"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.
Kari shrugs, looking down to hide her lips for a moment, speaking quietly, "If we can go there, it isn't fiction."
Kari closes her eyes, her forehead furrowing in a decidedly grumpy line. She looks up at the statuesque woman. "Can't go back to what I was without always regretting it." A nicer smile, but probably not intended for Ms. Manners, "And this is a chance to learn more than I hoped to and to help people along the way."
Katherine almost smiles at Kari's response.
"It's as good an answer as any. I respect that." She says aloud.
It might not be the answer, specifically, that Katherine respects about Kari.
Terry thinks for a moment, his forehead wrinkling.
"You know a lot of neat tricks," he admits. "And I have seen what you oppose."
He shakes his head. "It's messed up."
"You know a lot of neat tricks," he admits. "And I have seen what you oppose."
He shakes his head. "It's messed up."
"We do know a lot of neat tricks." Katherine agrees.
"Well, then! Abby will lead you to the wing where you'll find your rooms, if you want them. The rooms move around a little, but you'll get used to that. You can always find yours; it'll be much harder to find someone else's, without their permission especially."
She returns to her seat at the desk.
"Thank you for your work today, Agents. Baruchiel, please leave Mason here. I have a few questions to ask him."
Baruchiel nods, releasing the man, who looks terrified and frozen to the spot even without the Vector's grip on him.
"Let's go," Abby says softly to the rest of you.
The two guide you out of Katherine's office and into the building it's attached to.
"She takes some getting used to. She's never really more friendly than that, but she's one of the Founders of the Estate, and has an incredible wealth of knowledge and skills at her disposal. She works here almost exclusively - I can't remember the last time I saw her hit the field herself."
Abby points out several hallways that lead away from the central hub you're walking through, pointing out which lead to the cafeteria, the Library, the gym, the armory. "Some of these places are in out buildings that you saw glimpses of the first time you came through the campus," she elaborates.
"The first door you come to will be the one that leads to your quarters. We don't question it, it's a handy feature, especially in a hallway that's so... well, bland."
All the hallways you pass are featureless and same-y. When she finally stops in front of a hallway like any other, she points to a glowing blue, bed-shaped rune pressed into the ceiling there.
"This hallway leads to sleeping quarters." She gestures you all forward. "Doesn't matter what door you pick. I'll be out here whenever you're ready, and we can go to the armory and see if we can't find you some Strange protection."
Baruchiel whispers something to her, Abby nods in response, and Baruchiel departs with a short wave to the rest of you.
If you decide you want to check out your Agent lodgings, the door you pick opens up to a room that's sparsely decorated. A comfortable queen sized bed, a window that looks out to a garden, small but fully functional kitchen, television screen, a smaller screen on a desk that appears to be a computer, bathroom with a generously sized tub and shower.
The room is large for one person, could fit two cohabitating fine, but more than that could become a little cramped.
There is a little hand written note on the desk that reads Decorate as you see fit, keep no bio, mind, or sanity hazards in this space without permission. To interface with the Estate, please use the computer on this desk. Enjoy your stay. with a scribble that might be Katherine's signature.
Baruchiel whispers something to her, Abby nods in response, and Baruchiel departs with a short wave to the rest of you.
As soon as the senior agents are out of view, Kari turns away from the sleeping quarter hallway. Cheerfully, "I'm going to go look at the library now that I can get in." She heads back to the hub.
"Why do you want to work with us at the Estate?"
"After all this, I feel like this is where I need to be."
As soon as the senior agents are out of view, Kari turns away from the sleeping quarter hallway. Cheerfully, "I'm going to go look at the library now that I can get in." She heads back to the hub.
"Wait up, Kari," says Brian. "I'd like to come with."
Charlie walks into the first room.
Terry walks into his first room.
As soon as the senior agents are out of view, Kari turns away from the sleeping quarter hallway. Cheerfully, "I'm going to go look at the library now that I can get in." She heads back to the hub."Wait up, Kari," says Brian. "I'd like to come with."
"No problem."
She stills in the hallway, waiting - not patiently, but waiting.
You walk past Abby playing on a small, gun metal black tablet. She looks up, guilty, like she's been caught doing something wrong.
"It's not fiction, I promise! I'm looking up octopus facts." Then she pauses, realizing that you two probably don't care what she's looking at on her tablet. Once she confirms that your destination is not the armory, she says: "There's a directory over there," she gestures to a pedestal nearby, "same thing that links up to your room. If you wanted to go somewhere in particular. My only request is that you don't try to translate out on your own just yet. Otherwise, have fun!"
Whether you use the directory or just wander around, you find the Library in another building, connected to where the offices and housing are located by a glass hallway filled with plants both recognizable and completely alien. You can also see, through the glass of the hallway, that there is a main entrance on the outside of the building.
The first room of the library is a very dimly lit and comfortable waiting room of sorts, with a young man sitting behind a small podium. Although he looks to be of Chinese heritage, there are pieces of flesh missing from his face, replaced by gently glowing circuitry. His eyes dart down to your badges very briefly before he gives you a warm, welcoming smile.
"Good day, Agents. Is this your first time in the Library?" His voice is a pleasant tenor with the slightest undercurrent of an electric buzz.
After poking around in your room, looking for somewhere to charge your phone, you find a button on your desk. Pushing it reveals a little pillar that pops up with an outlet… one unlike anything you've ever seen before. If you push the pillar back into the desk, then push the button again, the outlet changes. With enough trial and error, you find the right outlet for your needs.
Abby is waiting in the central hub area in a comfortable looking chair when you leave your room to set out for the armory. She's playing on a small tablet, looking up when she hears footsteps.
"The rooms are pretty sparse, at first, but they change with time. Particularly if you spend enough time in them for the Estate to get to know you."
She tucks her tablet away and stands, stretching her arms out. "Are you interested in the Armory, or did you want to go explore elsewhere, too? Kari and Brian weren't too keen on weapons being the first stop. I don't need to accompany you guys, but… I like to see what weapons people end up choosing." She smiles. "I'm a little nosy."
In your room, although there isn't much to it, you find shelving and cubbies that would all be suitable for collecting items. You also find a button on your desk that presents you with different outlet options each time you press the button and raise the pillar the button rests on. The shower has a surprising amount of settings, accessed by a panel on the wall.
There is a tablet on your desk, screen blank but for one message:
Wake up, Neo
He considers the tablet for a moment, and then types: Am I to follow the white rabbit?
"It's not fiction, I promise! I'm looking up octopus facts." Then she pauses, realizing that you two probably don't care what she's looking at on her tablet. Once she confirms that your destination is not the armory,
Kari smiles, clearly comfortable that, one, Abby can do what she wants and, two, it can't be fiction. Kari lets out a sigh, "I will come over after I check out the library." She grins, "I'm horribly out of shape and my muscles are feeling that fight." She grins, "But since you did me the favor of not feeling like I feel in toxic sludge or fought an octopus or went to a place that was..." she shudders, "wrong. I don't have an intense urge to find a shower. After a work out, I'm sure I will."
"Good day, Agents. Is this your first time in the Library?" His voice is a pleasant tenor with the slightest undercurrent of an electric buzz.
"Yes." Kari says, her eyes only breifly on the agent, instead taking in the space, clearly only barely restraining herself from bolting into the stacks.
Only if you want to. We're really big on choice here. By the way, wanted to congratulate you directly. You've really embraced the Strange, and it's no small thing to read a Lovecraftian ritual straight from the Pnakotic Manuscripts and not go insane while doing it
Although the first message on your tablet was static, the response comes through in Abby's voice with an almost text-to-speech undertone to it, a little stilted, completely scrubbed of what little trace of accent you've heard when she speaks.
There's a pause, then your tablet receives a short video of an octopus in a very alien ocean, hiding from a large predator you don't at all recognize.
I didn't realize octopi could be found in Ardeyn. Fascinating. Anyway, if you're interested in going to the Armory, I'm still out here. I think Kari and Brian just tried to sneak past me. I wonder if they thought I'd be offended they wanted to skip the room tour
Abby gives Kari a little salute with two fingers. "There's a... commissary, of sorts, in the cafeteria. There's a group of folks in R&D that try their best to replicate simple cyphers, and we sell or trade those in the commissary. That dirt and scent repellent is there. It's incredible the garbage Agents end up wading through sometimes."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Librarian smiles, jotting down your badge information in a large ledger book.
"I know, it's exciting. I spend most of my time in there when I'm not working the desk."
He shuts the ledger. "There aren't too many rules, as the Library sort of... governs itself. It holds all of the knowledge. All of it." He stresses this. "But you will remember very little of what you read there. You will remember vague things, like, oh, you looked up the origins of the Big Bang, you learned how to properly create a six course Rukian Birthday Spread, whatever, but you won't remember details of more than maybe one or two things. No matter how much you read."
He takes a sip of water from a glass on his podium. "Agents who wish to use the Library to answer specific questions usually just go in with that one question and come out with the answer. There are questions the Library won't answer, but it will do its best to tell you why, if that happens."
He thinks. "I might be forgetting something. I'll be here if you need anything, for at least the next six hours, so... I hope you enjoy your first time in there!"
He knocks on the door, and it opens, revealing a rather small room with a second door across from the one that just opened.
"When this door closes behind you, the second one will open. Don't worry, no one's ever gotten stuck in there."
He stares at the empty place on his desk, trying to understand exactly what she means. Or if she's making an assumption.
I'll be right out.
Charlie leaves his room and returns to Abby for the trip to the armory.
Abby gives Kari a little salute with two fingers. "There's a... commissary, of sorts, in the cafeteria. There's a group of folks in R&D that try their best to replicate simple cyphers, and we sell or trade those in the commissary. That dirt and scent repellent is there. It's incredible the garbage Agents end up wading through sometimes."
"I think I need more training before I can dedicate a cypher slot to that, but once i can." She grins, "Thank you, again, for using it on me." Then concern, "Any word from Fenwick yet?"
-----
He thinks. "I might be forgetting something. I'll be here if you need anything, for at least the next six hours, so... I hope you enjoy your first time in there!"
"Are we allowed to check out books?"
A pause, "And do agents missions get recorded?" She smiles, "I'm curious how our little jaunt looks like in text."
"Oh!" She smiles, "I'm Kari, this is Brian, and you are?"
Kari is not interested in her own mission but there is definitely questions that she has if she can access other agents missions.
And she is still not good at lying.
Do you like dragons and elves and potentially dying and having your spirit be judged in the Court of Sleep? That's Ardeyn. Most Agents visit at least once. I'm sure we'll make it there, sometime.
A pause.
See you soon!
Terry and Abby are mid conversation when Charlie approaches. She gives him a little 'heyo!'.
"Right. Ready to go figure out what weapons speak to your soul?"
"Of course, it's no problem at all. A bad recursion really is made better if you don't have to also worry about being covered in... gunk."
When Kari asks about Fenwick, she chews her lip. "No word yet. If he's translating directly here, we're hoping to hear from him sometime in the next few hours. We'll try not to worry until tomorrow. It's not the first time we've been separated and stuck translating by ourselves. It's exhausting." She tries to smile. "Hopefully he didn't land somewhere too dangerous. And thank you," she says earnestly, "for asking about him. He's a good friend, and although Baruchiel is hard to read, I know she's really worried, too."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Agent behind the desk perks up.
"I'm Ushi, a pleasure to meet you both." He pronounces it "yoo-shee". "You'll have to ask the Library if you can take anything out. If it's in the right mood, you might be able to take something with you." He scratches the back of his head as he thinks about how to answer Kari's second question.
"Yes. Everything is recorded there. The book of your lives, how you experienced the mission from your perspective, from Brian's perspective. There are rumors that the Library contains every variation of your book, too. Other dimensions. It's a lot to think about. Too much, honestly."
He looks a little more serious. "You're allowed to read it. Just... be careful. We've lost a few Agents to their own books. Reading memories, getting lost in them, forgetting what's real, that sort of thing. It's not prohibited, but it does come with a bit of a warning."
And thank you," she says earnestly, "for asking about him. He's a good friend, and although Baruchiel is hard to read, I know she's really worried, too."
"He's kind. He gave me a much needed pep talk before we took on Mason."
----------
Someone who is good at reading people would see that Kari relaxes when Ushi introduces himself. She nods at the first answer.
It's not prohibited, but it does come with a bit of a warning.
She nods seriously at the warning, "I'll make sure to be especially careful, thank you."
She waits a moment to see if Brian has any questions, then moves onto the door. And the library.
"I hope you weren't waiting for me too long. I was looking for a place to charge my phone, and ... found one. Or did the room make one for me?"
Terry looks to the left and then to the right and then at Abby. "When people talk into your head, it's not such a crazy thought, is it?"
""I'm a little nosy."
"I can work with nosy," Terry says, entirely straight-faced.
"How long is the walk to the Armory? Should I start the story of the rogue octopus now? Or better to wait until you have a beverage in hand?"
Terry turns to Charlie, and nods his head.
"Did you get one with the magic fingers bed? I'm going to need to bring back a bunch of quarters."
Terry leans his neck to one side and then the others, stretching. "I'm ready for finding soul-weapons."
"Did you start looking in drawers?" A strange expression crosses Terry's face. "I went looking for a place to charge my phone, and I will swear I found several alternate universe phone chargers."
Terry looks thoughtful. "Now I have something to look for when I go back to the room."
Abby nods. "Fenwick is good at reminding us about work/life balance. He's the most honest person I've ever met." She smiles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you step into the small room, the door closes behind you, and a soft feminine voice says Mind the gap before the next door opens. Don't worry, there is no gap. Maybe the Library having fun with you?
Rather than being overwhelmingly huge, the way you might expect a Library that contains all knowledge to be, instead you walk into a library roughly the size of football field. Throughout, you see stacks you'd expect, as well as an array of comfortable armchairs, old wooden desks, and warm lamps that flicker with the light of fire but seem to contain nothing but the glow of it.
You see movement at the far end of the room, disappearing into the shelves there.
"Hello, Agents. Welcome. If you have any questions, you have but to ask." A pause. "And if you'd like music, I'd be happy to oblige."
The voice is bone-shakingly loud, and yet… doesn't at all hurt your ears. Instead it feels like it's filling up the space of the library. It's not telepathy, exactly, but it's not someone standing in front of you and speaking, either.
A quick look at the closest shelf of books reveals a label that simply says Earth. If you look at another shelf, it says Ruk.
"What is time, anyway?" She says with a chuckle. "Sometimes the rooms are used by guests, so the outlet tower is… an artifact of the Estate, to make sure anyone inside has what they need."
When Terry asks about people speaking in your head, she shakes her head. "You should probably get in to see our resident medic. People shouldn’t be talking in your head." A little smile appears. "Except Katherine Manners. She lacks what her last name implies. Must be the result of her age."
"I can work with nosy," Terry says, entirely straight-faced.
"How long is the walk to the Armory? Should I start the story of the rogue octopus now? Or better to wait until you have a beverage in hand?"
"Good, because I can't remove it! My nosy, I mean." She taps herself on the nose, which is, actually, a little on the larger side. "I wondered why I was thinking about octopi; you did owe me a story!"
She thinks for a moment. "The walk isn't too far. But how about we weapon up first, then I can show you guys to one of the 'rest areas' here." She leans forward and whispers conspiratorially, "it's full of alcohol. From everywhere. There's stuff in there that will literally put hair on your chest. Because if you drink it, you turn into a wolf."
Abby laughs. "You know, funny you mention it. The Estate used to furnish rooms for Agents. Including me, when I first got here. But over time, we found that people, for some reason, really get freaked out when a building reads their minds and furnishes a room that suits them." She shrugs. "Mine was bang on. Had the right trees and everything."
She guides the two of you forward towards the Armory as she continues chatting with you.
"That's a great question! Yes, there are… alternate universes. Too many to catalog. But if you want, you can use that little tablet in your room to give the Estate permission to help furnish your room. I'm sure you'll end up with something to your liking. It's extremely customizable."
Edit: decent roll :) Once she's gotten the information, Kari will leave as she doesn't want to risk losing it. And she'll head to the armory.
"Exactly! Yes, that. The Estate could be a cousin of the TARDIS." She grins. "Any interest in meeting the Doctors? Or the TARDIS herself? Those recursions are fairly safe. Usually. Unless we had bad luck and landed during some sort of Cyberman episode or something."
"Do you have permission to read the life of Agent Takahashi?" The voice asks, gentle, without judgement.
"That's a great question! The answer is... yes. All of that. Recursions gain strength when more people... consume the media? The seed of a recursion is created in any new fiction. When people watch it, read it, write their own versions of it, it breathes life into the thing." She runs a hand through her hair. "But about dimensional travelers, or viewers... that, I can't really answer. There are other realities, other worlds like Earth, and those people create their own fictions, too."
"I'm sorry, recursion theory was a class I skived off from so I could smoke out back." She jokes. "At least, with regards to the Whoniverse, that is a wholly fictional recusrsion. However... we're pretty sure the Doctor, in their many incarnations, has the Spark. They know the limits of their universe, they know there's something outside it. But they can't translate into the Strange, or other recursions. Yet."
"How disturbingly literal," Terry says. "Definitely worth saving the story for the beverages. But not that one." He gives Abby a brief side-eye. "Not for me at any rate."
"You seem to know all the dangerous things. Hobby or happenstance?"
"I will have to play with that tablet at some point," Terry admits. "A little customization would be a good thing."
"Does talking about things like Dr Who and other fiction give it more power? I got the definite sense in ... the place we were earlier ... that any mention of those guys counted as worshipping them."
"I wouldn't drink it, either. The one Agent I knew who tried it, Parvell, he was a wolf for at least a week. I've got things to do that don't include shedding all over the Estate. Among other things." She leaves whatever the rest was unsaid.
"Very much a hobby. I love that things constantly surprise me out in the field, but it keeps me mostly safe and sane to be especially aware of the things that might kill, maim, or change me permanently. What about you? I'm sure Katherine asked you why you want to be an Agent. She scares all the new folks like that. But what did you tell her?"
"Talking about Dr. Who, talking about any fiction that's strong enough to have a recursion around it... yes, it's like lifeblood of recursions. It's not necessarily that talking about the Doctor will make them manifest here, all powerful. But... for places like Lovecraftian recursions specifically, by its very nature... talking about it wont' cause Cthulhu to appear either. But opening the right kind of gate and then talking about him? Might give him ideas. Give him the Spark. Or worse, Quicken him. And we absolutely don't want that to happen."
And just like that, you've arrived at the front door to the armory.
"Well, gentlemen, let's find you some pokey things of justice."
She greets the Agent at the desk. "Hey, Liz. I've got two new Agents here in need of some equipping. Mind letting us through?"
"'Course, nice to meet you guys." The woman says, barely looking up from her desk other than to glance at your badges and jot some information down. Her head is neatly shorn, and her ears have several piercings on them. When she looks up, it would be hard not to wince when you see that her entire lower jaw appears to have been replaced by bark. "You're free to head in!" She says cheerfully.
When the door opens, it reveals a large sitting room with dark wooden shelves, and plenty of comfortable seating. The walls are adorned with an impressive variety of weapons, all housed within what appear to be glass cases. The center of the room is empty, though it shimmers occasionally if you look at it long enough.
"So, given any thought to the kind of weapon you want to carry around with you?"
It's weird to hear a library chuckle. "You're not the first Agent to try and cleverly fish for information here, and I'm sure you won't be the last." Again, the tone is not one of chastisement. "Agent Takahashi was not involved in any of Mason's work. But, he also hasn't been to the Estate for weeks."
And moves on to the armory.
"Talking about Dr. Who, talking about any fiction that's strong enough to have a recursion around it... yes, it's like lifeblood of recursions. It's not necessarily that talking about the Doctor will make them manifest here, all powerful. But... for places like Lovecraftian recursions specifically, by its very nature... talking about it wont' cause Cthulhu to appear either. But opening the right kind of gate and then talking about him? Might give him ideas. Give him the Spark. Or worse, Quicken him. And we absolutely don't want that to happen."
"So...hypothetically...if one were to write stories about these characters, you would be strengthening their realities?"
"So, given any thought to the kind of weapon you want to carry around with you?"
Charlie blinks in surprise. "No." His brow furrows. "I've only ever carried a taser. But in this world, we could carry a demon-bane Colt. Or a lightsaber. Or a lasso of truth. Am I getting that right?"
"So...hypothetically...if one were to write stories about these characters, you would be strengthening their realities?"
Abby nods. "Yes. The voice of one author won't do TOO much to change a reality. Although we can create recursions of our own with a lot of work and the right tools. But if you write something to say, include that you were a companion of the Doctor... and enough people read it? Liked the work? Discussed it? You might well find a version of yourself in the Whoniverse that doesn't have the Spark and merely goes through the motions of whatever you constructed them into."
It sounds like she may or may not be speaking from experience.
"If you guys are interested, there have been some really interesting papers written on recursion theory from a couple of colleagues of mine. Ours." She corrects. "They teach classes here from time to time. Unfortunately, recursions aren't an exact science, and there's still so much to learn."
But in this world, we could carry a demon-bane Colt. Or a lightsaber. Or a lasso of truth. Am I getting that right?"
"Yep! There's pretty much something for everyone. Although, I should warn you, signing up for one of the Estate's weapons is more than just picking up a gun. Or a lightsaber. What you're getting is a weapon that will change according to your recursion, if it makes sense to change. Your lightsaber will likely become a stun baton on Earth, might become a magic short sword in Ardeyn." She squares off to face you both. You hear the door open behind you.
"These weapons are spirited things. They'll bond with you, grow, and change with you. Some of them have been in other hands before. I'm not saying you can't get rid of them later if they don't suit you, but just keep in mind that they're more than they appear."
"These weapons are spirited things. They'll bond with you, grow, and change with you. Some of them have been in other hands before. I'm not saying you can't get rid of them later if they don't suit you, but just keep in mind that they're more than they appear."
Kari finds her way to the armory and enters the room after she's logged in with Liz at the desk, and just in time to hear Abby finishing her explanation of the weapons inside.
"Hello, hello!" Abby says with a cheerful wave. "Good timing. I was just telling the gentlemen here that weapons change according to the recursion in which they're wielded, and the weapons you'll find here, specifically, are unique and will bond to you when you choose one."
When the door opens, it reveals a large sitting room with dark wooden shelves, and plenty of comfortable seating. The walls are adorned with an impressive variety of weapons, all housed within what appear to be glass cases. The center of the room is empty, though it shimmers occasionally if you look at it long enough.
Terry shrugs. "The things you fight against are definitely a problem. And you know a lot of neat tricks. Although I very nearly said the first thing."
Terry's eyes do widen in surprise when he sees the bottom half of Liz's face. He nods to her before heading in.
"I am more of a ranged weapon kind of guy," Terry says. "If there are nonlethal options for that, it's great. If not, that's okay. That's what--"
He indicates Charlie and Kari "--and Brian are for."
"Although I am hoping bond with you doesn't mean talks to you."
Abby tilts her head. "Nearly said it, huh?" She gives a little 'hmm'. "I think that's how it was for me, too. But that's another tale to be told in a tavern."
"It might talk to you. Sometimes. But I'm sure it'll stop if you tell it you're not feeling chatty." She grins.
She walks around the room. "Guns, guns, guns..." she taps a panel on the wall.
Weapons start disappearing from their glass cases, replaced by a truly impressive array of guns. You see the quick, but telltale flicker of holograms.
"Feeling more 60s sci fi? Rukian?"
After a minute, "How do they decide the weapons decide they like you?"[b] Kari asks, still watching the nothing. [b]"I mean is it a Harry Potter thing where we need to try out all the wands until one resonates?"
"I'm ready."
"Feeling more 60s sci fi? Rukian?"
"See, to me that's all the same," Terry says. "Also, you said this will stay with us through recursion, so that means sometimes things don't."
"If I point it, and bad things happen at the other end, I will be content."
The Armory
Abby looks away from the wall she's examining when Kari asks about weapons. "It's… well, they're not quite that advanced. There are a few like that, that seem to have morals of their own. But mostly they're tools that just happen to have Strange energy infusing them. Gives 'em a little spirit." She smiles. "Don't worry, love. You couldn't pick a weapon that wouldn't work with you."
"I want a weapon that doubles as a tool,"
Abby moves to another wall and presses a button, with many of the weapons there fizzling out of existence to be replaced by rather more exotic looking pieces of equipment. She looks to Charlie, back to the wall, at Charlie again, sizing him up. She presses another button, and something that looks like a baton manifests at the center of the room on the pedestal there. She gestures everyone to come closer.
The baton is made out of something the color of a storm cloud, shifting colors the same way between shades of steel and bruise purple. It's roughly two inches in diameter, and six inches long. "Multi use, these are standard issue for an elite group of fighters in…" she looks embarrassed, "Well, it's not one of the big recursions, but it's one that had a lot of cool weapons, anyway."
She holds the baton, flicking her wrist just so, and a whip made of filaments cracks through the air. She flicks her wrist again, the filaments stiffen, still curled at the ends.
"Not impossible to break, but still very strong. You can use it to hoist yourself up places, and with the right leverage, pry things open. If you get really proficient with it, you can make precise cuts, if you want to impress someone with your meal serving skills."
One more flick of the wrist, the filaments retract and it becomes a baton once more. "And like this, you can just hit people with it until they do what you want. Am I on track here?" She smiles. "If you want the actual Lasso of Truth, I'm afraid we'll have to venture to the right recursion and steal it from the Amazonian herself. Or ask her nicely, I suppose."
"See, to me that's all the same," Terry says. "Also, you said this will stay with us through recursion, so that means sometimes things don't."
"If I point it, and bad things happen at the other end, I will be content."
Abby nods. "Easy enough to find something that shoots bad things out the right end of it." She returns back to the gun wall after she hands the retractable whip to Charlie to see if it suits him.
She beeps and boops the panel a few times, and a sleek, but unremarkable looking gun appears on the pedestal. The only Strange thing about it is a decorative line of oil slick color shimmering down the center of the gun. There is a patch on the left side of the gun that's made of a different material than the rest of it. The same dark color, but a little... sticky to the touch.
"This is the model we give out to all Agents who don't give a hoot about having something flashy." She taps the left side. "Some cyphers can be pressed here to… convert them to ammo. It doesn't work with all cyphers, and I'm sorry to say we don't even have a list of what would work. It's really trial and error." She says, apology in her tone. "I've got one like this that I've shot friendlies with to heal them in a pinch, so when I say any cypher might work, I mean it. Fires regular ole' recursion-appropriate ammo too, just in case."
One more flick of the wrist, the filaments retract and it becomes a baton once more. "And like this, you can just hit people with it until they do what you want. Am I on track here?" She smiles. "If you want the actual Lasso of Truth, I'm afraid we'll have to venture to the right recursion and steal it from the Amazonian herself. Or ask her nicely, I suppose."
Charlie accepts the whip, testing the weight. "That'll do, pig," he says with the appropriate gravitas.
Terry picks up the gun, and presses his fingers to the sticky bit. "Tacky," he says. "Neat. I look forward to trying cyphers with it."
"Thanks," and he moves to holster the gun, remembers that he has a gun there already, and sort of stands there awkwardly pointing it at the floor.
"Oh, right, I guess you shouldn't just be sticking that down the back of your trousers." Abby says, generating a very mundane holster for Terry's new gun.
She nods, looking pleased with the outcome of everyone's choices.
"Brilliant. Well," she looks you all over and taps a finger against her lips. "I figure it's time to set you guys free. I'm going to hit our tavern and get a much needed drink. Though to be honest, I'm not sure there's enough liquor in this or any reality to really shake the feeling that I'm being watched by Deep Ones."
She takes out her tablet and waves it a little. "You might have seen this already, but you're welcome to take it from your room. It works in most recursions that have any sort of technology. They get a bit dodgy in recursions with magical physics." She slides it into the back pocket of her pants.
"The work we do here is, for the most part, by choice. If you want to check in with Katherine, she'll always have something that needs doing. If you want to stay here a day or two and recuperate, that's great. If you find yourself missing home, we can translate you back there, no problem. If you want to join me for now, I'd love the company, and I'm sure Baru is drinking away the Lovecraftian heebies right now, too. We probably won't get up to much until Fenwick comes back, since..." She trails off.
"Anyway, yes. Time to drink. What would you like to do? Need anything from me?"
"Anyway, yes. Time to drink. What would you like to do? Need anything from me?"
"I'm all set," Charlie says. "If you'll all excuse me." He leaves, fiddling with his brand new whip.
Then he gets dressed again, takes out the tablet and starts experimenting with decor.
The Armory
Abby looks away from the wall she's examining when Kari asks about weapons. "It's… well, they're not quite that advanced. There are a few like that, that seem to have morals of their own. But mostly they're tools that just happen to have Strange energy infusing them. Gives 'em a little spirit." She smiles. "Don't worry, love. You couldn't pick a weapon that wouldn't work with you."
Kari nods with excitement, smiling as Abby gives Charlie and Terry weapons to try out. And waits. After a uncomfortable time, Kari gets that Abby really doesn't have any recommendations in regards to a weapon for her. The smile is still there but she looks down so her eyes aren't easy to read. She shuffles to look at the weapons without the excitement she had coming into the room.
"Anyway, yes. Time to drink. What would you like to do? Need anything from me?"
Kari smiles, "You earned your downtime. Thanks for the crash course."
....
Later Kari, in the hallway that holds quarters, attempts to knock on the other junior agents' doors. After opening her own door a number of times, she does eventually get it.
The Armory
Kari's disappointment does not go unnoticed under Abby's watchful eye. The senior agent seems as excited to kit you guys out as you are excited to see something new.
"I saw you wield a mop handle with aplomb," she says with a smile, returning to the panel. "How would you feel about..." with a button push, a beautiful, polished wood short staff appears on the pedestal.
There's a leather thong around the middle for comfort in a hand, and with a shake, the staff is extended to its full length, adding at least another foot to the weapon.
"Rukian artifact, has good sonic layering to help defend against projectiles, also won't change much between recursions. If you need to shrink it down further, it collapses to be about..." she presses something in the center, and the staff shortens to be about the same size as Charlie's whip handle.
"Good for tucking away in pockets. Eh? Eh?" She says, offering the staff to Kari. "I'm happy to stay here all day to find you something fun."
"I'm all set," Charlie says. "If you'll all excuse me."
Abby waves her fingers. "Adieu!"
To interface with the room, and the Estate, one must simply poke around in the tablet. Almost immediately there's a setup screen 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.
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.
When it comes to the posters you mentioned previously, you find nearly everything you're looking for. Although the alternate reality versions of movie posters might not fit exactly what you hoped for, you find enough of them that there's bound to be something weird in there to amuse you.
If you try to change the comforter on your bed, what's there is voiped out of existence and replaced with your choice, neatly laid out as though it had been there the whole time.
You might find some minor gaps in the technology; if you're sitting on the bed when you make that sort of change, for example, the comforter disappears from under you, the replacement drops neatly on top of you.
This room, at least, caters to your whims. It's the best parts of science fiction technology and Harry Potter magic.
When he has everything the way he likes, he glances at the tablet, then at the manuscript, then at the tablet. "Okay, a little before work," he mutters.
He begins to work on a new story about Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigating a murder in the sleepy town of Twin Peaks.
The Armory
"Good for tucking away in pockets. Eh? Eh?" She says, offering the staff to Kari. "I'm happy to stay here all day to find you something fun."
She takes the staff, feeling it out in both short and long form. She winces, apologetically, "Too heavy." She thinks, "My dad tried to teach me a form of Japanese fan-fighting when I was a kid. I'm horribly out of practice, but that might be easier to use?"
"I'm all set," Charlie says. "If you'll all excuse me."Abby waves her fingers. "Adieu!"
"Talk to you later?" Kari asks hopefully.
The Armory
Terry holsters his new gun, and looks much less awkward while he stands and watches the discussion of weapons, the rejecting and the selecting.
He looks like he could wait quite a while, but he smiles at the end when Abby suggests that it's time to drink. He raises his hand, and says, "I. I would like to drink."
...and later...
Terry does answer his door to a knock. He has a tablet tucked under his arm. "Hi," he says.
A funny thing happens when Charlie begins writing his story.
Above the desk, and level with his eyes, a very gently lit shimmering appears in the air. It stabilizes and stops moving as articles appear. It's recognizable as a wikipedia type format, but simply says The Estate at the top. Pages for Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and Twin Peaks appear. Hovering fingers above other words in those articles gives you a haptic response that lets you know the word can be opened to its own page on the screen.
There aren't buttons at the bottom of this holographic screen. But when you look to the bottom of the page, there are suggestions that pop into your head, like the memory of someone explaining it to you. Save this page. Expand this topic. Phrases that control the Estate's version of wikipedia.
The Armory
"My dad tried to teach me a form of Japanese fan-fighting when I was a kid. I'm horribly out of practice, but that might be easier to use?"
Abby's eyes light up as she takes the staff back, placing it on the pedestal to send it back to the apparently magical warehouse of Strange weapons.
With another button press, what appear to be two folding fans, currently closed, appear on the pedestal. As she picks them up, she looks to Kari, giving her a more appraising look.
"Interesting choice. Bloody fun choice, too. They use these in Ruk," she holds the fans out for Kari to take. "They use so many guns over there, people had to figure out ways to deflect bullets and lasers and death rays and all that."
If she opens the fans, Kari finds them to be made of something as stiff as steel, but as soft to the touch as silk. The fabric folds as a decorative fan should. As she watches, colors and patterns shift across the material. If Kari focuses on what she sees, she finds that she has at least some control over the patterns and colors on the fan.
"Tension silk. You'd think folks on Ruk would get more creative with their naming conventions, but apparently, that's a big no. Careful with the edges, they bite." She says, watching where Kari touches the fabric. "Very sharp, very lightweight, and when you move them, you generate a bit of a repulsion field for projectiles. You won't be able to shield your whole body with them, but pull your arms up quick with them open, you're ace." She holds her hands out in the universal "yeah?" gesture.
From Armory to Tavern… Better than the reverse?
"I. I would like to drink."
"You didn't get a choice," she says with a grin. "This octopus story is really building up to something grand in my head. I need more details than there probably even were."
"The tavern gets a name change and facelift every so often. When everyone thinks it's time to change up the aesthetic, people are allowed to put in suggestions, and then everyone votes."
Abby guides you to another building on campus; you walk through glass hallways that connect the buildings to reach it, rather than walking outside. If you looked into the layout of the campus on your tablet or dossier, you'll know this building houses the cafeteria, commissary, and several restaurants/bars. The building is also renown for its combination observatory and spa on top of the building.
"This one was my suggestion," Abby says proudly as you cross into the section of the building that houses the tavern. The flickering neon sign reads Eis Mosley Cantina, and from within you hear a very familiar sounding tune playing.
Although the look inside definitely has a Star Wars feel, it doesn't sacrifice comfort for canon. Privacy booths are set up around the room, complete with little curtains to close and completely hide occupants away. Comfortable chairs circle small tables, and there's plenty of high-backed bar stool seating at the bar. A bar that bisects the large room with curves like a river, glowing gently with simulated candlelight and showcasing a dizzying amount of bottles.
There are a few other people in the room, but whether it's the time of day, or diminished population in the Estate, the cantina is mostly empty.
Baruchiel sits in one of the low-to-the-floor squishy armchairs, of which six are arm to arm around a low table. Abby smiles when she sees her friend. "Baru!" The woman looks up at you. Off duty, she looks like an almost entirely different person. Her demeanor is relaxed, and she raises a half filled glass to you all. She still only smiles a little, with her eyes. A purple light glows gently behind her head. "You missed the fun. We had a field trip to the armory."
"I had my own fun," Baruchiel says, pointing to her drink with her free hand. "I needed some time to decompress alone."
"Do you still?" Abby asks, pausing just before dropping into her own chair by the table.
Baruchiel shakes her head. "No, no, please, join me, if you'd like."
"What's your poison?" Abby asks you, dropping into the chair with an 'oof' interrupting her question, gesturing for you to follow suit.