She holds her hands out in the universal "yeah?" gesture.
Kari flicks open the fan with a quick ease, smiling as she sees the colors shift. She moves both fans in a short kata clearly from old memory, the fans dancing - both open and closed as she does. The last part of the kata, the right hand fan snaps shut and slid into her sleeve, giving her that hand to grab an invisible foe, twist and deliver a blow with the fan in her left hand. She grins.
When Abby says she can control the tension silk, Kari closes her eyes. After a moment a very traditional blue Fuji mountain scene clarifies itself on the silk.
Kari goes to her room rather than the bar. With no shelves, she takes the old, used and somewhat tattered books out of her bag and leans them on the window still to at least make the place look lived in. Mason's computer she leaves in her bag. She grabs the tablet and curls up in a chair, turns it on too see what the Estate interface allows.
The Armory
Abby watches as Kari moves through kata with the fans. "Wow, I'd love to know where you learned that. It looks like these were made for you!" She shakes her head, looking a little lost in thought. "Always loved watching fan combat."
Abby's thoughtful look is not just 'hey neat', it's also 'where would she have learned a Rukian fighting style'.
Your room is a blank canvas to start. There's a panel in the shower with a myriad of options, a desk with a button on the center-right side of it, your shiny new tablet, a queen sized bed, and a small but fully realized kitchen.
When you pick up your tablet, a setup screen appears, wherein you're asked your permission for the room to read you. Regardless of whether or not you choose to toggle that option, you still find what you're looking for with some digging after that.
The UI on the tablet is surprisingly intuitive, given the absolutely stunning array of options you have at your disposal. With a little bit of searching in an app marked "Your Quarters", you find... anything you could possibly want. If you wanted to fill your room with colorful pit balls, you could. If you wanted to fill it with water, it appears you can do that, too. There are options for bedspreads, decorations of virtually any type, and it appears you can order food in which to stock your pantry and fridge with as well, if you wanted.
It's clear the design is intended to make Agents as comfortable as possible when they spend their time at the Estate.
Also on the tablet, you find separate icons that lead you to general Estate information. Building layout, amenities and services available, that sort of thing. There's a staff roster with very general bios - however, you might find that some Agents only have their names listed and nothing else.
There is also an information file visible only to you that logged the debrief of your work in helping handle Mason.
Reading into any of the Mulder, Scully, or Twin Peaks articles gives you information that you'd expect - Earth information. Reading further, you find it also gives you entries for virtually any time someone wrote fan fiction about these three topics. The screen before you is touch sensitive, you can move these articles around in a surprisingly wide HUD to organize them as you like. Without opening anything else, the amount of information just on these three topics is unexpectedly long.
And, as you might imagine, each has a section of where someone, somewhere, wrote crossover or R-rated fiction about each of the three.
You find one mention, specifically, of Mulder and Scully investigating Twin Peaks. It offers an excerpt of the writing as an offshoot article. It's clear the author of said fan fiction was some teenager who just wanted to write about Scully getting naked in North Bend, Washington.
roll for above
Charlie isn't looking for anything specific. He's just having fun with his new toy.
The Armory
Abby watches as Kari moves through kata with the fans. "Wow, I'd love to know where you learned that. It looks like these were made for you!" She shakes her head, looking a little lost in thought. "Always loved watching fan combat."
Kari smiles as she snaps the fan open and uses it for actual fan-purposes. "My dad is one of those white guys with a cringe-worthy affection for Japan and its culture. I grew up on anime and when I was three I had lessons with him." She shrugs, "Mom had me start going to hula at the same time but that didn't stick either."
There's a staff roster with very general bios - however, you might find that some Agents only have their names listed and nothing else.
She looks through the whole list but is looking for the following names and associated bio: Sarah Davies, Riku Takahashi, Valen Dilucca, Ashley Adams, Ratcliff Mason
There is also an information file visible only to you that logged the debrief of your work in helping handle Mason.
Which she reads.
She pulls out a beat-up yellow flip notebook for notes.
I just want to let you know, you're missing a Star Wars cantina adventure
The message comes in from Abby while you're poking around in an endless rabbit hole of Estate-wiki entries.
The Armory
Abby smiles. "If you ever want to see an anime recursion, let me know. It's wild." She pauses. "It looks like your work with the fans stuck well enough for fighting, though. If you can figure out a way to hula your way through a battle, I imagine Katherine would ask you if you'd be willing to teach a class."
Here is the information you find on each name you look up:
Sarah Davies - She's from Earth, 58 years old, born in Alabama, an Agent with a love of gardening. She's survived by her partner, Raya, listed as a retired Agent who relocated to Ardeyn. Sarah has been MIA for three months after being sent out to investigate Karum activity in Louisiana. There is a small note at the bottom that says - Suspected Rogue: Investigation pending
Riku Takahashi - He's from Earth, 38 years old, born in Tokyo, an Agent who loves cats and making ramen for his friends. Riku has been MIA for two months, last field location listed as REDACTED. The note at the bottom of this file says - Suspected kidnapped: Investigation pending
Valen Dilucca - They are from Ruk, age unlisted, born in Harmonious, an Agent who has an extremely lengthy bio covering just about anything you could want to know about another person, and more. They are listed as active, participating in undercover work in Ruk and scheduled for a check-in over the next couple of days.
It's worth noting that these three agents were listed as a registered pod (the term for a group of 2-6 Agents that take field ops together). Valen is currently in the field with an Agent named Aion (whose bio lists them as a junior Agent from Ardeyn).
Ashley Adams - Listed only as a partner to Ratliff Mason. Appears to be unaffiliated with the Estate, or at least, not listed as an Agent of it.
Ratliff Mason - There is a large IN CUSTODY - PENDING STATUS on this file.
As you browse the files, you get a little audio alert and a little rolled up scroll icon appears in your notification bar at the top of your tablet's screen.
The tavern is currently Star Wars themed :) Are you much of a drinker? There are non alcoholic fizzies in here as well. And snacks. So many snacks. No pressure, just wanted to make sure you knew!
The message is from Abby.
The Armory
Abby smiles. "If you ever want to see an anime recursion, let me know. It's wild." She pauses. "It looks like your work with the fans stuck well enough for fighting, though. If you can figure out a way to hula your way through a battle, I imagine Katherine would ask you if you'd be willing to teach a class."
"I'll stick to the fans, I think." Kari says with a half smile.
... Fair points. Just wanted to make sure you knew the invitation was open. There's non alcoholic fizzy stuff here too. Rain check, then? Doesn't have to be in a group.
There's coooffeeeeeeee comes one response, and then Terry and I found Baruchiel, so it's just us three so far. There are a few Agents scattered around, but it's definitely an off hour
let me know if anyone else comes in? I know its stupid but I'm worried that Fenwick is still mia
She moves on to Abby, Baruchiel, and Fenwick.
Then herself, Terry, Brian and Charlie.
Terry does answer his door to a knock. He has a tablet tucked under his arm. "Hi," he says.
"Good." Kari breathes, "I was worried with the drinking you'd be out of it."
Then she knocks on the next door, "C'mon. Charlie? Brian? Do I have the right door?" She tries the next one. She has the same bag although it looks much flatter.
It's not stupid at all comes the immediate response.
We're worried too. I'll let you know the moment I see or hear from him
Here's the rest of the information you looked up:
Abigail Swain - From Earth, age redacted, born in Cambridge, listed as a Mentor for new Agents (this file leads to a list of all Agents that can be called upon to mentor newcomers). No family listed, but talks about her bucket list desire to see every recursion she possibly can find and to document them. She's listed as Active - On Mandatory Holiday following successful field ops.
Baruchiel - From Ardeyn, age 105, born in the Queendom, listed as a Mentor for new Agents. She is also listed as Active- On Mandatory Holiday. There is no other personal information, which lines up with how private a person she seems to be.
Fenwick Grimm - From Ruk, age 35, born in the Hub of Harmonious, listed as a Mentor for new Agents. There's a lot of information in the bio; he seems very forthcoming and happy to share information about himself. It's not quite as unnecessarily detailed as Valen's bio, but it does talk about his childhood, his late wife (who was lost in active duty in service to the Estate), his hobbies, and favorite snacks. He is listed as ACTIVE - WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN with a red flag at the bottom. It's clear his absence is noted, but the general alarm has not yet been sounded the way it has for other missing Agents.
Kari Weer - Permissions need to be updated for this Agent
There's an option for you to customize what other people can find about you. The basics already appear here - Kari Weer, your age, and your location is just listed as Earth.
It looks the same for the rest of your new team.
Hallway filled with doors
On one of the doors Kari knocks on, after a moment of silence, she hears a hurried shuffling sound coming from inside.
"One sec, one sec," a masculine voice thick with sleep responds to the knocking. When the door opens, it's to a stranger pulling a shirt down awkwardly with one hand. "What is it, is there an emergency?"
Oh yeah, there's an app on the tablet for room service. Agents who are studying things, don’t want to leave, etc
And when Charlie finds it… just as with his decorations, there are an overwhelming number of things he can order to his room. Full meals, drinks of all types, snacks he recognizes, more snacks he doesn't. He can even find television/media specific foods, and there's a large array of things that clearly come from other realities.
None of the meat is actually meat, just as a heads up. It tastes like the real thing, but actual meat doesn't… travel properly through the system. Lots of vegetarian Agents, too
Terry sets himself down around the table. "Just beer," he says. "It's been a day, but I--" He stops, looks around. "Just beer."
He raises an imaginary glass to Baruchiel. "Does this spot do food, or just alcohol?" He raises an eyebrow as he takes in just how wide the variety is on display. "All the alcohol, apparently."
"I was worried with the drinking you'd be out of it."
Terry has an odd expression on his face to that. "My first night in a strange place?" He shakes his head firmly no.
He closes his door behind himself, and follows Kari, tablet still under arm.
He lets Kari do the knocking and the talking. It's her rodeo.
Oh. My. God.
Baruchiel tips hers towards Terry and takes another drink.
Abby raises an eyebrow. "If you say 'just beer' around here, you're bound to get something like Duff."
She reaches towards the table, where a little hologram screen appears. She rapidly taps through several icons, humming a little tune to herself, before the imagine of a very cartoon looking Duff beer can appears.
"Yeah?"
After confirming the drink or implying he wants something less cartoony, Abby makes another serious of rapid taps, and you briefly see something glowing in a glass on the screen before she confirms the order and brings her hand away from the screen.
"You can play with that too. The Estate is absolutely unmanageable for people with choice paralysis issues. Oh, and yes, you can order food from there as well. It's snack food, but... a lot of it."
If Terry pokes around in the menu, he can find just about anything snacky he wants. Snacks from TV shows, from movies, from books, from the Earth he knows and Earths he doesn't.
"How are you holding up?" Baruchiel asks Terry. "That is not the first foray into Estate business I would have picked for anyone new. Or anyone." She takes another sip of her drink; it looks vibrantly, violently pink, and has a little slice of pineapple around the edge of the glass.
True to Abby's explanation, the burger meat is indistinguishable from the real thing. The rest of it though... you know eating like this on the regular might kill a man. But it tastes exactly as good as you might imagine. The Nuka Cola even has a strange warming sensation after the burst of fizzy cold that you hope isn't a big ole' dose of radiation.
I'm guessing you found something you like. I probably shouldn't also tell you that the commissary sells Doughnut pills. Little replicated cyphers that undo the damage Agents have been known to do to themselves with food orders here
Hallway filled with doors
"One sec, one sec," a masculine voice thick with sleep responds to the knocking. When the door opens, it's to a stranger pulling a shirt down awkwardly with one hand. "What is it, is there an emergency?"
Kari unabashedly checks out the body of the random agent she woke up. She winces at the question, "No, sorry." She offers a hand once the man is clothed, "I'm Kari and I'm new." She points to the doors, "I'm trying to figure out how to knock onto the door...." She stops, "It'd probably be easier to get someone specific with a message through the Estate system, wouldn't it?"
Hallways!
The Agent's grumpy look dissolves once she introduces herself. He shakes her hand - his grip is firm without being obnoxiously, assert-my-masculinity painful. He seems unaware, or doesn't care, that his dark hair is an absolute bed-headed mess.
"I'm Aleph. Ah, yeah, sometimes they don't tell new folk... Basically, yes, it's easier to reach someone specific on the tablet. Unless it's someone who is... open to being found, I guess?"
He knocks lightly on his own door. "I have a standing order in the system that my door is findable, just in case I'm needed for something urgent. Bit of a napper." He says, the end of the sentence disappearing as he turns his head and yawns into his knuckles.
He leans out and sees Terry, and he gives a little wave. "'Lo there," he says, then turns back to Kari.
"Well, Kari, if you're interested in chatting sometime, now you know where to find me." He smiles, offering her the same sort of once-over rake with his eyes. "And if you're interested in discussing translation and recursions, I teach classes if enough people sign up. Or if someone is being punished after a botched job. Leave it to Katherine to turn learning into a bad thing." He rolls his eyes.
Terry cocks his head at the cartoon beer, and says, "Sure, why not? Never tried that one."
Terry pokes at the menu a bit, does a double take, and pulls his hand away like it was bitten. "That's not a hush puppy I want to eat," he says.
After a moment, he leans back in and starts flipping through items again.
"I am going to need some time to process this," Terry says. "Lovecraft country hurt my head, but this whole thing...."
Terry looks up from the menu and gestures, encompassing the bar, the Agents, everything. "It's a trip. A blow to the head. A kick in the pants."
Terry looks back at the menu, "qat with a q, nope," and continues flipping.
"I want to think about this for a bit before it becomes routine. If I decide to stay."
He looks up again, at Abby, at Baruchiel, "And I may not."
He looks back to the menu. "But I probably will. Tempura-battered cheese curds, that looks acceptable."
Terry waves his hand and does some tapping, and ... probably confirmed his order?
He sits back in his chair. "So yeah, it's a lot."
Hallway filled with doors
"I'm along for the ride," Terry says, introducing himself, as ever, "Terry ... with a Y."
Hallways!
"And if you're interested in discussing translation and recursions, I teach classes if enough people sign up. Or if someone is being punished after a botched job. Leave it to Katherine to turn learning into a bad thing." He rolls his eyes.
"Is it hard to get back to Earth or whichever Prime you were from originally," she asks concerned, as if this thought disrupts a plan.
After Kari wanders off on her own research, Brian asks the Library "World History?"
"If I decide to stay." He looks up again, at Abby, at Baruchiel, "And I may not."
Both women nod in understanding, letting Terry talk it out while he looks at the food menu.
Some people don't," Baruchiel says, voice low. "Don't stay, I mean. Plenty of Strange-touched people decide they've chewed too much off. They go back home, content to know this is here, content to stay away from it."
"Bit off more than they could chew," Abby corrects.
"What?"
"It's not chewing too much off. The phrase is that they bit off more than the could chew." Abby says with a laugh.
"Earth has too many colloquialisms, Abigail. You could teach a class on it."
"It's Abby. Aaaanyway," she turns back to Terry. "I've yet to find a cheese curd from any reality that wasn't delicious," she confirms. "So. Please. The octopus."
Always Hallways
"A pleasure to meet you both," Aleph says, demeanor warming up as he wakes up more fully.
He shakes his head at Kari's question. "Oh, no, I'm from Ruk. But there are Agents who just aren't very good at translating. Or venture into Recursions they shouldn't. The study of both are a passion of mine."
He looks between the two of you. "Where are you from?"
The Library's gentle and genderless voice immediately replies - Which world's history would you like to know about?
Mischief managed :)
After more time poking around in his Twin Peaks/ X-Files crossover information sources, another little scroll icon appears in the upper right corner of his tablet, indicating another message.
Hi there, I don't mean to be rude, but I saw your name updated on the Agent roster and I just really needed to know… are you the Charlie Speck who wrote Abduction Peak?
He looks between the two of you. "Where are you from?"
"Seattle." Kari says. "I helped us move out of a nasty..." she searches for the word she wants to use, "recursion? Recursion to get back to Earth, so I didn't think it would be hard to move from here to Seattle?"
She smiles, "I mean I've completely gone down the rabbit hole, but I need to give notice at my job and write a letter to my landlord to end my lease. And pick up my books. Room is a bit bare without books."
Those are all valid reason Kari wants to go back. She doesn't need Terry-with-a-Y or Charlie or Brian for any of those things, yet it is clear that there is something that she does want them all for that she thinks should happen in Seattle.
I'm so sorry, I know I'm seriously breaching etiquette by reaching out. I teach recursion crafting here at the Estate, and my particular focus is popular culture crossovers, and why they don't generate their own recursions. Most of the time. It's rather complicated... I'm rambling.
There's a few moments of pause. You see these messages are from a Sabine of Summer Meadows.
Your work specifically changed a little bit of a small Twin Peaks recursion I was studying. There are authors out there who create entire worlds with the power of their minds, and I hadn't personally seen a static recursion change with someone's retelling of it.
Another pause.
Anyway, it's an honor, and I hope you keep writing, because I hope to one day study a world you've created. It's rare I get the opportunity to speak with a worldcrafter.
And then: And I'm sorry again, for the intrusion. Katherine would absolutely have my wings for it if she found out.
Forever Hallways
Aleph gives her a long look, as if unsure what to make of what she just said. "Oh, you don't have to stay here as an Agent. There are plenty that still maintain homes in their Primes. If you wanted to stay in Seattle." He pauses.
"But, you aren't wrong. A room without books is a barren and boring one. Anyway, please, don't let me keep you if you need to go."
It seems like he has interpreted what you're trying to hide as an attempt to politely escape the conversation.
Kari grins, "No, I'm looking forward to relocating, just don't like leaving people hanging when they were depending on me."
"Before you go, and again sorry to wake you up, but since you teach... translation? Is it hard to ... translate... back to your native world from the Estate?"
Brian pauses to take in the response.
"My own home Earth, please." He considers a moment, then adds "Now that I've seen this Strange, I'd like to see how it affected things in the past. I mean, I want to look at history with a Strange filter, if you see what I mean."
Terry leans back against the wall opposite Aleph's doorway as he watches Kari ask -- or try to ask -- ... but he keeps his guesses to himself.
Terry settles back into his chair.
"Let me preface this by saying that I work as a baggage handler at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The average day consists primarily of moving things from Point A to Point B. Any given day's excitement is typically one of two types. More common is something that is unusually shaped. Skis, musical instruments, bowling balls, the occasional gun case."
An aside, to Abby: "People ship guns as cargo more often than you might think."
Back to the story: "The other is when a bag opens unexpectedly. Sometimes they were searched, sometimes just poorly packed. The closest handler is supposed to re-assemble it as quickly as possible, given the tight airline schedules. But we do get curious, and I have a separate story about that."
A sudden thought, and question, to Baruchiel: "Are you familiar with airports? Do I need to start the story farther back?"
Strawberry Hallways Forever
"No need to apologize, there are worse ways to have a nap interrupted than by pretty faces." He waves her apology away with a smile. "Well, Ruk and Ardeyn both have direct connections to the Strange."
He doesn't don a pair of scholarly glasses, but he does stand up a little straighter, like he's about to teach a class.
"Ruk was... is... a lifeboat of sorts that was built in the Strange. It's thought that ancient Rukians had their original planet consumed by a planetovore. Their ship navigated through the Strange, and real space, and got lodged in the shoals of recursions around Earth. It's a recursion that can be translated to, but it's also a reality."
He shakes his head. "I'm so sorry, it's easy to slip into long explanations. You asked a simple yes or no question." He chuckles. "No, it's as easy to translate there as breathing, especially now that I've done it so many times. It takes maybe... fifteen or twenty minutes, max, if I'm alone."
Hundreds of books begin manifesting on the tables around you, and the Library's voice continues to speak as the books pile up.
It's less like learning something new, and more like remembering something you were told a long time ago. But there's no way you could have had memories of Rukians fundamentally altering the path of life on Earth to guide the growth of Homo Sapiens. Or of moments where Agents prevented full scale wars or invasions of leaked recursions.
Even more shocking to find out that Hitler was Quickened, from Ruk, specifically part of a faction called the Karum that have made it their mission to destroy Earth in order to 'free' Ruk from its recursion shoals.
Baruchiel smiles. An actual, full smile. "I am familiar with airports. They're like docks for very slow, boring, and often smelly translation, yes?"
"She's just messing with you," Abby elbows her. "Don't let her pretend she's barely been to Earth. She's a huge fan of boy bands."
"Abigail Swain." Baruchiel gasps, sloshing a little bit of drink out of the glass.
"Please, go on," Abby says with a grin.
Kari nods along, looking interested even if it doesn't really answer her question. "Does Earth have that same connection to the Strange that makes translation easy?"
A smile, "When Abby said that people from Ruk liked their guns and the counter measures, I expected that someone from there to look like they came out of Shadowrun." She motions to her arm, "Complete with cybernetics."
Aleph shakes his head again. "Not quite as easy. Earth doesn't touch the Strange directly like Ruk does."
At her next comment, he smiles, bending over and lifting first one leg of his pants, then the other, revealing bio-metal legs that gleam chrome and have visible lines of glowing liquid pumping through them. He drops the pant legs again.
"This is fairly light bio modification for us. And, unfortunately, these were not my choice, but I've gotten used to them. On the plus side, no more restless leg syndrome waking me up."
Aleph shakes his head again. "Not quite as easy. Earth doesn't touch the Strange directly like Ruk does."
Kari nods. "If I want to go back to Seattle to settle my non-Agent life, how much of a risk am I running?" She asks the question straight, since the general is just getting her a bit confused.
"This is fairly light bio modification for us. And, unfortunately, these were not my choice, but I've gotten used to them. On the plus side, no more restless leg syndrome waking me up."
Kari winces, not at the leg reveal but at the 'not my choice'. "As cool as they look, I'm sorry it wasn't optional for the modification." A pause, a bright smile, "But that does fit into the aesthetic I pictured when Abby mentioned 'tension silk'."
"If I want to go back to Seattle to settle my non-Agent life, how much of a risk am I running?"
"Shouldn't be any at all; the best way to figure out translation is to work at it. You might end up somewhere other than Seattle, though. And hopefully Abby and her team mentioned that having a Spinner, Vector, and Paradox makes the whole thing a lot easier?" He seems oblivious to the fact that he missed Kari attempting to ask this in a different way before. He looks to Terry. "Does your group have a third, or was it just the two of you?" He pauses again. "Or are you referring to risk of... exposure? There's not really a risk there either. You won't get in trouble for leaving the Estate, you can do that whenever unless you're on probation for something serious, or you're contagious with something. And you won't run a risk on Earth unless you start throwing cyphers around in front of people."
"As cool as they look, I'm sorry it wasn't optional for the modification." A pause, a bright smile, "But that does fit into the aesthetic I pictured when Abby mentioned 'tension silk'."
"Thank you. Ruk can be a hard place, but it's beautiful in its own way." At the mention of tension silk, he brightens. "Did you find something Rukian in the armory?"
And hopefully Abby and her team mentioned that having a Spinner, Vector, and Paradox makes the whole thing a lot easier?"
Kari kinda nods but the look on her face screams the fact this is the first time she's heard this.
At the mention of tension silk, he brightens. "Did you find something Rukian in the armory?"
Kari nods, then her head cocks to the side just a tad. "Actually, both of the weapons Abby had me try were Ruk. Lack of muscle tone means I opted for the more lightweight... I didn't catch if they have a proper name. They must. But fans that can deflect projectiles?"
...
After both she and Terry finish their conversation with Aleph, Kari pulls out her tablet sending the same message to Charlie and Brian. 'I need your help. Can you come out to the hallway so that we can transition back to Seattle for a little while to talk about it?'
Charlie's fingers hover over the keys. I don't actually know anything. Whatever you think I am, I'm not that. Can I take your class? Is that a thing?
Kari gets a response nearly immediately. Hold on, I'll be right out.
Charlie emerges from one of the rooms a moment later, carrying his things. "I thought it was bedtime," he says.
Brian spends an hour or so reviewing various tomes, soaking it in. Finally, he realizes he's past due at the armory.
With a smile he says "Thank you, Library. I know I'll be back."
Not quite immediately, Brian texts back Be there in a minute; just finishing up in the Armory.
True to his word, Brian shows up quickly, looking like he ran all the way.
"It's getting to that point," Kari in response to Charlie's bedtime comment, "but I won't be able to rest with this hanging over my head." Kari starts to explain further when she gets the message from Brian, she waits. "Aleph explained that it's easier to travel to other places when we have a full group. Step one, I'd like us to get to Seattle for a talk and so I can give notice at my job." She holds out her hands so the can do the touching enough to travel thing.
Kari's look of "what?" at the mention of class types has Aleph shaking his head. "Honestly, Abby is listed as a mentor." He says this more to himself than Kari. "Vectors tend to be physically inclined. Warriors, athletes, people who tackle most of their problems head on, or weapon on. Or the people you send in when you need someone to scale a wall quickly." He looks to Terry again. "I don't want to assume, but you've got the build for it."
Back to Kari. "But I've seen plenty of spry, unassuming Vectors too." He says with a smile. "Paradoxes are more… cerebral. The one who want to see what happens if you mix cyphers, the ones who have a background in science, or sometimes a more spiritual background. Lastly, Spinners, charismatic people who love to tell a story, debate people, get other people to do what they want while the other person smiles about it." He squints his eyes in mock suspicion. "...Or people who wake other people up from naps and then make them forget they were grumpy about it."
He waves his hand again. "It's an extremely general and boiled down explanation. Obviously there are scientific Vectors and Spinners who lack social grace. One of the more important aspects of your identifier is that each of these three types can sort of… work harmoniously to make translating between realities easier."
"Actually, both of the weapons Abby had me try were Ruk. Lack of muscle tone means I opted for the more lightweight... I didn't catch if they have a proper name. They must. But fans that can deflect projectiles?"
He looks at her. Really looks at her. "Ruk do have the best weapons…" he says, getting lost in a thought. "I'm clearly not biased, here. But Abby may have mentioned they don't always have a flair for creative naming conventions, preferring to be about as straightforward as possible. So those fans? Just called War Fans. Much further down the road, someone in Harmonious tried to start calling them tessen, I believe. It's only stuck with minimal success. For a world that's built on change, a lot of Rukians sure are change averse."
It's fair to assume that someone on Ruk found out what folks in Japan called them and liked the name better. Aleph clearly doesn't know the origins of the word.
Oh, moons and stars, you're new new to the Strange! Not just a new Agent, but… yes, you can absolutely take my class.
She sends you a sign up link. There are a few classes available, and all of them have at least a few other names signed up as well.
I feel even worse for bothering you. The Estate is overwhelming enough on its own. Have you been to any recursions yet? Or were you recruited straight here from Earth?
Then there's a pause. You asked how I found your book. You're a best selling author, correct?
Thank you for your time, and your interest in knowledge the voice responds in kind, smile evident in the tone.
Abby looks up when you enter the room. "Oh good, glad you could make it!" She gestures around the room. The walls are covered, neatly, by glass cases that all house different sorts of weapons. You see the telltale flicker of a hologram in some of them. There's a pedestal in the center of the room, and a panel on each wall.
"What did you have in mind?"
Brian nods at Kari's explanation of why she wants to go. "Seattle, here we come."
"Honestly, Abby is listed as a mentor."
"Abby did a stellar job of mentoring. None of us died, no one went insane, no one was ate by a unnatural octopid creature, no one was left behind in a nasty wrong recursion." Karl sticks up for the woman who isn't there to defend herself.
"...Or people who wake other people up from naps and then make them forget they were grumpy about it."
"I'm just lucky I woke up the person who had the information I didn't even know I needed to know."
For a world that's built on change, a lot of Rukians sure are change averse.
"I could see it being a clarity thing. If your naming conventions ate standardized then it makes communication easier."
"What did you have in mind?"
"Well, something simple, I should think," Brian responds. He gazes about the glass cases.
"I mean, I really just need something for self-defense. I'm more likely to try to talk my way out of trouble. A weapon is just in case that fails." Brian shrugs, looking to Abby as the expert.
He looks to Terry again. "I don't want to assume, but you've got the build for it."
Terry nods. "Baruchiel said I was," he says. "It's an appealing word."
"I have no immediate obligations in Seattle," Terry says, but it's clear from his body language that he's coming along. "First time for everything. Let's figure this out."
"Hmmm," Terry says, but doesn't otherwise comment on the boy bands.
Terry resumes his story. He doesn't have any particular skill at storytelling, but he's clearly told this one often, and he knows where the beats are.
"That day there was a lot of international travel, so that's where I was assigned. At about the two thirds point of the shift, there was something odd about a group of bags that had arrived, but I wasn't able to figure out what."
An aside, more to Abby, "People often forget and leave batteries in things they put in suitcases." Terry shakes his head slowly. "All kinds of things. Did you know some kid toys move and make noise and can't be shut down with an off switch?"
"Anyway, as I was separating the bags for transport, one of them specifically was rocking. Actually rocking, like there was something inside of it moving back and forth. It was just the one bag, though, I know it wasn't the big earthquake they warn us about."
An question, to Baruchiel. "Do you know about the Cascadia Subduction Zone? The big earthquake they expect to destroy Seattle one day?"
Oh, moons and stars, you're new new to the Strange! Not just a new Agent, but… yes, you can absolutely take my class.
She sends you a sign up link. There are a few classes available, and all of them have at least a few other names signed up as well.
Charlie signs up. Still unsure about his schedule, he doesn't want to over commit.
I feel even worse for bothering you. The Estate is overwhelming enough on its own. Have you been to any recursions yet? Or were you recruited straight here from Earth?
We were on Earth, yes, but they wanted us to help with a rogue agent. He'd gone Lovecraftian. We had to bring him in.
Then there's a pause. You asked how I found your book. You're a best selling author, correct?
Not remotely. I'm not technically published.
"Baruchiel said I was," he says. "It's an appealing word."
At this, Aleph nods in response, then smiles. "Baruchiel is a great woman." His cheeks redden the slightest bit.
"Abby did a stellar job of mentoring. None of us died, no one went insane, no one was ate by a unnatural octopid creature, no one was left behind in a nasty wrong recursion."
Aleph looks a little embarrassed.
"I apologize. It sounds like you experienced some of the worst we know of out there, I shouldn't have assumed you had a normal onboarding experience."
"I could see it being a clarity thing. If your naming conventions ate standardized then it makes communication easier.
He nods. "Very true." He looks back into his room. "Well, if you feel up to it in the future, swing by a class. Active participants in the whole question/answer process are most welcomed there. I should probably get showered now that I'm up. It was a pleasure to meet you both."
And now it is Aleph politely bowing out of the conversation to let you carry on with your plan.
"Simple, yes. Strong." She does the little camera-capture of Brian with her hands, closing one eye like she's sizing him up. "I hate to be cliché, but a staff could really work for you. I showed Kari something she didn't end up loving, but maybe you'll like it."
She presses several buttons, and instead of just one weapon, several manifest. She shows you a staff with a leather grip around the middle that extends from two feet long to five. "It also collapses further, if you need," she presses a button, and it shortens further, to about six inches long. The staff seems to be made of a beautiful, dark wood. "It's got a bit of a projectile deflection shield around it as well. Ruk has a lot of the most interesting weapons, so I admit I have a bit of a bias for them."
She also shows you a shield that collapses into a small disc that can be worn around a forearm. When detached and expanded to its full size, it can be thrown and used as a ranged weapon.
Lastly, she shows you a rather ordinary looking black-metal gun with a rainbow, oil-slick colored stripe running down the middle. On the left side of the gun, there is a square of material that's also black, but tacky, like you could stick something to the side of it.
"Terry has one of these. It's standard issue for Agents who don't want to muck about with closing the distance on enemies." She points to the left side of the gun. "You can press a cypher you might be carrying here, and it will replace the ammo inside for a shot. Unfortunately, there's really no way of knowing which cypher will work with it, so it's very trial and error."
She gestures to all of them. "All of these will become recursion appropriate as you translate with them. And if none of these strike your fancy, I wont' be offended, we've got aaaaall night and aaaaall the weapons." She does a little spin, arms up, like a Disney princess in a castle.
"All kinds of things. Did you know some kid toys move and make noise and can't be shut down with an off switch?"
"I am confident that if there is a devil, those toys are his work." She says, wrinkling her nose.
"Do you know about the Cascadia Subduction Zone? The big earthquake they expect to destroy Seattle one day?"
Baruchiel nods. "I wouldn't have known it by name, but I've seen a version of Seattle where the earthquake hit." She finishes her drink, poking the hologram menu for another. "It's as bad as you imagine it will be."
And that's the time that another Estate worker swings by the table to deposit your Duff and cheese curds, Abby's drink, and nods as Baruchiel puts in her order. The Duff can is, actually, a cartoon. Bright and bold against the dim lights of the room, it weighs what you'd expect a beer can to weigh, but you can't figure out the material of it.
"This bar is the only place with live service, rather than the… voiping of things to a table in front of you." Abby answers a question that wasn't asked. She leans forward and lowers her voice. "Turns out, Agents still like sitting at a bar and whinging to a living bartender."
Lovecraft! What a terrifying and fascinating first recursion.
The next response takes longer to arrive, just long enough that it seems like she may have abandoned the conversation or been interrupted by something.
I'll be honest - I feel both worse and more excited about having messaged you now. There is a reality where you are a best seller. Stephen King and Aurora Jones level. And that means I get to meet you before that happens.
Charlie gets a strong sense that this conversation might have been a lot more exuberant in person.
Okay, thank you for being patient with me. I see you've signed up, and I promise to try and not disturb you further. I really hope you find what you love in the Strange. There are so many beautiful, fascinating, and dangerous places to go.
Since it's back to your home world, your translation is done with ease. The Estate dissolves around you, giving you glimpses of the fractal spaces between worlds, as well as bits of Seattle fading into the scenery. It takes 10 minutes with everyone focused on the task at hand - it might have been shorter, but your group has been up and very busy for a long time, and the translation trance slipped a little more into something more like a translation cat nap for some of you.
Without a more specific destination in mind, you end up standing in front of the Space Needle, back in the same clothes you were wearing last in Duvall, if they changed when you went to the Estate.
The Needle's lights illuminate the ground around the base, but it's night in Seattle, putting you all well past midnight. The only other person you see anywhere nearby is a homeless man who definitely does not care that a group of people just appeared out of thin air.
You all have your normal amount of missed emails, calls, or texts as you would after a handful of hours. Nothing seems to be amiss or on fire here as far as your personal lives go.
Thanks, Charlie writes. Then, after a pause. It was no trouble. A longer pause. I don't know if this is insulting or not, but you're not from Earth, are you.
"We can travel the multiverse, and we choose...Seattle." Charlie checks his phone, and finds that he has missed nothing.
Charlie is back in his work clothes, with the addition of a backpack large enough to carry the Pnakotic Manuscripts. And he has his new whip secured to his belt.
"Proof of concept," Terry says. "Plus, it's where Kari needed to go."
He pulls the tablet out from under his arm, where he's been holding it. He taps on it, then nods. "This thing still works," he says.
Terry examines the can from all sides. "This is wild," he says, as though the whole day hasn't been.
He takes a sip. "That is exactly what I expect generic beer to taste like."
He pauses in his tale to sip the beer and much on the cheese curds. "These are better than I was expecting," he says.
He offers them around, they were intended for the table.
"I have a question that I am trying to formulate about the dangers of being an Agent, but I don't know how to ask it usefully," Terry says.
He takes another swig of the beer.
"This helps."
Brian takes a few minutes handling each of the weapons Abby has produced.
In the end, he takes a few practice twirls with the collapsible staff. "You know," he remarks, "I've always wanted a Minbari fighting pike." He collapses and expands it a couple of times.
"Yeah, I like this one."
Brian checks his phone as well. "Hmm. I have some people to get back to." He proceeds to start firing off quick replies to the most urgent messages.
And now it is Aleph politely bowing out of the conversation to let you carry on with your plan.
Kari does a wave, not stopping Aleph from leaving. To Terry once the other man is gone, "Just to check that my brain is seeing what's really around, he was cute, right?"
Kari nods at Terry's comment, "I need to go give notice at my job and terminate my lease. Which will give me... two-weeks-ish... of travelling back and forth to the estate to move my stuff."
She waits for a lull in Brian's texting, to say, "I have this..." she tries in vain to find a better word, "darkside issue that we need to talk about while we are here." Kari looks uncomfortable but resolute in the thought. A breath out, "But we need to met up to get back to the Estate... Do you want to met at my studio, one of your guys places, coffee shop?" A grin, "On the assumption people have better things to do while I close my life here."