Roy will willingly submit to his tests at the promise of food. They find out he has a mild allergy to latex, but that's never been a problem before. He isn't carrying any diseases, but he also doesn't have immunities to a great many of the known diseases. He's fairly obviously from some primitive time, but he's not the worst they've seen.
"No, Texas is the one that seceded from the union because it didn't like paying for the rest of the US. The US here never even seceded from brittain... yellow-bellies..." said the man to Pierce.
"And I'll just have to leave you assuming then, as well." came the reply from the redhead. "Are we dealing you in? I expected more folks by now. We lost about eight people a few hours ago." she sighed. "Made for a rather interesting game."
"there were a few others, but they aren't getting the VIP treatment, apparently they like people with British sounding accents, that or they don't like it when apparently neigh invulnerable wolf creatures try to bite off their nads, but I'm pretty sure it's the first one, now then as to my playing, I'll need to know what you all are using for the stakes, and a rundown of the rules, Texas hold'em is a varient of poker yes?
To Hecate's surprise, the man seemed to react rather quickly to the things she was bringing up. He was, at the very least, a savant in his field, if nothing else. Information on power sources quickly moved decades forward from what she had intended, though creating it wasn't exactly easy, just now. But he already had a lot more going on than she'd intended...
Scath looks at the box, then the man, and then the orbs. He carefully puts the mute one back in his saddlebag by picking it up gently with his teeth and dropping it in. After closing up the saddle bag, he takes the other, again gently, in his mouth.
Feel like mother hauling babies around... Let know if hurt, made of stone, so not sure if teeth can hurt. But figure should warn. Dropping in box, look safe enough if no magic, can't tell if magic, so will kill two-legs if you not out safe. Don't think they know can speak with, probably better not tell.
Then Scath leaps up onto the table, feels inside the box with a paw, and if nothing bites or slices him, he'll put the orb down carefully in the box. Then he sits next to it the entire time, watching the grabby two-leg with slitted eyes.
Roy... should he be willing, will receive some proper vaccinations! They won't force it on him, though.
"Mmhmm..." the woman said tapping her lip. "Sounds like a Garou. Could be a pooka, but that seems unlikely, given the indestructible part... And the fact you remember the wolf. Could also be a vampire..." she breathed in deeply through her nose. "Nope. The smell would still be clinging to you. And based on the fact you didn't mention him exploding, I'm gonna rule out Verbena. That, or this world is lax on irony.
"Regardless. My name is Cynthia. I'll be your hostess for this evening. You are indeed correct about the card game being a variant of poker... And honestly, probably the easiest to play by the numbers of all poker games. Each player gets dealt two cards. They're yours, don't show them. Everyone tosses in a few chips, dealer deals out five cards. We reveal the first three. You bid based on what you have, and what the others might have. I reveal another. Repeat. Repeat again so there are five face up cards... You only get to use five cards to make the best hand you can... And then people still there get to show what they've got. I assume you know what beats what?" she tilts her head.
As for Scath...
A few key presses on the odd device the man is carrying that seems to be for nothing but touching - he seems like a very touchy person - and the box starts to hum for a few moments. "Funny thing about this, is that I'm running a CAT Scan. I'm sure you don't find that funny at all, but I do." he grins. "I'm basically 90% sure an MRI would rip it apart, so not going anywhere near that. It'll be a few moments." he watches as the cat very probably stares at him the whole time...
Then focuses on his work.
A few minutes pass, and then the thing is complete. "That'll let us know which bits are connected to which bits and which bits probably do what. It'll also measure exact densities, size and shape... for example, it's slightly elliptical." he says, as he taps through a few things. "Hello, alien metal at the center of the tootsie pop..." he says as if Scath has a clue what he's going on about. "Right, well. I'll go get to work on this! I'll get you something in a jiffy. No promises it'll be a permanent fix, though. Likely any sort of power source we offer will be limited in some way. If you stick around, we might get Plastic Girl's designs up and running, and then we'll get the orbs fixed up in a cushy new forever home!" he grins.
"I have my theories, but I think it'd be in bad taste to share them at this juncture, and he wasn't totally invulnerable, just nearly so against standard munitions, at point blank the shots left wounds but what would have downed a normal animal of it's size left bruises on this thing, in any case the game seems simple enough, is it one of those games where cheating is expected and not getting caught is simply part of the game or are we playing by more standard rules? Also am I just to be given a handful of chips or are we getting more interesting things, information, trinkets discovered on my travels or taken from home, that sort of thing?
Scath eyes the man through slit pupils and nearly closed eyes.
When the box is done, and the orb available again, he takes it gently in his mouth and drops it in the pack.
And two-legs think they are smarter than animals. Maybe know more, but not sure about smart.
More than anything, Hecate seemed amused at the man's focus on information. She was rather enjoying this - and, perhaps more importantly, she was enjoying slowly guiding the discussion to help him realize how much he didn't know. Technology decades ahead of your own could seem wondrous... and her homeworld was considerably beyond that.
@Pierce:
"Well.. information wouldn't be bad. But otherwise, I'm not really sure we'd keep anything." said the suit. "I won several things before the last group left, but they took it with them anyway."
"And that's because you cheated, and that's why we aren't playing for keeps," responded Cynthia, "And information is only so useful. What, are you going to give up trade secrets? Chances are, whatever you're dealing with isn't what he'd be dealing with. Besides, all you know is 'stocks and bonds'. More like 'hustling' if you ask me."
@Scath:
Kanye returns the orb to Scath via opening the box and keeping his hand out of the way.
'He seems nice. Also... that tickled. I think that felt like tickling. That sounds like the right word. I wonder if the body they make will be able to feel. I like ear scratches.'
Scath sneezes, and blinks, then gives a light purr.
Who doesn't like ear scritches?
@Hecate:
Surprisingly, he was able to follow along decently on the -theory- side of things. It was the application that seemed to be troublesome. There were a few things that seemed to bother him a bit, which left him with his lips pursed and head tilted slightly, brow scrunched. And several occasions where he asked if she was joking.
"The problem I'm foreseeing is that it's just not possible for us to give you what you want, exactly. Not in one night. We can give you a toolkit, and access to a 3d printer... but you'd need to print the printer to print the things you need. It's just well beyond us. Even then, if all you had was two weeks..." he shrugged. "If you manage to stay longer than that, you'd push us so far forward I'd be afraid to let anything leave this place. But we'll probably get you slightly more advanced than we have in a fortnight. I'll make sure you get the toolkit tonight, before you have a chance to jump again."
"if you aren't curently betting anything other than chips, than feel me in and get me a few chips, and I'll play, I was thinking of a few small bits of information to use if I run out as collateral, something like, what I think the wolf with us is, how I think he can be hurt, what the composition of the rest of the group is like, those little nuggets of information being rather small they'd be worth only a single chip each, I figure, information on the other worlds I'd visited perhaps worth two chips, or we could just make small talk without needing to be prompted by loosing, my name is Pierce, by the way, Pierce Bronson."
Sighs a little as everyone else seems to have something to do or talk about, he didn't know any of these people and didn't particularly like the agents. so he waited and hoped something that he could act on happened.
"There's no need for being forced to give secrets or the like, that'll just convince suit over here, who refuses to give a name, that it's a good idea to cheat again... and the cards are significantly more fun when they're kept a card game, and not some test of whether you can slide things past others or not. One is a subtle magic. The other is being a jerk. I just go by Cynthia. I haven't used a last name in a long time. If you'd like, you can just sit and watch us for a bit to get a hang of it, while you eat, then we'll deal you in."
Hecate just blinked. "These things are where a lot of advancement started, actually." she observed. "A tool capable of producing new tools as long as it has access to the raw materials... I can work with this." She seemed entirely at home spending time in front of a machine, though she wasn't quite used to the input method and had to take some time to learn it. She'd go to meet with the others quite regularly, but mainly seemed focused on working to produce tools that she could actually take with her, and it wasn't long before there was something of a pile of improved printers lying around. Studying their capabilities alone would probably teach this society a lot, though Hecate was quick to add that it was best to look at them in order and understand as much as they could before moving on to the next one.
Scath, over the next week, worries about the 'broken' Edolan. Once Hope has it's own body...
Two-leg say Hope and Other different on inside, and no move. Scath think Other was broken by City. Maybe healing spell can fix, not sure two-legs here understand magic. Hope know how to fix?
Scath will ask the grabby two-legs, via sand pit, to detail everything it can to Hope about the Other. Especially the differences inside.
Other than wanting outside to hunt, rather than getting fat being fed, Scath is an easy houseguest. He doesn't want tools, does want someone to help with upkeep on his armor, if he can find someone that knows how to service magical armor (unlikely).
At core... what he's describing is that the other orb isn't an Elodan anymore at all, but something else. So... there must be some other way to fix things, than by the typical healing magics.
Want let two-legs this world try? Or maybe two-legs who come with us? Not sure how fix...
RJ tires of his inability to speak and shape-shifts when he can find someplace private. as he has no concept what a camera is, it may be less private then he thinks. He explains that he's not contagious as a human after what ever shock and interest is dealt with.
He keeps a pair of leather pants in his backpack, so he's not running around naked but for a coat and an over sized collar. Though if offered, he'll gladly add to his wardrobe, He explains about the resistant properties of the coat tersely and informs them there are metal plates of a special material within that he'd rather not part with permanently but would allow them to check out while he's here. His earth breaker is well made but not special in anyway.
RJs eyes stay blood red and his hair is the same shade of red as his fur was as well as the same length. He is very well built, not overly bulky but absolutely no fat anywhere on his body. He shaves the first night he's human, using a sharp blade rather than a razor.
His lack of charisma shows in his demeanor, a complete lack of patience with lackeys, idiots, or bullies. He exhibits alpha wolf behavior, staring or looking to long into his eyes is a challenge, he refuses to sit when others stand, he doesn't follow orders well, though he'll take suggestions easy enough. He doesn't talk much, and when he does he acts as though the sound of his own voice pains him.
For his own reasons he seems to have adopted the people he appeared with, watching them carefully around the outsiders, taking their side in any argument and otherwise supporting them as silently as he can manage.
People tend to leave RJ alone, as expected, given his demeanor. After the first night, three more people appear in the central area. And... by people, I mean a halfling and two gnomes. The halfling might as well be a gnome, save for her furry feat, given her hair style and eccentric choice in clothing. She also has an ankylosaur figurine. And no, you can't touch it.
He wholeheartedly agrees to vaccinations, thinking they'd prevent him from ever getting sick.
During their week he actually takes to watching cartoons on the screen things. He has no idea how they work, and gets very few of the cultural references, but he does enjoy them.
Roy spends some time relaxing with Bear who takes to using the heat rock.
He carves some things after getting some wood blocks brought in by the squadies. He actually ends up teaching a soldier or two how to make knobbits as part of his Fey outreach program.
He does finally recognize the whole werewolf shadow thing after he gets an explanation of where the wolf went and where the new guy came from.
RJ will find out that Roy and Bear kind of have a pack of their own. Roy always offers Bear food before he eats anything. Bear is very protective of Roy. RJ and Scath can even smell the pheromones of an alpha and an Omega on them. Their personal scents are almost indistinguishable, not because they smell the same. Bear smells mostly musky with natural animal smells with a hint of something spicy-cinnamony. Roy smells like a pine tree with fur. But because they're always next to each other. The only time they're apart is when Roy is sleeping and that's debatable as Roy claims he's in another world with Bear and the other things he summons. But mostly Bear.
Scath doesn't seem to care what form RJ is wearing.
He gives the human RJ a look, as if he's watching him, but the human senses would miss the subtle cues and scents to get the full meaning.
The cat still seems to think he can take you, if need be, especially in human form, but it seems mostly a cats and dogs thing, and nothing personal.
At some point during the week, Scath would pad over to Hecate and bat at the strange armor until the two-leg paid attention. Then lead her over to a sand pit (not the litter box, which he finds demeaning, but necessary), and scratches out.
O N E E L O D E N
B R O K E N
C A N N O T T A L K
N E E D B E F I X
L O C A L N O F I X
Y O U F I X
"That would be easy on my world, but I don't have the tools I'd need here." Hecate explained as she looked at the cat's writing. "If it can hear you somehow, just let it know that we'll keep it safe and try to fix it once we can - I don't think there's anything we can do at the moment." Cats were usually sensible creatures - if it couldn't be done, it couldn't be done, and there was no point getting upset about it.
Skylar is as friendly and helpful as she was advertised to be. It's very uncommon to see her physical incarnation in what is referred to mostly as 'b block', though she's in multiple places in A. She does respond vocally, always with a lyrical voice reminiscent of Elodans, and always slightly higher pitch than the average for a human female between fifteen and twenty years of age. She always has long hair, not tied back, but swept behind her back, slightly pointed ears, and a friendly face when she appears. She also is always made up entirely of amber light (and can't actually be touched).
Hecate succeeds in printing her printer to print her printer to print her printer... it actually takes three 3d printers to keep up production of the shells for the other printers, while the more new ones whittle down things even more in order to save time, until finally she has an exceptionally tiny and advanced model for personal use.
Scath is allowed to hunt if he likes, but he's required to wear a collar with a gps tag on it. He's warned not to damage it. If he ruins the collar, they don't let him back out. If he opts not to accept the tracking collar, they'll still let him hunt, but it will feel very artificial, using the equivalence of a terrarium, and effectively sentencing small animals to death.
Roy learns a great deal of pop culture, and might even gain a few odd expectations. Skylar seems to like him, though, and always responds to his queries almost immediately. If it's looked into, it's because he reminds her of someone that she can't quite remember.
RJ, again, is mostly left alone. They poke and prod his belongings, when he offers, acknowledging the exceptionally rare material. They have some, but none in quite-that-quantity.
Scath won't wear a collet but they can put it on his armor. He has pockets on it to store stuff so that should satisfy them especially given how protective of his.armor he is.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Scath eyes Hecate for a bit, and then nods and heads off again.
Good kitty. Aside from distractions like that one - which she honestly didn't mind much, given that she'd mainly categorized Scath as "pillow, one, extra fluffy" - she was quite happy with her steady escalation of production-model tools, culminating in something that vaguely resembled a decent kit of tools. It would still take time - and a lot of raw materials - to make anything, but at least now she could work on crafting items whenever she had the time and supplies...
She'd also left the technology of this world further and further behind, and - at a certain point - had basically stopped explaining what she was doing and how it worked. In the practical sense, it may as well have been magic, because the local language literally did not have the words to describe it except in the vaguest terms. "It's the thingy that makes it work" was her favorite.
RJ ends up watching cartoons with Roy when he can, even talks a little, mostly about the shows. He considers the card games but decides against it. pack animals do not gamble well, they're too competitive. He does however like to exercise, and if they have a gym he shows off just how strong he can be, even giving them a peak at his half-form unintentionally (once again, him not realizing there are cameras).
Roy and RJ are watching some sort of show about a kid who gets thrown into an alternate dimension with scantily clad succubi, rock men, hopping eyeballs, and their ilk (a world in which said monsters rule) When the lights dim slightly, and Skylar's voice sounds out. "Level five security breach. Repeat, level five security breach. All personnel prepare for imminent duty, commencing lockdown."
At this time, Scath and Hecate had been scanning the second orb using the lower labs, and were on their way back to the commons, where they were unceremoniously deposited, before the elevator closed behind them with the hiss of another airlock.
Dull red running lights replaced the bright white ones, intermittently, as they heard the doors within the room hiss, and then make a thumping noise, like a large, heavy bar being dropped into place.
Scath growls, sounding something like a chainsaw buzzing through wood, although only the high tech people would get the reference. He leaves long sets of claw marks on the elevator doors to express his displeasure at being locked up for no good reason. What little trust he'd begun to develop in the local two-legs vanishes instantly.
Scath puts a paw on the bot. Never safer be locked up, locked up be forced in one place, easier be found, be killed. Much harder hit moving target. Also can't see enemy until enemy on you. The cat looks around suspiciously. Besides, two-legs lie... may not be breach, may be excuse kill us take stuff now that guard lowered...
"Hmm" RJ stood and took off his shirt, putting his armored coat back on he shifted to wolf form, stepping out of shoes and pants easily. He shakes himself, settling the coat more comfortably. His muzzle dropped open in a wolf grin as he stretched, limbering up.
Roy was sitting cross legged on a large pillow with Bear hanging off of the heat rock next to him getting his head and neck massaged by Roy.
He was half watching TV and half helping Pierce with his first magic lesson.
"And then you do this with your hands..."
He makes a motion and the bottle cap of his new favorite drink, namesake of Clan Bailey pops off on its own.
Almost coinciding with this, lights and sirens start flaring in the room.
"I didn't do it!"
He looks around frantically as Bear immediately moves around him defensively, blocking between him and the doors.
He looks for just the briefest fifth of a moment at RJ's stripshow, raising an eyebrow before his thoughts are overridden by the more urgent situation and he returns to looking around, especially the doors and agent's reactions.
"so like this? he says as he twirls his fingers on his left hand and they glow with white light before he is distracted by the alarms causing a foul yellow cloud of smoke to emanate from his own drink "oh come on, I nearly had it that time!" He sighs and checks that his guns are still in good condition and at the ready "everybody be on your guard just in case, but this is probably a drill, to ensure tier reaction speed is good in the event of an emergency let's just keep doing what we were doing, but be ready to fight if need be, remember we're still armed within this place, and we are likely to leave within a day or two according to their previous intel
He turns back to the cat and asks "shall we continue with the lesson?
Things continue as they had for nearly half an hour, with the same repeated lines coming from Skylar on occasion. The guards seemed to have shifted stances in an obvious way, being much more alert than they had been since the first day you had arrived. It's fairly clear to anyone trained as a soldier that they're legitimately on edge.
Pierce tries to get the others to relax some, and pretends to relax himself, as he practices magic, but he can never truely relax himself all the way, years of training prevented it, when the gass came in the vent he immiedietly kept up "everyone get back, and pull your shirts over your face, unknown gaseous emanation from northeastern vents" once he was done giving his warning he turns to the guards and asks "what the heck is that!"
walks carefully forward to sniff at the vent. trying to tell what the gas is.
Hecate glanced down at her armor, then cursed her lack of a breath mask and made do with what she could. "Computer, inform the highest-ranking authority you can contact about this gas and request an order to shut down the ventilation systems." She wasn't honestly expecting that to work, but it was worth a try.
"As you request." came the reply from Skylar as she finished stating her desire.
The guard nearest the vent trained his gun towards the mist, stepping away from it in doubletime. "Requesting gas masks in 2743-b" he said as he moved away and RJ moved closer.
As RJ's nose meets the mist, an elven hand forms as if petting him. The skin is periwinkle blue, as the arm forms behind it, followed by th rest of the body. White silks conjeal around her body from the mists, maintaining her modesty... What little is left, given the red flecks dappling her clothes. To match the nightgown-esque clothing, there's a small tiara resting atop her head, bedecked in pearls. It helps to hold back her flowing ivory locks. In the hand not petting RJ is a sword too massive for one hand; those who have had the pleasure, recognize it as an eleven curveblade. The sword's blade seems to suck in the light around her, leaving a pattern of twinkling stars in its wake. From a human standpoint, she is obviously very attractive, but there is something also very Wrong about her. She smells of blood, and death. And this side of the room now smells of fear.
And then in elven, she says:
"Know your place, beast." She says, not even looking at him, as she takes her hand away. "Show me the exit, and I may let you live." She seems to be speaking to the room as a whole with this line.
Scath and his allies were hunting undead, doe she smell undead?
As soon as mist was pointed out, Roy was on the other side of the room with Bear between him and the smoke, blowgun drawn. Mist was never ever a good thing with the Fey. It almost always meant they had ill will on anyone in the immediate area. And the red was the worst kind. Red mist means run, but right now that wasn't an option.
Roy traces a clover pattern in the air with green lines following his hand and then flashing with the sound of a Large bell when he completes it and recites something in a distant language. The green runic circle moves over Bear in a wave, leaving a trail of red wood over Bear's fur, previously soft and orange. The ring disappears after covering Bear's muzzle in sturdy timber.
Bear watches the woman silently, waiting for any hostile actions to charge her.