The night seems a little colder and weirdly quiet on the way back to the base. Tasha and Galatea don't run into anyone, but there is the sound of something moving in the nearby forest. The lights of the base help though, even if they don't give off any warmth, but the residential zone is dark. Galatea has been silent since they left the cave, and has her arms wrapped around her.
"Maybe it's just me, but our trip to our own personal hell has left me a little cold, and I don't mean just mentally. Was it always this cold out, or am I imagining it?" Tasha's time in that elsewhere place, another death, another end, and the long painful reminder her creator may secretly -- or not so secretly -- resent her existence weighs on her. Nora will have to make a decision, sooner or later, as to how she and Tasha stand. If Tasha is her friend, family, loved one, a mixed bad acquaintance, or something darker: a rival, or perhaps, a dragon to slay on Nora's rise to glory. She can handle the first two results, but the second gives her pause.
Ultimately she, too, is a dragonslayer, and now also a dragon, the fate, it seems, of all dragon slayers, to reach a height so far above mortality that they cease to be of what they were, becoming something more like myth and legend, and therefore a target for all who would topple myths and legends to feed their own needs. She has fed her own needs for some time, and is no stranger to it, and so a problem presents itself:
Should the push of Nora connect with the shove of herself, what will she do..? And how far is she willing to go..?
"We're bringing the cold with us," Galatea suggests. "Hell is a cold place. How much of it was real though? It all came from ourselves, didn't it.. and stuff Kai knows.. maybe.."
"I'm uncertain. But there is something I remember you telling me: Kai was asleep during the events that transpired on your home world. She would only have known that detail if you told her, and you never told me, and presumably, never told Samael. So either it came from you, or, well, someone else -- such as Samael's patron." Tasha, covered in fur, is not overly bothered by light cold, but she does feel it, and it's rare enough with all the climate controlled ships, stations, and magical places. She hasn't been anywhere truly cold on the skin for a while. It stands out. "I wonder how far our cold travels. It makes me miss street lights."
Galatea pauses, looking between the well lit base and airfield and the dark residential towers. "I don't know where to go," she admits. "Astraea is home, but lonely. Are you going to tell any of the others about what happened?"
"Then come with me, even if it's just us, we can commiserate together. We're partners, aren't we? Don't partners and teams sit down after work, to complain and commiserate and talk about their day?" Tasha frowns at the dark towers, the cold wind, the artificial, unwelcoming lighting. "This feels like a time for a fire. Fireplace. We really need somewhere cozy, maybe made of wood, a tavern or a bar or a lodge. Well, I can start a fire somewhere, maybe we can grab some food and some drink, real liquor, and find a place around here to sit down?"
"There's the castle, but some of the caves lead to other.. whatevers," Galatea says. "You've been to some. Are you saying we need a lodge here? I don't know if the person to ask is Kai or Whisper."
"Whoever or whatever is in charge of it, it feels like a problem for later. Right now I think we need to sit down, eat, drink, and enjoy some warmth in our lives." Tasha stops to look out across the valley, which always feels too close, too far, too built up and never enough, like a metaphor. "How about the castle? We can sit atop a parapet, or find where ever old lord stickler placed his lounge."
"There are hearths," Galatea notes. "We just need to be careful to not disturb Whisper or the dragons."
"Luckily, we can both fly. Lets come in from the roof and make our way downward. But first, help me grab some firewood. We'll carry that and the food, liquor, there after." And then Tasha starts looking around for timber, not having collected firewood in what feels, and is, a lifetime ago. "It doesn't need to be dry or special. I can burn almost anything, with time."
"So.. the forest?" Galatea asks. "The Kobolds pretty much picked this area clean for the big party."
"Yeah. Might as well." And so Tasha turns and starts that way, walking through the night with Galatea.
Gathering firewood wasn't easy, requiring going deeper into the forest than usual. The monsters were restless, but other than a feeling of being stalked there wasn't any contact. After a few trips, the firewood and other supplies were transported to one of the ancient castle-lodge solars atop a tower. If the dragons noticed, they didn't react.
Tasha arrives with a large bag full of food and liquor, bottles and containers jostling together, making familiar and comfortable clinking and clonking noises. "Annnd that's all of it." She places it down on an old table, then walks towards the fireplace, picking up and moving a rocking chair closer as she does, before bending down to examine the pile of firewood. After a moment she extends her hand, and the wood begins to smoke, little wafts of gray smoke beginning to rise. "There. So..." She glances back to Galatea. "Anything you want to talk about? I brought chocolate, marshmallows, liquor, some meats, skewers, and a few other things we can roast..?"
"I don't know," Galatea says. "I've never been in this state before, and I haven't eaten in a long time. Or felt things, for that matter. What's the protocol?"
"well, there's many ways to handle it, some better than others. You can curl up in a corner, or under a blanket, you can sit and stare at the stars and feel the cold waft through you until it matches how you feel, or you can talk to someone, kick back, relax, and take some time to find creature comforts. There's other ways, too; no one has ever accused me of knowing all the ways to deal with your problems, or pains. It's something we all keep figuring out." The fire begins to crackle now, a red glow emanating, then orange, then yellow. Flames roil from deep within the stack of wood, eventually catching and burning on their own, and so Tasha rises and steps back. "Grab a chair and put it on the other side, and something to eat and drink. Whatever you want. Whatever appeals to you. Let your choise bring you comfort."
Galatea pulls up a chair, and looks over the food before selecting a marshmallow, which she sniffs before taking a bite. Something easy to start with. She sits back and sighs. "Alright, it doesn't matter where all of that came from in the arena," she says. "I don't know if I feel relieved or... just a bit numb. Am I a murderer, Tasha?"
Tasha pulls out a silvered small bottle, a skewer, marshmallows, a salami, and some cheeses. All of the food goes on the skewer, while the drink goes in her lap for now. She holds the skewer over the fire, crosses her legs, and drops back to really settle in to her chair. her wings curl around her, framing her. "I suppose it doesn't, though I'm curious." She allows some time for herself to think about Galates's question, then replies, "I am, by many accounts, a murderer. Murder is one of the things I can do, that I can do so others don't have to, but I do it for myself, as well. And I enjoy bloodshed, that much is clear, which in some eyes makes me a monster. So that is where I am, when I answer this: I think the question your seeking is more about the nature of murder. Why it bothers you. Why you avoid it, what made you avoid it originally. The personal morality of it, as the social morality of it is much more distant to you now. I think the answer to the question you're really looking for is, what does murder mean to me, and why was I so intent on avoiding it I refused to fight, and the let people die to escape the reality of the consequences. Afraid beyond reason of some consequence, or held some personal weakness, that was greater than the saving of people you cared about and your world."
"Yes," Galatea says. "I don't want to hurt people. I couldn't even hurt the monsters when they came. I should have destroyed them before it was too late. I wanted someone else to do it for me. It took a psychotic break for me to.. act. After being tortured for years, I acted, even if it didn't feel like myself doing it. But I did it. I planned it all, somehow, probably before I even got captured. But.. can I do it again? Can I fight, or am I still a coward?"
"Then in your own judgment you are a murderer: Or, conversely, an innocent is someone who will cling to their innocence regardless of the cost to others and themselves, regardless of the consequences." Tasha pulls back the skewer, sniffs it, then puts it back to roast a bit longer. "A murderer kills, for whatever reason. And, as you have seen, our existences are too troubled to maintain innocence without sacrificing everything for that purity. Innocence is not the same as approval, nor regard, nor success, nor a great many other positive qualities. It simply is. It can also come with a great many negative qualities, disregard, contempt, and so on. I think you saw innocence as inherently a state of approval and virtue, regardless of its actual cost. The same with being harmless. And murder, inherently without virtue." Tasha sniffs again, then bites off part of the sausage, chews, and swallows before putting the rest back to cook. "So, before you try hurling yourself at violence, maybe you should consider its virtues, and also the sins of innocence and harmlessness."
"Innocence," Galatea repeats in a sort of daze. "It's always someone else's fault. That's the trap. It's never someone else's fault. Really, nothing can take me over. I just.. never realized it. Or just buried it. Mother would not have left me vulnerable like that. I want to cry. I can't though, not without modifying this body." She clenches her fists, and says, "I'm angry at myself too. All those centuries feeling bad about escaping when I should have been feeling bad about not fighting."
"That's done is done, Galatea, at least until we figure out how to travel through time, and even then, it may just be another world." Tasha pulls back her skewer, starting to nibble at one end, like a metaphor for time itself. "It's not entirely not their fault, Galatea. Those who attacked you, those who attacked your world, those that made you need to fight, they have their guilt. But your response is yours. The anger, whether deserved or not, won't help very much unless it's productive. In the end being angry at yourself is just another way to run away, in to self-punishment, if it accomplishes nothing and paralyzes you. And, modify yourself to cry if you want. You also have the power to do what you want. Who is stopping you? Me? Kainudy? No one... Cry if you want to. Eat, if you want to. Just, let it serve your purposes, and let it help you grow. You also have a lot of merits, Galatea, don't forget that. Maybe they're hard to see, now, but they're there, in the future, waiting for you to find them."
Galatea takes some of the chocolate and stuff it into her mouth. "I used to be nice. Everyone liked me," she says, sniffling. "I used to like me too. But that me is gone, and not coming back. I should learn how to fight. How to act and then just accept the consequences. I haven't really acted since I shoved myself through that portal."
"Why is that you gone? Why can't you be liked?" Tasha arches a brow, mouth full of the skewered sausage she's slowly wearing down. After a swallow, she shakes the skewer at Galatea. "These things are just empty declarations. Being a murderer, fighting, killing, standing up for yourself, even bloody slaughter doesn't prevent you from being liked or being likable. These are just things you tell yourself, in a further act of punishment. You are caught eternally distancing, self-hating, pitying, blaming, and those things push people away and make it harder to like you. But they are not forever, and they are not inherently part of your existence. Like before, you can change, this time for the better. You can be better than who you were. Who you are." And then she spreads her arms, gesturing to all around them. "And I'd like to note I've killed hundreds, and people like me. They like me because I care about them, I help them, I fight for them, I love them, and because I'm fun and have a cheery personality -- usually. Not always. Did you ever really know people, Galatea..? Or were you, even while liked, apart?"
"Maybe I didn't know people, even when I lived as one of them," Galatea says, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees so she can support her head. "I wasn't.. grown up still. The thing about innocence is that it's very self-centered. I'm grown up now. I have to be liked as a grown up. Children don't commit mass murder and through civilizations into turmoil. I need to be liked as an adult from this point on. Not some weird, aloof alien with mommy issues. I just don't know how yet."
"Have you considered just... saying that? Or, maybe introducing yourself, to everyone? Talk about your past. Open up. Admit your mistakes, tell everyone that's why you refused to fight. That you don't want it anymore, but you're having a hard time. Everyone here is here because they're outsiders, some broken, some monsters, others desperate to find some reason, some thing to believe in. Many of us have tremendous failures that haunt us, blood on your hands, or some other specter that haunts us. The first step, I think, is making the effort to connect, to reach out and talk to people. Mistakes will happen, failures will, but keep trying. Repeated effort is the key, it took me quite a while to grow up, too." Tasha finishes her salami section, then slides off a marshmallow and throws it back, consuming it. "As for confronting violence, luckily we now have a way to do that somewhat safely. And there is one other thing: Someone still needs your help. They are out there, right now, and they need your help."
"Most people here are afraid of me," Galatea claims. "They're wary of Kai, but she's more predictable. But you really think telling people I'm a coward and a mass murderer will endear myself to them? Tell them I'm afraid of myself too? 'I know you're probably scared of me, but so am I!' like it's a joke?"
Tasha snorts. "No, not that, what it will do is humanize -- Nora's word-memory not my choice of words -- you. It will show you're flawed and have things you're working on. Most people here thinking you're some kind of life-displacing super being beyond both their ken and capacity to relate to. So make yourself relatable. And you're right, some are afraid of you, and maybe some of them are afraid of me, too. With power and skill come fear. There's nothing we can do about that, but we can add more, sympathize more, be more than just our power."
"I thought my flaws were obvious," Galatea says. "Everyone seemed more comfortable with Tia. She was warm and friendly. But I think I was just taking advantage of how Karnor's view Humans. Do I seem predatory to you?" she then asks, looking to Tasha. "Emotionally predatory, I mean. Looking for weakness I can exploit."
"Not exactly. You create masks and beings you inhabit because you feel others will approve of them more, proxies that can be believed in, because they're not entirely 'you'. You can be liked as them because you have decided they're not really 'you', and so safe to experiment with. You seem more emotionally defensive, you exploit people's leanings and interests to create proxies that are approved of. There is a barrier between you and other people, and both the proxy forms and your 'manipulation' are part of it. Though," here Tasha tilts her head as she thinks, "I think you're also desperate to be approved of and liked, seeking shortcuts that often are more poisonous than you realize. And because they can't fulfill you, you hurt yourself in the end, too, because you know the approval and the way to it was staged."
"Oh god, I am like my mother," Galatea says, and then bursts out laughing, not quite making it to hysterical laughter though. "I'm always hiding, never letting anyone see the real me because I really am scary and manipulative. Kai cheats and makes everyone feel at ease around her, but I'm nearly as bad. How come I can't be like Tia while being myself? It took being blown up just to show what I originally looked like!"
Tasha listens to all this with a raised brow and a mouth full of marshmallows, which just just grabs by a handful from the bag and throws in her open muzzle -- they all sizzle and blacken immediately, then she starts chewing. This gives her enough time to listen, and also think on what to say. "Just because you may be like her doesn't mean you are her, and being scary isn't unique to you. You're protecting yourself from pain, Galatea. You've always been protecting yourself from pain. Kainudy had different reasons, but it's important to remember they are different reasons. And even if all that's true, so what? At least now you know what's wrong -- and what you want to change." Tasha picks up a marshmallow and flicks it at Galatea. "A step forward, yet again. Getting closer, Galatea."
The flicked marshmallow stops in midair so Galatea can grab it in her hand and then chew on it. "I'm going to crush an asteroid after all of this," she notes. "Who are you going to invite to hell next?" she asks. "I have to think about changing for a bit."
"Well, it'll be difficult for me to fight someone very close to me, like Gabriel, Katie, and so on. So maybe one of the dragons. Kai would be an interesting opponent just because she's difficult to fight and overcome, and so many of our enemies manipulate the mind. I'd like to fight a Titan without a Titan. Maybe if I fought a large group of us, it'd be easier than fighting someone I know, one on one." Tasha scratches her nose as she puts aside her skewer, now empty. "I've considered seeing what happens if I let my power out. Something weird was happening to me on the edge of my conversation with you, as you were healing. And that reminds me." Tasha leans in. "That was the first time we spoke since the explosion, wasn't it?"
"Yes, at least that I'm aware of," Galatea says. "I don't think I have a subconscious, but I also wasn't managing my mental abilities before then. Do you remember something happening earlier?"
"I spoke to what appeared to be you in Tatha-hem's Bridle, within that hyperdimensional space, while I was attempting to converse with Tatha-hem. You -- she -- appeared from one of the gates, explaining Tatha-hem communicates via symbolism. It showed me Colors, like Red, that I hadn't known before. And when I think I figured out what it was trying to tell me, it provided me with a symbolic floating taco filled with light. I ate it." Tasha then taps her temples with both pointer fingers. "I think the entity was the Maelstrom, come to talk with me. The taco filled my mind with knowledge of it, though I don't remember most of it."
"I've been to the bridal space, so Tatha-hem would have remembered me," Galatea says. "Or it could have been the Maelstrom. Or something else. I shouldn't be able to project myself into that place."
"It talked about you, too. Indirectly. It's why I sought you out and entered your sleep, because what it said worried me, and I came immediately. Something about a problem, I don't remember the details now. But it was enough." Tasha settles back, then starts unscrewing the bottle in her lap. "So I don't think it was you. It spoke of you and Tatha-hem in third person. And it knew the Maelstrom. I think, in talking to it, I somehow became more... Complete. And after the body swap, closer too... Something. On the verge of understanding."
"The Maelstrom is complicated," Galatea says. "I don't grasp it all myself. I used to have much bigger brains than I do now. I can do the math in my head, but perceiving higher dimensions and visualizing them are two different things."
"So beyond me to comprehend logically and intellectually; maybe I can understand it instinctually. Conceptually." Tasha tilts her head back and forth. "And the Colors are interesting. The Green of Desire, the Black of Death, the Purple of the Unknown. I've added them to me, even though they feel more foreign. It's strange, isn't it, for a mortal to carry the concept of death itself in them, isn't it? Desire I relate to very well. And Mystery, the concealed, is something I chase after, but maybe now have become."
"Mortals are the most familiar with death, so it's not surprising," Galatea has. "There's a death urge in them that I don't understand. But those are the colors of Kainudy's flames.. other than Purple. Blue, Green, Gold, Red, White and Black are the ones I know of."
"So, Purple is new. It did feel the most unusual, the most foreign. I'm not surprised I learned of it at the edge of knowing, reaching out to the ineffable. I'm not familiar with Gold, though, nor White. Can you describe them to me? Maybe I can feel them out. I know your own soul contains Black and White." Tasha leans in, ears forward.
"Gold is.. warm," Galatea tries to explain. "Love, in a spiritual sense. White is life, or the transfer of life. It can be used to purify as well."
"I see." Tasha nods a little. "I should be able to understand those. My souls contains them, though I don't understand them as well as some of the others. Red is Life though perhaps more like the cycle of things. Living. Energy and movement. Creation and destruction. Perhaps Gold is, then, more like faith." Tasha leans back, takes a sip, and then says, "I have suspected Orange may be the color of Vril, or Vril itself. Those that have it conceal its nature. I think it might be something like comprehension, a deeper understanding. Understanding so great it becomes physical, manifested. Perhaps enlightenment."
"Trancendental Illumination, Cosmic Consciousness, The Philosopher's Stone," Galatea lists off. "Some are a series of levels or trial, some require the destruction and reconstruction of the self... Vril must be in there somewhere."
"Yes, and there must be some reason most mortals cannot wield it without being destroyed by it. Why those two survived. Maybe the answer lies in lost Hyperborea, their home. The place of the first men. You may be interested to know, Daniarood was there, long ago, in person. There's a statue of her with Ormazd, together, as allies." A smile then creeps on to Tasha's muzzle. "Maybe we should go there ourselves and have a look. An adventure and a distant, long lost ruin from your family's past may be a good way to test yourself, as well."
"I don't know how to get there," Galatea says, and looks into the fire. "It may only exist in Daniarood's memories now. Or it's a place apart, like Faerie. Like the Dreamlands, a place of adventure."
"Perhaps. The first men were associated with the Fae, so perhaps it passed in to the Fae realms. Kai knows about the Fae, so perhaps she knows where it is. And being Kainudy, maybe Kaiundy knew, too. Kaiundy had already achieved a kind of transcendence through forced methods, as directed by Daniarood. And, of course, Daniarood herself would know. But that feels a bit like cheating, and may give away our plot." Tasha sips again, exhales, sighs, looks out the window. In a sudden change of topic and mood, she asks, "Do you see me as a dragonslayer, or a dragon, Galatea?"
"Our plot?" Galatea asks, and looks at Tasha. "There's not really much of difference between the two, in my opinion. Most dragonslayers are dragons. But.. 'It takes a mortal to kill a monster' according to Kainudy, despite her having killed monsters. It must be some special definition of 'monster' for that rule?"
"I have no idea. Maybe she just liked putting faith in mortals?" Tasha shrugs her shoulders. "Immortals can be complacent, while we're more driven. Anyway, I ask because my creator will soon have a body, and my trial involved her. her resentment, her endless hunger to be the best, her mortal-turned-immortal will. That she'll be hounding me, never fully trustworthy, always taking some of my attention, soon. That she may help or hinder me, and maybe, just maybe, she'd rather I be gone altogether. Then she can 'have back' her life, that I 'stole' in meeting her thousand-years plan to save her crew. A tool that went too far."
"There is some saying about never meeting your heroes," Galatea says. "Wasn't she your hero for awhile, until she was actually there for you to interact with?"
"She was. I still think she's amazing, which is why she concerns me. Her capabilities exceed mine, at least compared to our beginnings, in many ways. And like me, she's determined. Unlike me, she had the benefit of an advanced education and being raised to expect, and be expected to be, the best. An entire culture dedicated to breeding and gene-tweaking the very best. Gabriel is from the same culture, and they were briefly together. She may still harbor feelings for him, and want him 'back', as if he were some trophy." Tasha shakes her head slowly, frowning at the fire. "I don't mind her testing herself against me, or even a friendly rivalry. But if she starts going too far, I may have to deal with it. The trial reminded me of all of it, and that it may come to pass, soon. How much I'm willing to let her get away with, because she made me possible. How much I forgive being a tool, how much of my fate I feel I owe her. And, what I will do to protect what I have. If Nora challenges the dragonslayer-dragon, how will I respond?"
Tasha hunches over a little, wings curling inward. "Maybe I just fear the answer. I know what I am, and how I respond to serious threats. If I have to... If I must... I will beat her down. And if that's not enough, well... "
"Well, you did kill your first hero, Blackwings," Galatea points out. "Though not out of any of the reasons you just listed, I think. I've wanted to make Kainudy feel bad for my failure. Not the same as a rivalry or mercy killing though."
"It's complicated, that's for sure. I really hope Nora turns out better than the need to chase after me endlessly; even if she kills me, I'm not sure she'll get what she wants. I don't think Gabriel will forgive her, unless she manipulates the situation so intensely no one knows what really happened." Tasha scratches the back of one hand with the other. "I get itchy when I feel some threat is looming over me. I want to destroy it."
"You could have a son with Gabriel, and let Nora fixate on him," Galatea suggests. "I've had two, myself, and found it very rewarding."
"Not a bad idea," Tasha says, leaning back again, looking up at the ceiling. "I have a daughter now. My fears of having children are lesser. And, it would put a barrier up that Nora could not cross, unless she truly has fallen in to a deep and bitter resentment."
Galatea sits back. "What have you brought to drink?" she asks.
"I'm not sure, it's something Mr. Invention suggested, and it's expensive. So why not now? Silverstar Brandy, apparently grown on the planet Elysium." Tasha offers the bottle over. "It's really good. Lets drink, relax, and rest. I'm sure we'll have enough to do tomorrow."
Tasha hasn't been hungover in awhile. She always thought that fancy booze wouldn't cause one, somehow. The tower is called a solar because is gets sunlight all day, and the morning is no exception, with the dawn sun shining directly into her left eye.
"Uuuugh-k," goes Tasha as she stretches in place, then rubs her eyes and shifts to sit up, yawning. "Shouldn't castles be darker ... "
BAM! The door to the chamber slams open and several figures enter. First there's Whisper, followed by Pheeny and lastly a tall figure wearing a floor-length cloak and hood that obscures them completely, save for a long black beard. "Hey!" Whisper shouts (or says, and it just hits like a shout). "We want to go to the space thingy and buy clothes!"
Even Galatea stirs from whatever state she was in that is similar to sleep, and blinks several times.
"AGH-" goes Tasha, who quite nearly falls out of her chair, wings shooting out and hands speeding to her ears. She even glows for a moment, as if like coal, ready to ignite. "PLEASE don't DO that. Ugh." She cracks an eye open, reviews the people in front of her, but lights up when she sees Pheeny. "Hiiiiiii Pheeny, you want to go to... Space?"
"Shopping," Pheeny says. "Sapient females my apparent age enjoy such rituals, I've learned."
"Who's been teaching her things?" Galatea asks Tasha.. just a tiny bit accusingly.
"Ohhhhhh," goes Tasha, who is still squinting at the lot of them. She glances at Galatea, gives a tiny shrug, and then looks back. "Well, that is true, at least in the civilization I come from, but... There are potential problems, you see. Caltrop the, um, space castle, is a Sifran holding, and they know very well how to oppress and erode certain forms of magic, and other powers, which can be... Well, it can be very hard on beings made of it. Going there might be dangerous, although it's not the only, um, town in space."
"You mean that giant resort station?" Galatea asks. "Or.. uh.. I haven't traveled much in this reality. Just to Ymir and here and Caltrop."
"That's an option. So is Ymir," Tasha tells Galatea, nodding slowly. "There should be many more. Why don't we, um... " Tasha looks around for a moment, gathering herself, then fixes on the robed, bearded man. "Wormwood?"
The tall figure shuffles forward oddly, the cloak hem never rising up from the floor. "This is Lord Beardington," Whisper introduces. "He can't bow or shake hands," she adds.
"He's a bunch of Kobolds in a cloak with a beard, isn't he," Tasha says, frowning at the entity, leaning in, sniffing. Then she looks to the two girls. "I'll see what we can do. There's also shopping remotely, and having us pick things up. But, I assume you want to see the place for yourself, the reality that most of us come from."
"I would like to see.. people," Pheeny requests. "In large groups... doing mortal things."
"Been there," Galatea comments, and looks at Beardington. "Three Kobolds?" she guesses.
"And you all complain about me only ever wearing this shift," Whisper claims. "Unless it's because of Laundry Day."
"What they're wearing now will be a problem elsewhere," Galatea notes to Tasha.
"Well, Ymir is good for that, and they have shops. We could also go to that resort," Tasha considers aloud. "What do you all think, a planet with a big tree full of water we've been to before, or a resort we've never traveled to?" Then she pauses, looks the girls over, and nods again. "Yes, it will be. We'll have to pick something up before we visit anywhere, I can send someone to grab some clothes from Caltrop as a quick solution, and we can work from there. I'll inform Gabriel, he can select someone, and also that we're heading out."
"Just send their measurements to Miss Necessity and get them uniforms," Galatea suggests. "I want one too. But I can be Human for that. We shouldn't have more than one weird looking creature at the same time."
"There are not a lot of species then?" Pheeny asks.
"What do the uniforms look like?" Whisper asks. "We can bring the dragons, right?"
"Not Lord Beardington," Galatea says.
"There are several, but the local governments don't expect more than the regulars. Outliers are considered to be either custom creations or very, very suspicious. There are complex, ancient laws regarding making new species and finding existing ones, which is why newcomers are a problem." Tasha turns to Galatea now and says, "Alright, that's easy enough. Katie's worked with Miss Necessity a lot, I'll send her over to do the measurements. As for the dragons... If they stay in Human form, that should be fine. They need the experience, anyway, being in our home universe that is."
"Will I be weird?" Pheeny asks.
Tasha takes out her handy data slate and begins punching in messages, to Gabriel and Katherine. "The ship isn't very large, but we can rearrange the interior. It may be time to do that."
"There's a Confederate species that looks like you, Pheeny," Galatea says.
"Yes, you'll have an easier time. You just must be very careful not to display your powers, but that goes for all of us, myself included. Most people there think I'm a Mezzode -- a custom made being created by the wealthy -- as opposed to what I really am, a custom made being created by a godlike space whale and previous a low budget angel created by a Vartan and a god with a competitive problem."
"I can fix that," Whisper offers. "I need to learn how to create monsters anyway!"
"You can be a Vartan if you need to," Galatea reminds Tasha.
"You mean Vasha, or some other way?" Tasha rubs her nose, then scoots her chair over with a loud dragging until she's out of direct sunlight. "You want to create monsters, Whisper? Why is that? Sorry, I just woke up."
"It's part of my.. purpose!" Whisper claims. "Gotta have monsters to hunt! Monsters are fun!"
"I guess that's true," Tasha says with an understanding nod. "But why do we need them this time? Where we're going?"
"Oh.. I wouldn't bring any," Whisper says. "Unless they need monsters?"
"You said you could fix something with monsters. Maybe I'm being daft; I just woke up. There's sun." Tasha looks to Galatea, maybe she understands?
"We're bringing the Kobolds too, aren't we?" Pheeny asks.
"Mmmm," Galatea comments.
That's when a bunch more Kobolds arrive, bringing breakfast. There's coffee, and steak and eggs. Toast too.
"Only a few, and they have to stay on the ship," Tasha insists. "You and the dragons can decide which ones, but they should stay out of sight. The ship's not very large, but we can probably manage a few of them." Tasha then lights up once again at the image of breakfast, clapping her hands together. "Immediate bribery, the best kind."
"They know how to take care of dragons," Pheeny says. "They give me and Whisper baths. And they stopped using pumice."
"All positive traits. Alright, you can bring as many as we can manage, but not all of them. There just isn't room." Tasha holds out her hands to receive food. "We can review more about how to behave and what to expect along the way."
Once the food is delivered, the Kobolds start cleaning her up as well, preening her feathers and brushing out her hair, even un-mussing her fur. At least there isn't a sponge-bath involved.
Tasha doesn't object at all, after all, she needs it, and it makes the Kobold happy to attend to a dragon, even a dragon like her. With breakfast squared away she gathers everyone up and heads for the residential building to meet Gabriel and Katherine, as well as anyone else interested in coming along or being a part of things, as she announces the trip base-wide shortly after confirming with Gabriel. The dragons, too, are invited along.
"I've heard about Aegis Station, but could never afford a visit," Yue says. "They sometimes have conferences there but not in my field. It's very nice."
"And it is a giant tube floating in the aether?" Wormwood asks for clarification.
"Very nice sounds very nice," Tasha admits with a grin. "What's your take on our exciting group of people visiting? Any concerns, do they have psychics, readers, anything we should be concerned over..? Is it a giant bubble floating in the ether?"
"It's a bit bigger than giant," Gabriel explains. "And it's a cylinder, which is a tube that's closed at both ends. It is in orbit around a star with a very rich asteroid belt."
"Is it what's known and an O'Neil Cylinder, Gabe?" Tasha taps the side of her head. "I seem to recall something about those, that they're TerraGens designs."
"Yes, it was built by Belters," Gabriel says. "Back before genetic engineering allowed them to thrive without needing Terran levels of gravity."
"So it's something of a an 'old town', but I assume it's been upgraded extensively since its construction?" Tasha's ears perk up. She does, for some reason, grin a little more, lopsidedly, the long she looks at Gabriel. Her tail wags, just a bit.
"So, there should be lots of Terrans there," Katie guesses. "Karnors, Phins, Pans, Humans and animals," she reads off her data pad. "It offers unique attractions and activities since it has different levels of 'gravity' at different levels."
"Interesting, so something of a fun throwback to an older style of spacefairing. A bit like how our worlds can seem quaint to some." Tasha nods. "Well, it's suitable. I assume there will be non-TerraGens guests?"
"Lots of Khattans and Vartans," Katie notes. "And other winged species as well. It's apparently a lot of fun for flyers. Major port as well. So a 'Courier Service' like ours would not be out of place."
"Sounds perfect. Katie, can you see to uniforms? You're used to working with Miss Necessity and know what to look for," Tasha asks, head tilting. "Galatea will need one too, although she'll be recreating a Human form, so not the current one."
"I already have her measurements for that," Katie claims, without saying how she got those measurements. "Jonas's scanner can get the girls' and dragons' measurements in an instant. We'll need to send some of this to Mrs. Teatime to get identities for everyone as well."
"That makes sense. Is there anything left handled, then?" Tasha looks between everyone. "Anything at all..?"
"Well.. not looking like rubes," Yue says. "I'm sure the dragons will be dignified, but the kids have to resist the urge to run off and look at shiny things."
"So there's a culture of taking advantage, then? I'll stay with them, it'll be my first time really being a mom," Tasha volunteers, then she grins a bit more. "And I know how to resist looking at shiny things."
"There's a petting zoo with animals from over twenty different worlds," Katie reads off. "A nightclub that's over thirty-thousand square meters and includes an underwater bar. Golf, skiing and other Terran sports, updated to make use of the unique trajectories of thrown objects there.."
"Sounds a bit like Charon's interior," Sharon says.
"Hanging gardens that are literally hanging from the sky too," Katie lists. "And luxury hotels of course."
"I wonder if there's a party Waymaker!" Tasha wags her tail. "Just all excitement and festivities inside. I want to meet that one." She wags all the more. "And I'd like to try Terran sports, just to try them. And of course the nightclub."
"Are their dayclubs?" Gwyndrael asks. "For people who like to sleep at night?"
"Night is.. umm.. not really a thing, so it's just a descriptive name," Katie explains.
"It means it's a bit dark inside," Yue adds.
"Yes, space -- and I'm not sure you've ever seen outer space -- is enternally black, with orbs of light floating in it. Daytime, as we know it, is really just the rotation of planets around these orbs of light. Since the cylinder floats in space, and due to its shape, it doesn't have day and night, they're all artificial or controlled by the cylinder's alignment with the light orb, also called a sun," Tasha recites. "Nightclubs simulate night time events from worlds that have night, or at least the idea of night from longer than some species remember it."
"So it's like night with stars and constellations," Wormwood summarizes. "And it gets light from the sun."
"And big mirrors," Gabriel says. "The biggest ever made."
"That's it, except unlike some realms, space is quite hostile to mortals, as it's a freezing cold airless vacuum," Tasha further explains. "So going outside in to it requires special protection -- and being outside in it without that protection is very, very alarming for most entities we'll meet. You also may encounter machine-minds, which may not have conventional bodies, but are intelligences of light, electricity, and other things, inhabiting vehicles, structures, and devices. They can range from very simple to well beyond mortal intelligence."
"Machine spirits," Thermoriax says. "I have encountered such things."
"To be safe, the dragons should stay in the hangar while Dark Horse goes through the local gate," Galatea suggests. "If for some reason their magic doesn't work, and they transform back into their draconic forms, that will be the safest spot."
"Very wise. I'll stay in there, too, to keep an eye on things, and just in case my newer powers have a problem I can guide people back through the gate, due to my link to you, Galatea." Tasha smiles at the woman. "But I don't expect any problems."
Hakeber asks, "Is Kai coming too? When we brought up this trip before, the Lapis seemed uninterested."
"I will be staying behind," Jonas says.
"Kai can come if she wants to, although I'm a bit leery of transferring so many of our most powerful people, especially while we're monitoring certain situations. We are still, after all, active." Tasha then turns to Jonas and arches a brow. "No love for resorts, Jonas?"
"I prefer privacy," Jonas says.
"And I don't want to jostle things too much," Liza claims.
"I can stay and just get Galatea's memories later," Kai says, grinning. "It's not like you'll need to kill anyone."
"Well, you never know. I might get very competitive during whatever skiing is," But Tasha just smiles toothily. "Hopefully this will just be relaxing and educational."
Tasha also nods to Jonas. "I understand."
"A preview of what to expect on Daltoona," Katie says. "We should practice moving in small groups."
"I suggest one dragon per group then," Yue says. "Tasha counts as a dragon for this, but she'll have Whisper and Pheeny."
"That's what I was thinking, too, Katie. A good opportunity for various groups to get used to moving together. We should also assume we're being monitored here and that may factor in to our future plans, come up in interviews, and so on, so we need to watch how we act and what we say." She then nods to Yue. "I agree, on all of that. I also suggest one Tasha per group, that way we'll have combined experience, we can coordinate if there's a disruption to communications, and the rest of me needs more experience away from the rest of me."
"That's four groups then, minimum," Yue says. "Having a Karnor and a Human in them is good too, but we'll be short one Human."
"You mean a real Human, I presume," Wormwood says.
Yue smacks herself in the forehead. "Right.. you'll all be Human."
"I'm the only Vartan," Vasha says. "Who should I be with?"
"Probably with a a Karnor or Human, you'll still be considered 'foreign', that is, Khattan, just as I will be. Not local, not TerraGens," Tasha answers Vasha.
"I'll need a Karnor or Human as well, come to think of it," Tasha adds.
"I'll be with you," Gabriel tells Tasha. "Galatea can be the Human."
"I suppose I will be Whisper's mother then," Galatea says. "As an Aquilan, Pheeny doesn't fit in with any of the represented factions, so it shouldn't matter that she stays with Tasha."
"Then we can be the flag-team, or Team One. If something happens, look to us first." Tasha then nods to Galatea. "I wonder if Galactic Law allows for adoptions outside a faction? I would like Pheeny to be registered as my daughter. It doesn't feel right to act otherwise."
"It probably won't come up," Yue says. "It's a place for rich people, and that means there aren't going to be a lot of questions."
"Mrs. Teatime will set things up," Katie points out. "She'll make Pheeny Tasha's daughter and arrange for us getting into the station. She probably has a grandkid working there."
"Wonderful. Oh and I suggest placing Vasha with Shojo and Lacci, along with a Karnor or Human. This will then appear like a TerragGen invited them in, and draw less attention. We can also let the dragons pick who they wish to be with, what group they think they'll get the most out of joining," Tasha suggests.
"I can go with the Vartans," Thermoriax notes. "I understand that Vartans do not usually travel unless they are military or outcasts."
"Bodyguards?" Vasha asks, looking at Shojo.. who is always somewhat intimidating.
"We don't look like bodyguards," Lacci points out to Vasha.
"Doesn't matter, you'll be in Dark Horse livery," Gabriel points out.
"Sort of like being in the Templars," Hakeber says.
"I can team up with Sasha and Hakeber, unless we need to spread them out more," Yue says. "Katie with Gwyn, if you ask me. They're both.. well.. glamorous."
"I guess I get Mr. Wormwood?" Mressa asks.
"And me, I think," Sharon says.
"We're a mixed-faction business under an ostensibly Khattan -- ahem -- aegis, some creation of a rich lordling. Even I'm supposed to just be a representative of our non-existence benefactor. Of course, people assume we're up to more than that, but that's also normal for a Khattan enterprise like this." She then looks to Mressa. "You're a special card, as an actual Khattan you can appear to be closer to our fictional leadership. And as Mezzode, you can claim me as a representative. If we need to go that far."
"As long as I don't have to make any actual deals," Mressa says.
"Just give out the card and tell them to talk to Mr. Yves," Katie suggests.
"This Mr. Yves sounds formidable," Wormwood says.
"Moreso than I am, at least," Gabriel says. "I'm just a soldier-explorer."
"More so than me, when it comes to organization and more. The man is a not-literal wizard when it comes to running anything," Tasha elaborates.
"He's very good at gathering and using intelligence," Katie says. "And his wife is an amazing makeup artist."
"I guess that means you are going to be in charge of makeup, Katie?" Hakeber asks with a grin.
"Yes!" Katie agrees with a gleam in her eye.
"I'm perfect, I was created by a whale god," Tasha insists, striking a pose. "Makeup can't improve me."
"I can make your hair look like gold," Katie notes. "Very shiny."
"Awk! What about me?" Vasha asks eagerly.
"Hmmm, maybe something with your beak?" Katie suggests.
"Beak tattoos, gold inlay, lights," Tasha suggests, and she does bounce a bit at the idea of having gold hair. "I also want fancy tattoo patterns."
"I wanna look hot!" Hakeber says. "Since I'm already the fun one."
"I know exactly what do with Tasha's face," Katie claims.
"I don't need to look fancy," Sharon says. "I'm just Mressa's Liza. I mean, Personal Assistant."
Tasha blinks a great many times at the mention to Katie knowing exactly what to do with her face. She fidgets, and her smile becomes much, much wider. "I see."
Katie raises her brows. "What, surprised?" she asks.
"Just excited. And I liked the wording," Tasha responds, tail wagging more.
"Your whole body, really.. but for this it'll just be your face," Katie claims. "It won't be gaudy, but significant."
"You may do things with my whole body, too," Tasha says, folding her hands in front of her belly and coyly ducking her head. "If you wish, Katie."
"I have to work on Gwyn too... depending on how much control she has over her form... and myself," Katie points out, and looks to the Vartans. "And others."
"Can I get an earring?" Shasha asks.
"I want an earring too then!" Whisper demands.
"It requires punching a hole through your earlobe," Galatea informs Whisper.
"I don't need an earring!" Whisper amends.
"I understand," Tasha says, nodding. "I can share." She then grins at Whisper. "You should get ear jewlery, for your long ears, like clip on chains or something. You ahve a pretty waifish look, which should look nice with delicate flowing patterns."
"The elfin ears should not draw much attention," Yue says. "That's well within current Human cosmetic modifications."
Mressa says, "I have some that might fit. It is a Khattan style."
"And Pheeny can lean in to the phoenix-styling as a artistic and fashion choice, as with luminescent hair, and other fashion styles. That we both have a certain fiery look might be useful as well," Tasha suggests.
"Mmmm," Galatea notes. "It is good that Kai is not coming along."
Kai just smiles her semi-scary smile.
"Kai is always along, in our hearts. And on our shoulders, with a pitchfork," Tasha says, as if it were a prayer. She lays her hand over her heart.
It takes a few days for all the arrangements to made, IDs and uniforms to be picked up and a few tests done to make sure the dragons wouldn't lose their magic on entering the adjacent reality. With the full complement of crew, it was decided that only three Kobolds could come. Once the Dark Horse is underway, Katie sets up her makeup station in the Med Bay.
Tasha arrives some time later, coffee in hand. "The kids really find the ship interesting. I had to field so many 'what's in here,' 'what's in there', 'what's this big crystal for', 'how is it powered by a demon and are you going to do that to Sam' and so on questions. I'm glad my daughter is less rambunctious than our dear elf lady," she remarks as she steps in. "How goes the makeup?"
"Whisper has been complaining about wearing pants, and having stuff 'press up against her'," Galatea notes from the corner. She doesn't have anything to do.
"I've done Vasha so far," Katie says. "Are you ready for your enhancement? Is that coffee for me?"
"I drank some of it but you can have the rest," Tasha says, putting the coffee near Katie and patting it, then she hurries to the chair. "How'd Vasha take things?"
"She went to look in a mirror and.. well, that's that," Katie says, and sips some of the coffee. "Have a seat!"
"She's going to be there for hours, you know." Tasha hops in to the chair and settles in, wiggling in to comfort. "So, getting along with Gwyndrael, then?"
"I'm going to steal her away from you," Katie claims, and grins. "So yes, I get along well with her. Is that how you want to wear your hair, or want a different style?"
"Well, I did arrange things. Stealing is a bit unnecessary," Tasha insists, grinning back. "And you know me, I don't know much about fashion, anywhere. I'm just an adventurer-dragon in a fancy body."
"In that case, I will do as I will!" Katie says, wiggling her fingers. "Tia, do the thing!"
"What thing?" Tia asks.
"Where you put her to sleep," Katie clarifies, sighing. The drama of the moment has passed.
"Oh the thing, this should be good," Tasha says, folding her hands in her lap. "Wait, why do I need to be asleep?" Her brows arch, and she starts looking over.
"Mmmm," Tia goes. She does that a lot lately. "Tasha, can I put you to sleep?"
"Because I want things to be a surprise," Katie says. "And one part will be easier if you're asleep."
"I'll pretend to be shocked and surprised to make Katie happy." Tasha returns to where she was, and then exclaims, face a mask of faux-alarm "Wait asle-..!" And then she pauses, spinning a hand in a 'now, do it' kind of way.
And just like a switch being flipped, Tasha is.. turned off. Then she's back on, as if no time has passed. Katie is looking at her with a pleased expression, gold-dipped paintbrush in hand.
"I feel like a device," Tasha complains, blinking a bit as she comes to. "So, all done? Or has a million years passed and everything just happens to be exactly the same?"
"All done," Katie says, smiling. "I had a lot of elements to add."
"Uranium, carbon, gold... " Tasha starts to get up then, wondering if her weight -- or body -- has changed any, looking down at herself. "I'll just clear out then so you can get to the next person, and go have a look?"
There is some weight to the sides of her head, where her hair is hanging down. "Sure, go have a look!" Katie says. "And you don't even have to be naked."
"Mmmm," Tia comments.
"Where's the fun in that, though!" Tasha pats Tia as she walks past, saying, "Welcome to the crew, by the way! We're usually like this."
Then she goes, "Mmmm," a split second later, to try and predict and match Tia's response.
"Send in Pheeny if you see her," Katie says.
"Will-do!" Tasha hurries out before anything else can happen, not wanting to take up Katie's precious time. She then makes her way to her quarters, where she can turn the whole wall in to a mirror.
She's in her 'uniform', which looks out of place with her new look. Her hair really does look like spun gold, and brushed back from her brow on top, save for two long streamers that frame her face. The wait comes from black, jade and agate stone beads that have been woven into them. Dominating everything those is the decoration on the left side of her face. Traced in gold around her left eye is the Eye of Horus, with a golden arch on her brow, the outline around her eye and the sweeping lines below and extending back.
Tasha beams, though she can't help but wonder if Thoth would consider the Eye to be some kind of betrayal. She can't place the rest of the look, which is no surprise given her lack of fashion acumen, but it feels familiar somehow, like she's seen it somewhere before. The gold hair, especially, is exciting, as is the Eye -- really it's all exciting. And she decides it makes her look more mature, somehow, which she supposes is good, if she's about to have her first outing as a mom -- fewer questions as to why her daughter only looks a few years younger than her.
A short time later, Tasha sees that Pheeny has been given the Eye of Ra on her right eye, so that the two of them match. Giving her the symbol of a sun god seems appropriate.
Tasha does think it's appropriate, and they look suitably expensive, exotic, and matched, so that should help people link the two should Pheeny get lost, or other trouble arise. "Looks like we're ready to 'hit the town', Pheeny. That's a saying, we don't actually hit the town. We're just going there -- with style."