2024-01-21: Rusalka's Cost
- Log: Rusalka's Cost
- Cast: Redi Hayworth, Yue Rohay, Amaterasu, Ambrosius, Kanon
- Where: Lailan Plains
- Date: January 21, 2024
- Summary: A trio of elite Veruni researchers have approached key Veruni operatives regarding a... delicate matter.
<Pose Tracker> Redi Hayworth has posed.
There are a number of scientists working in the employ of the Veruni government. Many interact with the more military-directed portions of the Veruni infrequently, but it certainly isn't unheard of. Much of Filgaia is dangerous; Veruni scientific interests can extend beyond the Control Zones.
When that happens, well, best to turn to the experts.
A trio of scientists requested help, recently, and assignments came down: meet with them, see what they want, and help as they are able.
The meeting place is in a laboratory in the Veruni Control Zone, on the outskirts of Lailah Belle. It's a fairly simple research complex: a trio of buildings, with a secure perimeter and guards. When they arrived, they were shown through the checkpoint, and led to the conference room.
A table fills the room, with chairs around it. There is also a screen, which is currently dim. An aide showed them in; shortly after everyone is settled, three people enter. All three are Veruni; they have slightly pointed ears. One of them is a middle-aged woman with violet hair; one has a beard and blue hair, with a larger frame; the one in the center has platinum blonde hair, which he has pulled back into a ponytail, and a green crystal lens over one eye.
They all wear labcoats.
The man with the ponytail and the green crystal lens over his eye smiles. "Good evening," he says. "I'm Doctor Thoth, and these are my compatriots, Osiris and Isis. Thank you for coming."
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
YUE ROHAY is the worst criminal known to all of Verunikind, a horrid woman who attempted regicide against their leader, the Ice Queen. Her crime is on full and public display for all to know, and until recently, she has been serving sentence as a prisoner-slash-laborer sent to the frontlines. And then her mother died, and a deeply complicated political dead-woman's-switch activated and now she is
Acting Veruni Spymaster!!
A lot of people are unhappy with this. But she's been turning up results, somehow, which is making them even more unhappy. She's also unhappy. And Xue (Minder #7) is also unhappy, trapped in her gilded tower as the actual heir of House Rohay.
She arrives five minutes early, dressed not in her ratty black trenchcoat, nor in shackles; no, those are gone now. Her shackles are metaphorical now. Instead, she's turned to wearing an elegant and slightly overblown black gothic dress (incredibly stealthy).
Yue is also visibly buzzed when she arrives, sitting down on the nearest chair, looking at Thoth and his two compatriots. "You just had to schedule this over lunchtime." Yue it's well past lunchtime. "I sincerely hope this meeting couldn't have just been an e-mail."
Lunch, which she has in her hand, consists of a ziploc bag of celery sticks and a half-drunken bottle of wine.
<Pose Tracker> Amaterasu has posed.
Her mother didn't merely die, at that. Her mother was killed.
Her mother's executioner has just arrived in this room. Amaterasu enters silently, only the soft whisper-click of the door closing behind her announcing that another has entered at all. She is on time, of course-- to the second.
"Doctors," she announces, clad of course in the body armor of her office atop the bodysuit favored by most Veruni. "I trust that I am not late." Her gaze shifts, as she says those words.
"...CR-S01. Or, perhaps I should now say, Yue Rohay."
Her eyes narrow. She had just been in time to hear that this is apparently Yue's 'lunch'.
"It is mid-afternoon," Amaterasu says, as if this should be self-evidently the incorrect meal. "Neither is that an appropriate meal."
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.
It is rare that Ambrosius is invited to meetings such as this - but he does have a track record, and when he is called for, he arrives.
A laboratory on the outskirts of Laila Belle... he does find himself curious what they intend to ask of them. And curiosity is a difficult beast for him to overcome. So, soon enough... he finds himself in the designated conference room. Yue receives a polite nod, Amaterasu a brief, but still respectul one, before taking his seet, hands folded in his lap.
His attention shifts to Yue, and then to Amaterasu. He remains quiet on the subject of lunch - instead, turning his attention back to those who've called them here.
"...It is... a pleasure to meet you, Doctors." Ambrosius greets.
<Pose Tracker> Kanon has posed.
KANON is an unusual presence to be summoned here. For one thing, the last time most people saw her, she was among the Drifters being whisked away to a faraway star. For another, she's a human, and that's lame.
Well. Calling the creature of carbon fiber and Symbological alloys that calls itself Kanon 'human' might be a stretch, for some.
Kanon strides in as a Drifter would, accompanied by a cloak, double-wound around her neck and shoulders and then flaring out behind her; under that is her minidress of a battle suit and the travel-ready thigh-high boots. One arm, her left, is a bright red cybernetic, and a little too long, and ends in claws; one eye, also her left, is covered by an eyepatch.
She glides up to a seat, settles into it quietly, and flicks her single remaining eye to each other person here with a neutral face, difficult to discern behind the way the collar of her cloak rides up toward her nose.
She does not have a snack.
"Doctors. Persephone asked me to attend to this matter." With the Veruni, sometimes a human has to assert their right to be present.
<Pose Tracker> Redi Hayworth has posed.
"Rest assured," Thoth says with a sigh -- and pressing his glasses up his nose. "This isn't something we could have done through email."
Isis and Osiris glance at him, then at Yue. They keep quiet on this point; best to leave any squabbles between the boss and (politically complicated) higher-ups to said boss.
"Welcome, Amaterasu," Isis says, with a smile. "You're not at all."
Osiris looks at Ambrosius, then, and then towards Kanon. He addresses Ambrosius first. "Glad to have you!" he says, jovially. Then, he looks at Kanon -- and tilts his head once. "Glad to hear it. Your expertise might help. Dr. Thoth can explain more."
Thoth nods. "We're part of the Sorcerous and Spiritual Sciences Division," he says. "We're investigating natural but difficult to explain phenomenon -- and artificial reproductions thereof -- in hopes of both improving our military might and, perhaps, finding a way of curing VR Factor and other illnesses."
He frowns, then folds his arms. "One of these projects failed. It was called Project Rusalka, which created a ghost-like creature that we hoped could replicate some of the spirits we saw, using our magics. However, we found them..."
He hesitates, then looks at Isis. She shakes her head, then steps forward. "They couldn't be controlled. They also didn't have any applications beyond offensive," she adds. She presses a button, and a picture appears: a photograph of a ghost-like entity, with spectral claws, and more of a faint -- if three-dimensional -- outline of a human form, losing its details, made of violet and crimson light.
"Which was unfortunate. We cancelled the project after a group of them attacked a human city, Hilton," Osiris says. "The hope was that they could absorb memories and thoughts of humans, and act as a surveillance tool. But... it didn't work out that way."
"It was too risky," Thoth concludes. "The attack killed several dozen humans, and they were driven off. But... we've encountered a couple of problems, and wanted to ask your assistance."
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
"What do you have against celery sticks? Don't discriminate against celery sticks," Yue accuses Amaterasu, wagging a celery stick in her direction. "Celery sticks are high in... in... vitamins, you know."
cronch
"Also, I was hoping you'd keep calling me that. Doesn't it sound more romantic?"
Ambrosius gets a bit of a guilty look, and she decides to distract herself by staring at Kanon. Hmm. Is she another assassin positioned to murder her if she steps out of line? She has the look. The chrome is impressive.
"Well met. Who're you? I feel like I've seen you around Aquvy before."
Her attention is drawn back towards Thoth; she does, however, take a long swig of her wine, as the three of them explain. Of their project, and how it created a ghost--
"How did you come to the conclusion of curing VR Factor with ghosts??"
A pause, and she holds her hand up. "No, sorry, don't mind me, continue."
There's a tired sigh, as she peers at the photograph and starts to pick out the details, despite her grumpy demeanor. Violet and crimson light, spectral claws, an outline of a human form...
"You want a cleanup crew," Yue puts it bluntly.
<Pose Tracker> Amaterasu has posed.
She nods to him in greeting. "Ambrosius. It has been some time."
Her gaze glides sidelong as Kanon enters. One of Persephone's? But of course, the intelligence branch has often found human operatives useful. One might only take a look up at some of the advertisements in Laila Belle to understand their impact.
And much as she is standing in for Fereydoon, of course, Persephone likely has other matters occupying her attention.
"In concert with other items, they are acceptable," Amaterasu states plainly. "Alone, they are... insufficent. Moreover, I have questions regarding the wine."
CR-S01 was... romantic? Amaterasu furrows her brow. "You have been drinking," she remarks.
Mercifully perhaps for all involved -- especially for the scientists who probably were not expecting this to turn into a session where one of the commanders dressed down the spymaster for her meal habits -- things roll along to business soon enough. Taking up a position near the table, Amaterasu listens as they explain.
"An attempt to replicate Guardianist magic," she wonders aloud. "I have heard similar theories before. And this succeeded in creating a spirit-form?" But they weren't able to control it, or use it well for any application except offense, and even then...
"I see," Amaterasu says, glancing once Yue's way as she states what they may really be asking for. "Then, my hand is yours to guide."
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.
Kanon gets a brief glance. It is interesting to see a human here, in a meeting of Veruni minds. It isn't unheard of, but - ah, she's here on Persephone's request. That explains it.
"Indeed. It is good to see you well, Amaterasu." Ambroius greets back.
He nods back to Osiris, then, at his greeting - and listens, as Thoth explains who they are.
The Sorcerous and Spiritual Sciences Division... Hm. And a failed project... He offers a brief glance toward Yue at her comment on their approach. Fortunately, he's a master at keeping a straight face.
"...I see." He says, as the explanation concludes. A spiritual entity intended to absorb the memories and thoughts of humans to act as a surveillance tool...
...He wonders what would happen to the human in question - but in present company, perhaps that's not the wisest question to ask.
Cleanup, is it...? He wouldn't be surprised.
"...Of course. How may I be of use...?" He asks.
<Pose Tracker> Kanon has posed.
Kanon's gaze blinks to Yue when the new acting spymaster, question mark, addresses her. "Kanon," the cyborg warrior answers her question. "I'm a Drifter specializing in exorcisms. Spirits, monsters." Is it odd for an exorcist to be mostly cyborg? As to the nature of her connection to Persephone - well, that's a matter for HR.
And that specialization promptly comes to the fore. Kanon visibly grows more focused when the nature of the problem comes out. Her jaw sets a little at the casual revelation that a Veruni experiment led to human deaths, but...she focuses on the nature of the problem. "False spirits...I guess it could work." Yes, something like a Medium, maybe.
Her arms come up under her cloak, crossing over a chest more slender than the boxy cloak might imply. Yue sums it up cynically enough, but Kanon's single blue eye peers thoughtfully. "Not just a cleanup crew. There's something specific or this could've been a normal bounty hunt."
<Pose Tracker> Redi Hayworth has posed.
"We're willing to explore all possibilities," Thoth says. "It's a tenuous connection, for the moment, but we think we could use them to tap into the source of healing magics used on Filgaia."
Then, he smiles; it's a little tired. "Yes."
"Precisely!" Isis says, when Amaterasu remarks that she did an attempt to replicate the magic of the Guardian-worshippers. It's with the excitement of someone who didn't expect someone else to 'get it.' "We did, but--yes. We couldn't control them. We had about a dozen and a half prototypes."
There is no answer to Ambrosius's unspoken question, as it happens. If they care about the humans that were affected by this, it doesn't show on the face of any of the three.
Thoth looks at Kanon, then he nods. "Yes. We have a couple of specific requests."
"We've got two things that need doing," Osiris adds. He taps a button on the computer, and a map of the Hilton region -- made with aerial photography -- appears. "Ambrosius, we'd like you to scout this area. We've heard reports of specters in the area -- rumors, mostly. We locked our old monitoring station down, but..."
He frowns. "...If you can determine if there's some around, then it would be worth going back in."
Then, after a moment, Isis presses a button. A trio of photographs appear on the screen: grainy, black and white photographs of a young woman with short hair and a hat, depicting the honeybee emblem of the Lacour Postal Express. "This is a survivor of the attack," Isis says. "A human, apparently named Redi Hayworth."
Thoth frowns, then adds: "We thought the survivors were accounted for. There is some evidence that she had a... closer encounter than most other survivors. It looks like she was swept away to Aquvy and only recently returned to Ignas."
Isis takes over, again. "We'd like to determine how she survived. Could the three of you bring her in?"
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
"And how!" Yue chimes brightly to Amaterasu.
Artificial spirit forms. Intended to be used as a surveillance tool... now that'd be something, wouldn't it? Polluting the spiritual realm with cameras, so to speak. Certainly fascinating. Her stockinged legs, which end in short boots with heels, wag a little as she ponders it over.
"Kanon. And you specialise in exorcism!" Now the plot thickens, certainly. But Kanon mentions how this isn't just a simple cleanup job or a bounty could've handled it.
More wine is drunk -- hasn't she had enough by now? -- as she witnesses the map. So, Ambrosius has his role. She was already thinking of his specialties, but it looks like they're calling the shots on this one.
"Redi Hayworth... a spiriting-away job, hmm," she murmurs, tilting her head. "And just the three of us. Well, I'm certain this is where Amaterasu would say that this is a prime trial for her skills."
She decides to down the rest of her bottle, and then sets it on the table.
"We'll be billing the department for any costs, expected and unexpected. I already have a plan in mind, and it involves how Miss Hayworth here is a courier herself..."
There's a heady smile as she plants a finger to her lip. "Nothing more exciting than having your parcel delivered to you, yourself, after all."
<Pose Tracker> Amaterasu has posed.
Only in the most fleeting way does Amaterasu narrow her eyes at Yue's response. "I see," she tells the spymaster.
It may only be natural for Amaterasu to guess at some of the intended application, given who her sister is.
That humans had died doesn't provoke her to so much as bat an eyelash. But then, in her estimation of things, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. "Unfortunate," she remarks, as coolly professional about the nature of the situation as ever.
And they lay out what needs to be done. Surveillance, first of all, is in the offing, but this is a task best left to their resident academic expert. Amaterasu nods as they give Ambrosius their request for him. "In the event there are more of these specters discovered, then this would be where the rest of us would become involved?"
After, presumedly, they have taken care of the other task at hand.
"...Curious. I do not believe we have crossed paths." Until recent events (namely, the death of Yue's mother) Amaterasu had been active in the Aquvy region. Now, though...
"And you have confirmed her return to Ignas? Where has she last been seen?"
She does not ask after the other survivors. There is no purpose in that. Instead, her attention turns to Yue. "Yes? And what is your plan, Miss Rohay?"
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.
An exorcist? Ambrosius regards Kanon curiosly. It seems, then, that she's perfect for the matter at hand - no wonder Persephone had asked her to attend.
Tapping into the source of healing magic... That does make sense. And Amaterasu goes further, comparing it to Guardianist magic - which is confirmed by Doctor Isis.
"...Fascinating." He comments. He can't help but be a little fascinated... even if things didn't quite go as planned.
And now, for why they've been asked here. For Ambrosius, it's a scouting mission. Ambrosius nods, studying the area indicated. This is something he can do - he alone, with Minerva to assist, should be sufficient.
"Understood... I shall return with a thorough report..." He replies with a nod. "Should I encounter one of these specters... what is the recommended course of action?"
He listens, then, to what the others will be doing. There is an unaccounted for survivor, it seems, who had experienced a closer encounter...
"Hmm." He murmurs in consideration. ...Yes, that is a matter certainly better left to them.
<Pose Tracker> Kanon has posed.
Kanon's eye is sharp as she casts it over the map and the photographs. Investigation, that's on Ambrosius. Well enough. People like Kanon don't tend to be gentle on such creatures. The thought of people suffering from these creatures doesn't quite crawl its way into her mind.
After all, the greater monster by far is snug in his bed, right now.
Kanon is a stoic type; she doesn't move much as she considers the request. "I might have seen her briefly," she murmurs. "The last few weeks have held numerous new sights. We haven't interacted heavily, at least."
"A capture bounty, then. Fine. I'll see it through."
Her eye does flick over to Yue as she begins to have clearly devilish thoughts. ... huh. "Whimsical," Kanon notes, flatly. "But it has potential."
<Pose Tracker> Redi Hayworth has posed.
Thoth frowns a little to see Yue drinking more...
But he isn't so high-ranked that he can correct her on the matter. His eyebrows do lift, though, as he hears Yue get down to brass tacks. "Of course," he says, regarding expenses. "If you have an idea... then by all means. This is where you are, after all, the expert."
"If Ambrosius finds them, we should clear them out," Osiris says. He looks at Ambrosius. "They came after our observers. Shouldn't be more than a match for you. But be careful. Better to run if they seem like something you can't handle."
Isis looks back at Amaterasu, then she nods. "We heard she appeared out of that... rift that appeared near the Kislev-Aveh front," she says. "We don't know where, exactly. But it sounds like Rohay has a plan?"
He looks at Kanon, then -- considering for a moment. If she has even some knowledge...
"That experience can't hurt," he admits.
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
Yue stares at Amaterasu for a long moment, since the Veruni warrior doesn't seem to have picked up on her suggestion. "Couriers send parcels across the land. Oftentimes, they do this over long distances, and are often alone. There is a reason couriers have one of the highest mortality rate, after all. So, we send her with a package to an ambush location of... ohhh, we'll say your choice."
There's a cattish look on Yue's face as she coos breathily, "What kind of place do you like to ambush people in, Mat? A solitary forest? An abandoned warehouse?"
She's making heart shapes with her fingers. "A gladiatorial arena? I can make your wildest dreams come true."
... why is she being flirty with Mat of all people?
She's distracted by Ambrosius, though, as she remarks, "I'm confident in your combat capabilities, but I'm more concerned about rumours spreading."
She winks at Kanon and says, "See, Mat, Kanon understands. I think I'm going to get along with her just great."
Yue finally looks back at Thoth. "Do you have any intel on any of her capabilities, or is gathering intel part of the equation? I'd nominate Kanon for that, as she is not a known Veruni agent."
<Pose Tracker> Amaterasu has posed.
Hadn't even Elvis once hunted down that path for a possible cure for their people? She thinks she recalls Kaguya mentioning something of the like. But again, it was an avenue that had returned nothing of value.
Amaterasu for her part regards Yue with some mild consternation. But Yue explains what she's thinking, and here it clicks for Amaterasu, familiar with the concept of courier networks but not their practice. "...So you mean her to deliver a package and in so doing, deliver herself. It is an... unusual approach, I must admit. I had thought to use intelligence to discern her current location and approach her directly. But this should lead to less of a disturbance," she agrees. "Through this, we would avoid triggering a response from the local citizenry."
Because... there wouldn't be any.
A frown has begun to wind its way onto Amaterasu's expression. "Miss Rohay, this is hardly appropriate behavior for a meeting," she says, because of who she is.
"But if I must say... I have not yet had the opportunity to try myself in a proper arena." Outside the one fielding Spira's Fiends, that is. "Somewhere beneath the open sky, not sealed under earth and stone."
Even so, she glances at Kanon then Yue in turn. Hmm, may be the silent estimation.
"That rift... so she is among those who arrived through it as well. Another thing to investigate, once time permits," she muses.
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.
So they'll be clearing them out... but if they came after the observers, then it would seem they're just as aggressive to the Veruni, too. Better to not take any big risks, then. His is an intelligence gathering mission, first and foremost, after all - no use putting himself at risk by trying to do everything single-handedly. And, Yue makes a very good point.
"...Yes. Best to keep things quiet." He agrees. No big fights, until they're ready for containment.
It sounds like they have the workings of a plan, too. Using her choice of profession against her...
...Well, it's true that the profession has its dangers. That won't draw more than the usual amount of suspicion.
...That rift is a point of interest, though. Perhaps that may be worth investigating as well. Another time, once he's no longer on the job.
"...It seems we've decided our respective courses of action." He comments.
<Pose Tracker> Kanon has posed.
"Mat...?" Kanon mutters, almost too quiet to hear, and then looks at Amaterasu. "Oh. I get it."
"You don't have to worry about the rift," Kanon notes. "I was through it, as well." Gruff and to the point as ever: "It's another world with strange creatures. I made a report to Persephone. An enemy bent on conquering the universe is over there, apparently."
"I can do that," she agrees. "If she hears about an exorcist in the area, she might change how she moves. We can use that."
<Pose Tracker> Redi Hayworth has posed.
"Agreed," Osiris tells Ambrosius, with a hearty grin. "And if you find a lot -- well, we'll know we need to go to the observation center, and lock it down."
"We'll find a suitable place, then," Thoth says to Yue. "Perhaps not far from Hilton." Then, he looks at Amaterasu -- and considers, before he nods. "We'll find such a place. I'll have Osiris review the maps, then select a suitable... atmosphere."
He frowns for a moment, as he considers -- arms folding for a moment. "We're unsure," he says. "We couldn't monitor her -- honestly, we were shocked she was alive."
The news that Kanon went through the rift prompts all three scientists to turn and look at her. Nearly simultaneously. They, mercifully, rein it in.
"We do," Thoth answers Ambrosius. "And we are in your debt. You have my thanks. The trials and tribulations of science, hm?"