Winter looked around for the voice in her head, before it was explained to her, and she nodded. "It's a little creepy to talk when nobody knows where you are," she said. "Thank you for the warning though." Great, so a random fluctuation of the big cosmos could just poof her world away like it never existed. Maybe this Pattern thing could help her shape probability so that didn't happen.

She looked at Rhiannon. "I certainly don't mind looking around at attractive new cousins," she joked. "But myself, I'm mostly here because I need to learn things, and you all might have information that I don't."

Only Winter can hear his response..
"Successful hunting requires you not to be seen..perhaps you should all think more like prey and be more aware of your surroundings!"

"Then it seems to me that your patience and loyalty are to be commended."  He smiles warmly and raises his camp mug in salute to her.

"Isn't that satement in and of itself contradictory? If we don't know what you do and don't know how do we know if we have more information than you do?"

Rhiannon just shook her head, her lips curled into a smirk at the irony. "For the record, I don't know anything other than what I heard here. And all that is probably still not what I think it is. Also for the record, I'm not used to being the one trailing behind everyone else, so if I get a little grumpy, you'll know why. Also, that's why I was eager to come. Not that Cordelia's invitation actually had an opt-out clause. But now that I am here, and all my curiosity has been compounded, I'm not quite ready to go back. Maybe I'll never be."

"okay, my turn to share. I was in foster care my whole life, I have no idea who my real parents are. What I do know is that I was always better at most things than my peers. By most, I mean everything I cared to be better at. I remember the 'alien-invasion' story. I always thought it was a utter nonsense. Some coverup of something worse. Although that was really a bit daft of me, because I cold paint pictures to transport myself wherever I wanted. Why should aliens be so far-fetched? I never considered that I wasn't the only one who cold do that until I got the invitation and Cordelia gave me a massive headache. Now I know that I'm an 'alien', you all are my family, and I've been missing out."

"I expect my true parentage will come out eventually. I really don't have a home to save or protect. But if it's important to you all, I'll help. If Cordelia is right, then we're at least cousins and family is family. If not then I might just go poof when trying to walk a magical pattern inscribed in the ground. So, all lovely."

In reply to Rhiannon Erica Kerrigan (msg # 38):

In a quiet voice addressing Rhiannon Natsuki says "Cordelia's invite was like an invite from the Shogun. You daren't not go."
she pauses, obviously debating whether to say anything else, then continues "I don't know much. My father was Orson. He was from Arden. I haven't seen him since I was 6. He gave me Choki as a birthday present." She reaches down and scratches her dog under the chin.

Cassandra only shrugs in response to Kasamir 'Up to him'

Cassandra wasn't here because of family and couldn't particularly care about being related to this group of people. Currently, she was on the same page as Winter. Smiling somewhat bitterly as Rhiannon continues "Snap sort of, I ditched the system when I was 14 though." She casually throws out.

"As for the whole family thing, if you don't mind I'll be the weird relative who only shows up for important events and Christmas"

She does however smile at Natsuki remembering her conversation with Mikato "He's very cute"

Winter looked upward and rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the advice. Creep."

She turned back to Cathal. "That's why we were gathered here, wasn't it? To figure out what each of us knows. We might have had different knowledge."

She nodded to Rhiannon as she listened to her words. At this point, drawing magic warp portals was just another part of the weirdness. She looked around. "I had a home still, but my parents were already divorcing when I was born." She paused. "I know what it's like easily outpacing my peers. Tests are everything in China, and I blew the curve starting in Pre-K. I was always expected to succeed, tracked into the best schools, have any job I want waiting for me, because I was better at filling in the right boxes on the paper." She smirked. "We knew aliens existed, of course...the world's been preparing for Invasion Round 2 for a decade. But I never thought I was one. Being strong enough to lift a car, smart enough to laugh at the Gaokao, able to heal someone with a touch." She chuckled. "I'm even better at sex than other people. But I always thought that was just qi practice, strengthening my body and mind through meditation and exercise, and I was just good at it. I was naive."

She shrugged. "I met Cordelia with a sword pointed at her, actually. But I wasn't going to get any answers if I didn't come. And now that I'm here...well, like I said." She nodded to Rhiannon. "Blood family doesn't mean much to me, only the family I grew up with and the friends I make. I sure as Hell don't owe either of my fathers anything. But if you've got my back, I've got yours."

She did give Natsuki and the dog a smile. "Doggie."

In both cases only Winter hears the responses

"No opt out clause?  Letter from the Shogun?"  Machk snorts, "Just had to say no.  I almost did.  I don't like people who refuse to give straight answers to straight questions and presume that they are more important than everyone else."

He drains his mug and has begun on the piled plate, "So Cathal, anything else you can tell us about the Courts?  That's definitely on my 'to do' list once the ways are open."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:48, Sat 25 June 2022.

"I don't think so, I think I've covered most of what I know.
It's a feudalistic society, very hierarchical and class structured, and whilst not quite absolutism, it's a long way from any form of enlightenment, or at least it was when my mother was there.
Given that that structure has been in place for thousands of years and seems to be maintained by the manner in which access to the Logrus is so tightly controlled I don't think it would likely have changed even if Cordelia's half-brother, which if the books are in any way accurate infer her grew up on True Earth about the same time as she did, has been in power since the Rodian War. Too many entrenched positions to have any chance of succeeding.
Those in power are likely to have attempted to assassinate him if he tried, although reading between the lines from what my mother told me and what's in the books, it's an occupational hazard of being the lord of any one of the major houses, so they probably have on a regular basis."

With the exception of Machk, Kenneth did not seem to feel much of a connection to any of the people that had gathered with them up on the roof.

He felt like he had gone from a strange sort of job offer, or apprenticeship, to the kids table while the others discussed their special powers and now...well he was not even sure what this was. A bunch of theoretical family's members trying to piece together the scraps of what little they knew.

And Kenneth the least of all of them.

None of it meant anything to him, not yet, it was like a fictional history of a fictional country, and until he could lay hands on it that's all it would be.

He stared up at the moons, glanced here and there as the conversation continued, but seemed to be very out of place.

At least he was not impolite. He seemed quite cordial, almost deferential, but hos thoughts seem to be worn on his sleeve.

Winter looked up at the person on the roof and paused, then just nodded. "Sorry," she said. He was right, it cost nothing to be polite, aside from the opportunity cost of kicking him through a wall. Which she wasn't sure she could do.

She then bowed to the dog. "I apologize, Choki. I'm rather used to...well, baby-talk with dogs. I will do my best to remember that you are a person as well as a canine."

One apology was much more sincere than the other, but she was trying.


This message was last edited by the GM at 20:24, Sat 25 June 2022.

Talking dogs and talking hawks. Considering everything else she had seen and heard at the mansion, neither was out of the realm of possibility, but it was still astonishing. What made it almost comical was Winter suddenly bowing to the dog and giving an apology as if she had come to to some realization. Rhiannon started to feel like Alice after wandering too far down the rabbit hole and it was just getting to be too much. Especially since teh conversation had not taken a productive path. It seemed no matter how much anyone tried the guy named Machk constantly wanted to bring every exchange back to what he wanted. Apparently what the rest of them wanted didn't matter.

Rhiannon just found a rail to lean back against. If the conversation didn't become productive she would just go back to bed and prepare for her three day headache.

Machk turns, almost in surprise, but he smooths his face with his face to half hide it and the the smile he develops, when he speaks his voice has mirth in it, "Have we gotten to the part of the fairy tale where we're talking to the animals now?"

Natsuki gets up out of her chair and says "you're not a very nice person are you? Rude and ignorant!"
then heads for the exit from the roof.

Machk smiles broadly and calls after her, "Yes, thank you for noticing."

Turning back to the rest he asks, "Winter, was it the Yellowstone explosion on your world as well?  And a 'demon' invasion?"

"I'm inclined to agree with her." Not that she was necessarily any better.

"The Yellowstone supervolcano didn't erupt, no, but we did have large-scale earthquake and volcanic activity along the Pacific Rim. The Chinese coast and Japan took it really bad. And then...well, we didn't call them demons, we called them aliens. We, the Americans and the Japanese had to go X-Com on them until they just...vanished." She shook her head. "None of us had any explanation."

She looked around. "I don't have any more questions. Unless anyone else needs me, I'll be spending some time cycling in my room."

"Yeah, same here.  No explanations I mean, just sort of declined, and then gone."  He looks sober, "I don't think... I don't think Japan made it on our world.  At all.  And China didn't fair much better if I heard right.  You can ask Kenneth about the west coast of the U.S., but the interior was no damn picnic, I can't imagine how bad it was out in Cali.  And for nothing.  For no damn reason at all."

The conversation had not changed tone. Rhiannon couldn't even imagine how she would feel if these events took place where she came from. She was sure that her relatives were affected by the calamities, but to her it was just looking back and lamenting the past. Even id she did sympathize, she was adding nothing and gaining nothing.

"Well, my cousins, I am retiring. Do have a pleasant rest of the night." With that short segue, she went back to her room to sleep.

Kenneth glanced over, somber, quiet. "Yeah, I mean...all of southern California, almost nobody made it out, and the north, up around Sacramento." He shook his head. "My father got sent out there to fight, and he came back at least. I'm thankful for that every day, but a lot of folks...most folks I guess." He went silent for a few moments

"That's a good idea." He replied to Rhiannon. "Just a really long, strange day." he moved to follow her down.

Winter nodded to the others. "Thank you for the information," she said, and then headed back to her own room.

As Kenneth moved to go, Machk reached over offered a quick hand shake, "I'm glad you're here man.  For what it's worth an whatever crazy shit comes, I'm glad you are here."

As others left, Machk stayed to enjoyed the night air lost in his thoughts waiting on the the sun rise.

Kenneth seemed touched by the sentiment as he shook Machk's hand in turn. "Well thanks man, really. You too, for what it's worth." he left seeming a little more at peace, although he did go straight to bed.

"Good Night everyone...." Edward says as people leave.

Eventually he also makes his way to his room.