Round 1, Fight!
Somehow, even with the group knowing what's about to happen, the tentacles bursting into sudden action get a little bit of the drop on you. Abby, Kari, Terry, and Brian are all attacked by tentacles stretching from the inapposite gate.
However, you all manage to shield Charlie from taking any damage, with Kari in particular performing a rather impressive display of mop handle handling, looking like she stepped out of the matrix with how quickly she defends herself and Charlie from the lash of a tentacle.
The tentacles that target Brian, Terry, and Abby all find more purchase, scoring a hit, with one tentacle successfully wrapping itself around Abby's leg and yanking her backwards off her feet. With a quick roll, she turns to face the gate, sits upwards, and brings both batons down onto the offending monster appendage.
It explodes like a slug underfoot, covering her batons in black ichor.
"Ugh!" She cries, scrambling back up to her feet in a defensive crouch.
Terry's bullets hit home, blowing pieces out of the tentacle that's targeted him. It rears back in pain and you hear a bellow, coming as though from deep underwater on the other side of the gate.
Brian wields a rusted metal pipe in such a way that begs the question, what did they teach him in seminary? He swings and hits, crushing part of the tentacle attacking him, bringing another roar from the other side of the gate.
The ground shakes; something outside seems to be heading in your direction. Baruchiel readies her weapon and plants her feet in preparation for whatever comes.
Brian dodges tentacles the best he can, while he takes out his Easter-egg-looking Nuk grenade and throws it near the mouth of the inapposite gate.
"I can't hurt you if you stay over there," Terry says to the Lovecraftian horror, and shoots some more.
Again, Terry shoots at the creature on the far side of the gate.
"You say that, Terry, but you seem to be hurting them just fine," Kari says, clearly out of shape as her breathing is already growing heavy. She mutters to herself as she catches her breath, "No I haven't practiced, Dad...."
"Then they need to move farther away," Terry says. "Away from the gate. But I don't think they're listening."
Round 2!
Once the metaphorical dust settles, neither Terry nor Brian look like they weathered much, if any, damage from their first dance with the Lovecraftian horror beyond the gate.
In fact, Brian continues to generate more questions about his background when he manages to dodge and, moments later, gracefully toss his easter egg colored grenade at the gate.
As soon as the grenade hits the ground, another spherical gate opens in the air, merging temporarily with the Lovecraftian gate, and dropping a mechanical spider on top of the tentacles there. It promptly begins tearing at the beast in the gate.
It destroys one tentacle with a frenzied rip and tear motion of iron mandibles, which is replaced by another, but this new tentacle is focused on the mechaspider, rather than on Brian.
Kari, even if a little out of shape, seems to have an almost preternatural sense of where the tentacles will strike next. Terry seems to be under the same sort of battle trance, as they both easily dodge and maneuver around the increasingly more erratic tentacle swings. Combined with twin attacks of mop handle and gun, the tentacles they fight are looking like they might fall apart at any moment.
Comedically, cartoonishly, the two tentacles wrap around each other into an ineffective lump of flesh as they attempt to swat at their attackers. Then, they fall heavily to the ground,
Abby looks up just in time to watch Baruchiel engage with the Iron Titan outside, quickly evaluates your situation with the gate, then gives a little 'rrgh' of indecision as she runs to assist her partner with the Titan.
Brian continues swinging at the tentacles and dancing out of the way of any that come near.
"Terry, I think they'd need ears to listen," he comments, getting into the casual danger dialog Terry and Keri have going.
Terry continues to shoot his gun toward the gate, but not at the mechaspider. He doesn't want to draw its attention.
Terry is still attempting to shoot the monster on the far side of that gate. Because ... why not?
Round 3!
The three active Agents protecting Charlie seem to be blessed by some impenetrable cloak of luck, as Kari continues fending off new tentacle attacks with her mop handle, and Brian calmly does the same with his rusted pipe. Terry's shot goes wild, but no one would have noticed this...
... as Charlie finishes his chant. With a high pitched shriek, along with a squelching, slurping noise, the Ruk grenade's inapposite gate collapses, sucking the tentacles and mechaspider away with it. You only see, for a moment, the creature the tentacles were attached to. Without the psychic defense cypher Brian deployed, you likely would have struggled quite a bit more with the creature you think you glimpsed in the rift.
And yet, the leaking gate remains, free of monsters for the time being.
Both women outside put the finishing touches on the Iron Titan, as deus ex Fenwick pulls the headlight eyes away from the Titan's head and shoves something that spits sparks down the back of the beast. The thing stumbles once, then collapses, with Fenwick skipping down the cascade of junk and landing nimbly on his feet.
It's just as likely it was the damage delivered by three people as it was the gate partially collapsing that exorcised the spirit that had command over junkyard rubble. It's probably not entirely gone, at least... not yet.
"Look who showed up late to the party!" Abby says, wiping her batons off as best she can on the ground before tucking them away.
"I miss all the fun," Fenwick agrees. "But wow, you guys were fighting like seasoned Agents in here! At least, what little I saw. So in sync! And I'm sure I'll never see someone wield a mop handle so expertly again as long as I live."
"We still have a little problem." Baruchiel adds, withholding her praise while pointing her Strange blade at the still-open gate in the center of the warehouse. "We might need to close it from the other side. As we did at the festival."
"Ah, yes. I was worried that might happen. Well, you four don't need to come if you want to stay here for a few more minutes..." Abby says, gazing around at the four new Agents.
Terry takes a moment to re-load and holster his gun.
"I am in fine shape and good spirits," he says. "I will go if we are all going."
"That adrenaline gets up pretty fast, and I don't 100% trust myself to go in otherwise."
Terry closes his eyes and does a slow inhale and exhale.
The mop handle rests against the ground, Kari supporting herself on it, trying to regain her breath. "Close gate," she takes a deep breath. "What about Mason? Is he going to escape if we all go the world of tentacles and body horror?"
"I'm not going to miss the opportunity to travel through a gate," Charlie says, tucking the Pnakotic Manuscripts under an arm.
"Close gate," she takes a deep breath. "What about Mason? Is he going to escape if we all go the world of tentacles and body horror?"
Abby bites her lip in thought. "Good question. He's probably too far gone in whatever he's doing in his Temple to leave anytime soon, but we did temporarily dismantle his Titan and we're about to close this gate, too. He might finally realize something is going on."
She leans against a pillar that looks like it's about five seconds away from collapsing. "Fenwick? Will you be a dear and sneak over to where Mason is to keep an eye on him while we do this? I just can't, in good conscience, send new Agents into the recursion proper without us."
He nods. "Of course. And if he's not in there?"
"Then Miz Manners will have our heads and that'll be the end of it." She replies cheerfully.
Fenwick gives a little salute with an offered "if anyone feels like they aren't keen on visiting whatever's on the other side of that you're welcome to join me and stay here."
If no one takes him up on it, he'll jog out of the warehouse and head to the west, where Mason's 'temple' was supposed to be.
Into R'lyeh
With Abby leading, and Baruchiel following at the end of the line, you are escorted through the gate, and into another world. Since the gate is unstable, you are instructed to touch the shoulder of the person in front of you. The translation is also more nauseating, as you are stepping through, it feels like Earth is trying to wrap its fingers around your ankles to keep you from leaving.
Rather than Innsmouth, the summoning gate leads to a recursion of R’lyeh, a city of alien construction whose mind-bendingly bizarre architecture is impossible to achieve in worlds that operate under the law of Standard Physics.
The city is usually drowned at the bottom of the ocean, but it has currently risen to the surface, revealing its coast-line of mingled mud, ooze, and weedy Cyclopean masonry that, by itself, is enough to send terror sleeting through human minds. Through your minds.
"Let us be quick," Abby says in hushed tones, voice shaking a bit as she turns her back on the risen city of R'lyeh. "Charlie, I know you did this once already, but can you please come read the scripts again?"
You see movement in the city of impossible angles. Many small somethings. One large something moving in the distance.
Terry's eyes track to the movement, and then he pulls his attention back to Charlie, Abby, the group.
"Hopefully that itch is scratched," he says to Charlie, primarily. Mostly curious.
"Hopefully that itch is scratched," he says to Charlie, primarily. Mostly curious.
Charlie grins madly, then sings to the tune of "The Chattanooga Choo-Choo," "Pardon me Roy, is that the lair of Great Cthulhu..." Charlie stops himself and gives a short nod. "All right. Focusing."
He opens up the Pnakotic Manuscripts and begins to read the same reversed passage as before.
After a slightly quicker read of the scripts, the gate closes, leaving the six of you temporarily stranded in R'lyeh. Abby and Baruchiel immediately set into a translation trance to return you to Earth.
The very large thing on the horizon seems like it might have gotten closer in the couple of minutes you've been here.
Cthulhu mgep nafl'fhtagn ng ah geb l' ahuh'eog
The words fill all the corners of your mind, and you feel them scraping against your bones.
Ymg' ah nyth'drn. Vulgtlagln ya
You hear mad whispers at the edge of your thoughts in a language you don't understand. Oddly enough, you also hear bits and pieces of the song 'Behind the Wall of Sleep' by Black Sabbath.
Any song about Cthulhu could be considered worship. You are being called to bend to the will of the monster at the horizon.
As protected as your group was from madness, there is still a siren call from the far horizon, asking you, commanding you, to turn and watch your Master approach.
The whispers in your mind are recognizable as R'lyehian. You suddenly feel very alone in a very alien landscape. But you wouldn't feel so alone, so purposeless, if you would only turn around...
You feel like you are safe within the walls of a house. You know there is madness outside the door, but inside... the fire is warm, the smell of baking bread fills the air, and you hear no whispers as you stand in the city of the Deep Ones.
Terry's lips move as he is whispering something under his breath.
The very large thing on the horizon seems like it might have gotten closer in the couple of minutes you've been here.
The whole time they've been on this topsy-wrong existence, Kari has white-knuckled the mop handle, using it as much as a crutch as a lethal weapon. Although she looked around for attack, she would close her eyes trying to keep from losing her cookies.
Brian watches the thing on the horizon carefully, while the translation is being set up.
"Are you three alright?" Brian asks.
"Are you three alright?" Brian asks.
"Nope," Kari says flatly. "This place is wrong and it hurts to look at it. I also do not want to stay here and call that thing master."
"No, don't turn around."
"Everyone, listen to my voice," Brian intones. "We came here for a reason, and we have prevailed. We are strong. Stay with me, and we can go home. Listen to me and not to this place."
Brian continues to talk reassuringly, to help his friends anchor themselves against whatever it is they're fighting.
Kari's focus on hastening the translation, rather than succumbing to the whispers of The Thing on the horizon, is much appreciated in the way Abby and Baruchiel's shoulders drop down away from their ears.
"Thank you," Abby whispers to Kari. "We're almost there."
Brian's steady presence is a beacon in the night for anyone afraid of their insanity slipping.
ARTIFACT: PNAKOTIC MANUSCRIPTS
Level: 1d6 + 2 Form: Tome with stony plates binding a sheaf of parchment Effect: When a user reads aloud from the manuscripts in an area or recursion where Magic operates, she can create several different effects, all of which put her at risk.
The effect most readily available allows the user to contact the mind of a powerful godlike being. The user must make a difficulty 4 Intellect defense roll. On a failed roll, she takes 4 points of Intellect damage, descends one step on the damage track, and takes one other action (determined by the GM) motivated by insane panic.
On a successful roll, she takes 2 point of Intellect damage and learns the answer to one question, no matter the scope, from the mind contacted. The Pnakotic Manuscripts can translate between recursions like a cypher, thanks to the fundament making up the plates binding the sheaf of parchment that is inked with spells.
Depletion: —
Another, much more temporary gate opens, allowing all six of you to step out of R'lyeh and back into the warehouse from which you departed. The gate is closed, the pile of junk remains a pile of junk outside, and the dark thoughts of Lovecraft are fading like a bad dream.
"The absolute worst," Abby says, dusting off pants that are cleaner than they should be, given the circumstances. "No wonder it's on our banned list."
"Let's find Mason and be done with this place," Baruchiel says, waiting again for the group to move before she shepherds from the rear.
You head through the yard, , and things feel like they're mostly back to normal. The hair raising sensation is gone, and your feet feel firmly set on the ground beneath you.
Fenwick waits outside of another old building, waving but holding a finger to his lips when you join him.
"He's still inside. Don't think he's realized you guys closed the gate. By the way, that seemed quick!"
"It would have taken us a little longer without you, but we had help." Abby smiles, looking over at Kari. "You didn't miss much, Fenwick."
"I know exactly what I missed." He says, no trace of amusement in his expression.
"There are two ways to go about this; either a stranger comes in from the front to take him off his guard, or we lead and you lot watch the back in case he tries to flee or pull some other stunt. Any preference?"
Another, much more temporary gate opens, allowing all six of you to step out of R'lyeh and back into the warehouse from which you departed. The gate is closed, the pile of junk remains a pile of junk outside, and the dark thoughts of Lovecraft are fading like a bad dream.
Charlie protectively clutches the Pnakotic Manuscripts under his arm.
"The absolute worst," Abby says, dusting off pants that cleaner are than they should be, given the circumstances. "No wonder it's on our banned list."
"Always wondered what 'the angles are wrong' meant."
"There are two ways to go about this; either a stranger comes in from the front to take him off his guard, or we lead and you lot watch the back in case he tries to flee or pull some other stunt. Any preference?"
Charlie pulls his taser. "This is what I have as a weapon, and before today I never had to use it. If you think this will take down a cultist, I'm fine going in."
Kari's whole body relaxes when they get back to Earth. Her color looks better too.
"There are two ways to go about this; either a stranger comes in from the front to take him off his guard, or we lead and you lot watch the back in case he tries to flee or pull some other stunt. Any preference?"Charlie pulls his taser. "This is what I have as a weapon, and before today I never had to use it. If you think this will take down a cultist, I'm fine going in."
Kari chews at her bottom lip. "I have something that will distract him. I'm not sure how he'll react but it will definitely distract him." Kari looks uncomfortable, "It's definitely not a nice way to distract him."
She smiles a little at Charlie's taser, "Do you want to use the bracelets to get close without him seeing you?"
She looks down at her clothes, still stained and damp from the tumble into the water. Then at Abby's almost pressed outfit, "Don't suppose you can do that," motioning to Abby's clothes, "to someone else's things?" She sound very hopeful.
"A gun is just good for killing," Terry shrugs, "or putting holes in a paper target. I am probably better used round the back."
He pauses for a second, realizes how that sounds, and rubs his hand over his face.
When Kari asks about clothing, Abby grins. "Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't even think..." she pulls out a tiny canister. "May I?" she asks, pointing the nozzle at Kari.
When she depresses the nozzle, one fine puff of mist hits Kari. Rusted and unpleasant smelling water rolls off of Kari's clothing and soaks into the ground around her. Her clothing is dry, clean, and smells of fresh laundry that dried in the sun. She offers the same to Charlie and Brian. "Don't ever listen to anyone else who tells you it's silly to pack things like this instead of something 'useful'." She says, then sticks her tongue out at Fenwick's back.
"A gun is just good for killing," Terry shrugs, "or putting holes in a paper target. I am probably better used round the back."
"You strike me as a Vector. We're best 'round either front or back." Baruchiel says this, and it's unclear whether or not she caught the accidental innuendo.
"This is what I have as a weapon, and before today I never had to use it. If you think this will take down a cultist, I'm fine going in."
"Mason is likely still human enough for that to take him down, if necessary," Abby gives the taser a thoughtful look. "I think you'll enjoy the Estate's armory, when we return."
Fenwick listens to all opinions, then nods. "Okay, if you don't have a strong preference, I'll take you four around the back of this warehouse, Abby and Baru kick down the front door and try to take him in before we need to intercede, and..." he looks at Abby with a raised eyebrow. She raises her own. He raises his other eyebrow.
She sighs. "Bob's your uncle?"
Fenwick grins.
"Let's go."
Fenwick guides the four of you around to the back of the warehouse, and you all navigate an absolute mess of junk scattered around the ground.
"Let's go."
Kari looks confused at the quick conversation, then a tad annoyed but she shrugs, "I didn't need the spit and polish if we aren't having me distract Mason."
Fenwick pauses, looking confused himself, catching Kari's arm before she stumbles into something loud. "So distract him when we get in there? It'll help the ladies. Plus, I can't say it's a terrible idea to keep them on their toes with unexpected action. Don't let me or anyone else make you feel like your ideas aren't good or shouldn't be utilized."
He gestures her forward. "Please!"
He gestures her forward. "Please!"
Thank you." Kari's word quiet but utterly sincere as the pile of metal she almost knocked over sways.
She shakes her head, "There is a psychological gravitas to entering a room through the proper entrance that was needed to question Mason about his missing girlfriend. It won't work the same way if I sneak in the back door. It lacks authority." She smiles, "It would have been mean anyway, he seemed utterly in love with her."
"Now that I've almost toppled one of these things, I can say with certainty that moving through is easier if you take a breath first."
Terry has more difficulty dancing around the piles of junk than he did the puddles earlier in the junkyard, but he manages not to knock any over, foot in front of foot in front of foot.
Fenwick nods, pulling his hand away politely. "I completely understand. And... he was in love with her." He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Hopefully we can help him get back to himself."
You arrive at the back of the warehouse, and through a broken window nearby, it's easy to hear the mad muttering of the man inside.
"Where are those damn bloodbags, my work is not finished, my Lord will be displeased if I don't hurry..."
Anyone looking through the window sees Mason is smearing blood all over the walls in eldritch runes and patterns. He looks pale and shaky, and completely focused on his task. You also hear the squeak of the door near him as it opens to reveal both women standing there, weapons drawn.
"Mason." Baruchiel's voice rings out from the other side of the warehouse.
He jerks his head around to the door, back to your group. Fenwick pulls the door next to your group open very slowly. The squeak does not draw the attention of the wayward Agent painting the room in his own blood.
"Are you here to help me summon him?" Mason asks, voice raspy... hopeful. "I need his power."
"You need to come back with us, to the Estate. You've got a lot to answer for." Baruchiel says. Both women advance into the warehouse.
"Please, Mason. I know you miss her, but..." Abby starts.
Mason pulls something from his pocket, throwing it at both women. Baruchiel leaps in front of Abby, but both women are thrown backwards and then frozen in midair, a pained expression on Baruchiel's face and frozen "no!" on Abby's.
Mason turns around to run... seeing another group of people at his other exit. You saw what he looked like before, but now, his eyes bulge from their sockets, his hair has started falling out, leaving bald patches on his head. His skin looks like candle wax that's just begun to melt.
"Are you here to help, my old friend?" Mason croaks, slipping a hand slowly back into his pocket.
"Mason, please..." Fenwick warns, stepping into the building ahead of the rest of you.
Mason moves faster than he looks like he should when he pulls a small box with a button on it, very similar to the one Charlie used, and points it at Fenwick. The Agent that was with you moments before disappears with an almost comical voip sound.
"And you? With your blood, I could finish opening this gate. You could have the same power I will, when the Great Dreamer comes."
"Alive." Kari says, "They wanted him to go back to the Estate alive." She smiles at the guys, "Get him before he decides he doesn't need my permission to use my blood."
With that Kari strides into the room, taking a bit of a wide berth in comparison to Fenwick's path. She looks at the shaky blood runes with a sad shake of her head. "Is it really the power you want or is it Ashley?"
Charlie swiftly dons the invisibility bangles and slips inside, trying to get behind Mason.
When Kari mentions Ashley, Mason starts to hyperventilate a little. "If I have the power, then I can get her back," he rasps, a wave of emotions further distorting his melting candle wax face.
He looks so angry, so sad, so confused... he doesn't at all notice the invisible presence directly behind him.
Terry watches the conversation, ready to spring into distraction as needed.
Charlie tases Mason. As the attack makes Charlie go visible, he says in a gravelly voice, "I'm Batman."
Along with Terry, Brian watches, ready to aid if needed. But it doesn't look like any help is needed right now. Kari and Charlie seem to have things well in hand.
Mason doesn't care that Charlie is Batman. He doesn't care about much of anything, as it turns out that tasing someone who is turning into a Deep One has the same effect as tasing a regular ol' human.
He drops to the ground, convulsing, still trying to convince your group to help him and that he "can't be late".
A few moments later, Abby and Baruchiel return to a normal flow of time, with Baruchiel thrown into Abby as she takes the brunt of the delayed explosion, they stumble out the front door.
is all you hear from outside.
Abby bursts back into the room, with Baruchiel trying in vain to pull her back and get in front of her, but then they both see Mason on the floor in front of Charlie.
"Thank you," Abby says to Charlie, and the rest of the sentence is clear: thank you for not killing him. "Thank you all. You've all been absolutely amazing sports through this mess."
Eldritch runes and sigils are smeared all over the walls, but no other work seems to have been done to bring another gate into existence.
"Where's Fenwick?" Abby asks as Baruchiel gets a firm hold on the back of Mason's coat, dragging him up to his feet.
"Where's Fenwick?" Abby asks as Baruchiel gets a firm hold on the back of Mason's coat, dragging him up to his feet.
Kari, keeping an eye on Mason with way too much sympathy, points at him. "Cypher in his pocket with a red button. Made Fenwick go voip." Kari makes a damn good impression of the sound.
Abby barks out a laugh.
"That was a great impression, you sounded just like an old timey science fiction laser."
Then she sobers. "All we can do is hope he gets back to the Estate. If he's translating from somewhere alone, it'll take him a while. Speaking of which... we should head back there now, while Mason is cooperative."
He's still muttering to himself, and Baruchiel has a very firm grip on him.
"If you guys are interested, we can assign you quarters there, as well. But we need to debrief Miz Manners first, and get Mason into custody in a safer place." She looks to Kari. "Mind helping again?"
If no one objects, she and Baruchiel spin up another translation. Both women look in need of a long night's sleep.
Charlie puts the taser away. "I honestly didn't think Lovecraftian horrors would be quite so susceptible to tasing. Or at all."
"Mason is still mostly human. I think. But if you ever want to get into academics for the Estate, I have no doubt there would be Agents interested in reading a thesis on whether or not you can tase Cthulhu."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Abby, Baruchiel, and Kari successfully hasten and ease the translation into the Strange. You find yourselves appearing right at the gate that leads to the campus.
"When the Estate recognizes people as Agents, rather than visitors, it... allows a closer translation." Abby explains.
The rainbow aurora above you pulses and swirls, and you see occasional glimpses of stars if you watch long enough. The campus is a good focal point for anyone who still feels a little nauseous when watching the sky fractal into a thousand pieces.
Abby and Baruchiel guide you to the same building you went to before, skirting the main entrance and walking around the side to a separate door. Abby presses her hand against a nondescript panel by the door, and it opens silently to admit your group.
The room is large, and neurotically clean. In fact, you think this might be the most sterile air you've ever breathed in your life. You can't smell a thing... even your armpits, should you choose to attempt a sniff test.
"I see you've brought one wayward Agent back whole. That means you're, what... one for two?" A woman's voice floats over the back of a large chair, soon in motion and revealing its owner.
Katherine Manners is beautiful in the same way as you might find a cold, marble statue beautiful. Her hair is wavy, dark brown, and her eyes are a piercing grey.
"We did our best. He had the usual amount of tricks up his sleeves. Our newest Agents here did most of the work, to be honest."
Abby leads the debrief, breaking down the rest of the experience you all shared, finishing by letting Katherine know that the leaking inapposite gate to the Lovecraftian recursion is closed.
"You'll need at least two days to decompress. No fiction during the break. Is that clear?" Katherine says, voice as devoid of accent as it is empty of warmth.
"Of course," Abby says.
Katherine stands; tall, even though she wears flat, comfortable looking shoes. She looks around at each of you. When you meet her eyes, you feel as though everyone else in the room has disappeared.
"Why do you want to work with us at the Estate?"
"Why do you want to work with us at the Estate?"
"Why do you want to work with us at the Estate?"
"Why do you want to work with us at the Estate?"
"Mason is still mostly human. I think. But if you ever want to get into academics for the Estate, I have no doubt there would be Agents interested in reading a thesis on whether or not you can tase Cthulhu."
"Hmm," Charlie hmms.
"You'll need at least two days to decompress. No fiction during the break. Is that clear?" Katherine says, voice as devoid of accent as it is empty of warmth.
This draws a lightly panicked look.
Katherine nods, looking satisfied. "There's no wrong answer, per se. Unless the answer is 'to destabilize the recursions around Earth and leave it prey to planetovores'. In which case I would have ejected you from the Estate and wiped your mind."
You see her walk around the desk, and then you see that she never stood up or left her chair, and you see her leaving the room, and you see her doing all of this at once.
"You have the makings of a great Paradox. Someone who'll throw the cypher, or eat the cypher, without asking too many questions about what it does."
She holds a hand out for you to shake. Left hand, right hand, no hands.
"Welcome aboard. You'll find a room, if you want it, when you look for it. It's furnished sparsely, the Estate usually tries to guess what a person likes. You're welcome to change it. You can keep whatever you'd like in there, too, as long as it's not going to get out and hurt anyone else."
She sits back, stands up, sits down, turns around in her chair. And does none of these things.
"Any questions?"