-but, ah...generally, no..."

And right now, Kamui's getting scolded. Clarine looks upon her sympathetically.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't think I can help here..." Clarine apologizes to Kamui. Because she doesn't think Acacia can't see or hear her, probably. It makes standing up for her a little difficult. ...But, wait. Did...Acacia just look at her? Clarine breaks for a second, and...

"...U-um, I am sure she...did not intend to?" Clarine attempts to reason, half-heartedly.

Kamui's earnest offer after does manage to get a small smile out of Clarine.

"...Thank you." She says, her head dipping slightly in a grateful nod. "I am...truly grateful..."

Back at her conversation with Clarissa, though, Clarine shakes her head suddenly.

"A-ah, no, I wasn't, um..." She stops herself. This is where she would take a deep breath to center herself, if that was something she needed to do. A part of her also feels like bolting, but on a boat there isn't exactly anywhere to go, so she stays put. "Sorry, I thought you were, talking to someone else."

She hesitates for a moment, before elaborating.

"I was...surprised you could even see me. Humans...generally cannot." She explains. Clarine was usually okay with that. She was a bit hesitant about interacting with humans, but...Clarissa seemed alright. At the mention of Filgaia, though, Clarine's expression falls.

"...Filgaia... The Blue Star..." She murmurs, with a hint of confusion, and perhaps acceptance. "...Yes. I...appreciate its light."

<Pose Tracker> Brad Evans has posed.

Brad does not react to Clarine in the slightest.

"It's got its uses," he replies to Leviram, apparently interpreting her question as aimed at him. He half consciously stretches his shoulders, bulging muscle flexing. "Rather not think about it too much. Start to cramp up just thinking about that place, even still."

The rest of that answer gives him cause to frown. He's got such a severe face that it's not quite obvious at first. "This ain't the start," he reminds Leviram bluntly, but seems content to leave it at that. "...we'll keep an eye on 'em, then," he mutters.

Speaking for some mysterious others, perhaps. He glances to Acacia. "Well that'll depend on how /they/ behave," Brad offers, his tone comfortable enough. Not a threat, just playing along. ....probably.

"Think you'll find interesting things like to happen when nobody's looking," he offers her, but he's looking off to Kamui when he says it. "...that another one of your gadgets?" he finally prompts Leviram, eyes sliding to the side. "I can take a look if ya want. Don't know if I have any golem arms in the stash, though."

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Leviram exhales out a faint sigh when Felius makes that point. She has good ears but the gentleman has a point there.

She stands herself up, walking out into the open. Maybe she's nervous about getting sunburned. She glances to Clarine briefly when she talks about Filgaia but doesn't seem to have anything to say about people being able to see her.

"Acacia." Leviram says, sticking to the first name. "I have been to many ruins in my time but friendship is the true treasure, is it not? And you have made new friends." This might be coming off as faint mockery but in truth Leviram is being quite serious here.

"More to the point, there are many refractors in this world, but there is only one Kamui. There are treasures you can sell and treasures you hold on tightly to. You are perhaps the most fortunate 'drifter' I have ever met."

Yeah but it's not money, Marivel. She has to eat, Marivel. And pay rent, Marivel. Leviram doesn't seem like someone who has had to concern herself with rent. Or lunch, for that matter. Acacia has yet to see her eat.

She watches Acacia pat the Maverick Hunter for a moment and then seems to be smiling again behind that scarf of hers. "Ah, nevermind. A useless lecture."

She approaches Kamui.

"'Mother' in this case does not refer to your mother or mine, but rather an alien entity that has warred with Filgaia for at least a millenia. She wished for nothing less than to destroy Filgaia itself. She has yet to succeed, but she has come close on many occassions and that is why the drifters that have defeated her, well, I am quite interested in meeting them." She is about to say more whne Brad asks a rather pointed question (and reveals that Leviram is a bit of a gadgeteer).

This time the smile reaches her eyes. "Kamui is no more a gadget than you."

That is...not an answer to the question Brad asked, but it seems to be her answer.

"Well, in the end, who am I to dictate her identity. What she is and who she is is for her to decide. She says she is a Maverick Hunter so I suppose that is what she is."

"Not 'the' start, no." She agrees with Brad, but also seems content to leave it at that. She says, "You are more of a gadgeteer yourself than I knew. I'm impressed." Why is she saying nice things about Brad though?? This is unfair.

"Kamui," She says, more pleasantly. "Is the disorientation passing?"

<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.

"So Clarissa's Mother is not..." Kamui begins to surmise before Felius points out that her train of thought may be too much for Kamui. Given the way in which the Reploid seems to have trouble with her thoughts sometimes, it would seem that's the case. "No... it is worth knowing. Of your Mother... that is family, is it not?"

She looks back to Acacia's nattering around Brad and looks to the investigative reporter. She gets a headpat in turn, which seems to pacify her a whole lot...

"I will take pictures too, and write a best-selling scoop for our headlines."

SHORTLY BEFORE NOW

The Meria Bouletin, dated two days ago, sits on the bottom shelf out of sight of the big newspapers in Meria Boule. The headline article with the byline of KAMUI reads:

NEIGHBOURHOOD CAT BIG AND CUDDLY

NOW

Kamui might... ...have a ways to go before she gets to be an ace journalist.

She genuinely didn't know what Clarine was talking about, with how humans generally cannot see her. It was as if she didn't register anything different between Seraphs and humans, on whatever level technology has allowed her to see.

"Golem? There was a Golem back in the ruin..." Kamui muses very slowly, though she doesn't know what Brad's talking about when he's talking about being Marivel's gadget. "And some others..."

But Marivel -- Leviram -- has things to say.

About how there is only one of her, and many refractors. And she has already chimed in that she would write the best articles that would make Acacia very famous and her papers worth reading.

"'-Mother-', An alien entity..." Kamui goes full Xenogears typography for a bit. She's silent for a little bit longer, like she's struggling with something once more.

MEMORY RETRIEVAL FAILED MEMORY ARCHIVE CORRUPTION AT 87%

She doesn't answer Marivel immediately, looking a bit ghost-like as she suddenly realises she's being addressed.

"Yes... I think so..." she doesn't sound convincing.

<Pose Tracker> Clarissa Arwin has posed.

The smile Clarissa sends back to Kamui is quite muted. "The Mother they're talking about isn't a mother the way humans would have a mother."

Clarissa clears her throat and centers her thoughts again. She tilts her head as she peers at Clarine. "Really? I didn't realize you were supposed to be invisible at all! I can see you pretty clearly."

Curiosity bubbles up all the more at the mention of a Blue Star. "That's a very pretty name for it," she says a bit wistfully. "It's very hopeful... especially since so much of Filgaia is brown. Maybe there's a way it can be blue and green again. At least, I believe it can." Her smile returns, simple, earnest and completely honest in the face of the magnitude of effort that must be involved in somehow healing a dying world.

When Acacia glides back into the conversation, Clarissa turns a bit to better acknowledge both her and Clarine at once. "It must've been," muses the blonde Drifter, turning to rest her rear against the rail as she looks down at the sheaf of notes again. "I must've been really little... I do remember Slayheim, though, since I was almost a teenager at that point. We were actually on our way there when everything happened...."

Clarissa trails off a moment, frowning pensively. She looks up towards Felius, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

Felius's expression doesn't change. "Elluria isn't near Slayheim."

"--No. No, it's not at all," Clarissa says with a blink, her train of thought jerked back onto the rails as she looks down at her notes. "It's not even near Elesius."

Closing her right hand, the blonde girl lets out a little huff, drawing herself up. "But if that's where Rupert's going, then I have to go."

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

If Acacia were being cagey with her resonance before, the Seraph's attempt to mollify her gives away the game completely. "Ohhhh, no," she drawls with some relish, her scoff directed directly towards the rather short magical creature. Whether she actually recognizes the Seraph as a magical being, now there's the real question. "I'm pretty damn sure she was very, very clear about her intentions to eat every sweet she could get her hands on. Don't let her butter you up."

Something makes her pause as Brad suggests a golem arm; she has to catch herself a little, because the instinctual reaction is to furrow her brow and draw Kamui a bit closer to herself. She's not used to feeling quite so prospective, especially not out of the blue, and even after pausing her tone is still a bit too blunt to be polite. "She's fine as she is," she shoots back.

The toothiness goes out of her tone a little as Leviram suddenly rebukes her. Just like Kamui before her, she starts up a little as a moment of guilt flashes across her face, though at least she's got a little more fire to her. "Says the meddler who took me down to find her," she tries, but this time her heart really isn't in it; she lets out an uncertain breath as she rakes at her hair again, and lets out a sigh.

"I know, I know, just-- look, you just don't know my track record. 'Fortunate' feels like it's going a little far, that's all I'm saying. I'm not gonna up and sell her to the first bidder like some ganglord," she adds, fixing Leviram with an unerring stare, before sighing. "Maybe I should just count all the food as salary."

It's a good job Acacia can't see Kamui's narration and the insinuation that the Meria Bouletin is not currently worth reading, -HUFF-. She does pause at the way that the girl she's standing next to seems to still and hold in place, though. The two of them are still trying to find their step; Acacia's a bit too much of a workaholic compared to Kamui's more languid state, and more than once she's hammered on through a conversation and accidentally left Kamui in the dust. Slowly, she's trying to figure out when to pause and let the other girl catch up.

So rather than press Kamui further, she hums with thought at the way in which Clarissa talks about the person she's chasing after. ... and, well, Acacia is first and foremost in her heart a reporter. It's her job to ask the tough questions, and if there aren't any tough questions, then to ask the annoying ones. Perked up in curiosity, she breaks into a smirk. "Long way to go for the boyfriend."

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Acacia, in no uncertain terms, makes it clear that she can see Clarine. Clarine stares at her for a moment, as if quietly processing this, before looking back to Kamui.

"...I am sorry. I was no help." She says. ...How quickly she gives up...

Clarine listens as Marivel explains 'Mother'. Being rather new to this world, this kind of comes as a surprise to her. She stares at her, unblinking. This Mother sounds dangerous...she finds herself briefly glad she didn't have to get involved with /that/.

"It is...um, difficult to explain." Clarine leaves it at that, unless someone inquires - she was never the best at explanations. Clarissa comments on 'the Blue Star'. Clarine's brow furrows a bit. The Blue Star...wasn't blue?? She puzzles over this for a second. "That is...what we call it."

She doesn't elaborate on the 'we'.

She listens quietly to the other conversation going on, taking everything in, following but not really understanding. Human nations...they had such unusual names. 'Slayheim' did not sound like a particularly pleasant place to visit...

...Not that she even knew the half of it.

She catches the mention of a Rupert, but doesn't even question it. Humans did strange things. She didn't know what a 'Rupert' was, but if Clarissa was following them, she probably had a reason for it.

<Pose Tracker> Brad Evans has posed.

Brad grunts to Marivel's retort. He does not look fully convinced. "Might change if she doesn't replace some of those gaskets," he replies blandly, hands in his pockets. Her last remark catches his eye again. "Caught up on the reputation, are ya?" he chuckles. "I'm more of a vehicle specialist by trade." ...Which usually means 'Ethos technician', which he decisively doesn't look much like.

He mostly remains quiet, otherwise. Though Clarissa reflecting on 'everything happening' in Slayheim sees Brad involuntarily turn his head away, glaring off the side. "Dodged a bullet, then, did you," he mutters.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Leviram says, "Well you can never know a man's talents by their record. But yes, you got me. I judged a book by its cover. But I am pleased to be wrong." Honestly it wouldn't be the first time. She uh. Had an initial opinion about Lilka too but at least she doens't seem to mind admitting some fault in that regard. Prideful, arrogant even if you wished to put it poorly--but there is SOME moderation there. Sharp tongues without sharp minds don't last long on Filgaia and sharp minds and sharp tongues don't last long on Filgaia without a sharp eye. If talents are displayed, it pays to take note.

She is quiet on the matter of Slayhelm. She doesn't show off an immediate sign of contrition or any particular emotion beyond quitting the humor and sticking to business.

"You seem determined to find this gentleman. If news reaches me, I would be happy to offer the information at a reasonable price." She does not say what the price would be.

She smiles behind her scarf at Anastasia's own words. "You'd regret it if you did that." It isn't a threat. She genuinely thinks Acacia would regret, on her own, selling Kamui to a ganglord. She continues to not offer anything in the way of material support.

She doesn't ask Clarine any further questions because she certainly doesn't wish to torture the poor girl, but she does say, "It's a beautiful name. But since you seem a little lost, let me tell you the first lesson of Filgaia."

She gives Clarine a pat on the arm. "Filgaia. It is harsh...but fair. Treat its people and its dangers with respect and they will respect you too. Well, aside from the fools, but I'm sure you know all about those."

She then looks directly at Kamui. She hears the answer and Leviram lets out a faint breath.

"In that case I am feeling a touch winded. I am going below decks to rest. My door is open, Kamui, if you ever have need of it."

She will let the others speak their peace before moving downstairs and to her room. It isn't until she is alone that the Crimson Noble speaks again, and only to herself.

"She doesn't remember me." She whispers.

"..." "..." "..."

"....Maybe that is for the best."

<Pose Tracker> Clarissa Arwin has posed.

Clarissa puffs her cheeks out indignantly as Acacia jumps to a conclusion. "Rupert Dandridge is /not/ my boyfriend," she huffs, setting her hands at her hips. "He's an awful man who will hurt anyone for any reason so long as he can get paid! And he stole something important. I'm trying to get it back."

She lowers her eyes a moment, then closes them with a little sigh, the indignation bleeding off soon enough. "I'm sorry," she says with a small, bashful smile. "I didn't mean to lash out."

But in some ways, that lies close to her heart. With a sigh, Clarissa turns back to look out over the water again.

"Hopefully we can find him," she murmurs to herself.

Moving up to Clarissa's side again, Felius - still not showing a hint of emotion - simply nods. "You know that I'll follow you wherever you want to go."

The girl's expression softens as she smiles up at him. "Thank you, Felius. I feel like I can go anywhere with you by my side."

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