[Nexus] Trog's Tavern CCXLVII

[Arkhosia]

"Heh. Yeah... Holo-girl's new, though. Have to come back later and see what a little jolt'll do to her."

Ashara grins wickedly, the flames in her pupils flaring up at that idea. Seems she's not fond of unkillable things taking up residence in her favorite bar...

I think the result will be shocking.
Makaria jokes, returning a similar grin.

[Lady Serpentine]

I think the result will be shocking.
Makaria jokes, returning a similar grin.

"Heh. Nice one... And yes. It ought to be an electrifying show," Ashara answers, ruffling Makaria's hair, if the other Tiefling allows her to, then leaning back in her chair.

[Arkhosia]

"Heh. Nice one... And yes. It ought to be an electrifying show," Ashara answers, ruffling Makaria's hair, if the other Tiefling allows her to, then leaning back in her chair.

Well, my parents always said I was rather bright.
Try to make it flashy.
Makaria replies as her hair is ruffled.
so... what drinks do they have here?

It would be awful if the hologram heard them!

[Rebonack]

Now that she's sure the shooting and fighting and immediate danger is done Allo walks back around the couch and flops into it again.

Did Trog's always have a couch by the fireplace?

Seems it does now.

Without any threats to deal with Allomyrina dials her 'don't notice me' glamor back down to more reasonable levels. It isn't the sort of magic she's best with and it tends to get rather draining if she leaves it active for too long.

Right as she's about to return to perusing her book the nearby conversation catches her attention. May as well speak up if only because it'll prevent someone from doing something stupid and getting hurt.

"It's a security phantasm manifested by batteries of emitters spread all over the tavern. It's just a collection of light and force fields being controlled by a program in a computer. You can't hurt it."

[Darkcomet]

Said security hologram just pointedly stares over at that conversation about holo-murder attempts.

She/it kinda just stands over by Allo, probably having had something in mind before.

"This must be the 'ingratitude' emotion I was warned about. I save someone from being shot by a maniac marine mammal and everyone wants to kill me for it. What do you believe I should do about this, Specialist?"

[Rebonack]

Allomyrina frowns a bit at that question.

"You can't control the emotional reactions of others. At least not without using magic of questionable ethical standing."

Using glamor to warp someone's emotional state without their express consent is illegal on her home world. Usually legal written consent. It's a matter that's taken very seriously.

"All anyone can do is act on their best judgement. You probably saved someone's life today, though I think it would have been wise to avoid killing that... creature."

She still isn't sure how the dolphin was walking around.

"Though to be fair things that get dumped out of portals into Trog's are usually hazardous in some way."

Random encounters and all.

[Arkhosia]

Makaria meeps as the two appear.
Uh... what's a battery, emitter, and computer?
She asks, confused by their vernacular

[Rebonack]

Allomyrina heaves a sigh and begins rubbing the bridge of her nose. It's a gesture she had picked up from her humanoid coworkers over the past few months. Obviously in her natural form that kind of thing isn't wholly possible.

Is she really going to have to explain these things?

She could just ignore the question, but that would be a bit rude.

After a bit of waffling she decides to indulge the questions.

Allo reaches into her pocked and retrieves a palm computer! Otherwise known as a smart phone. She had considered buying some NexSpecs, but the technological glasses would be awkward to use when she shape-shifts.

"This is a computer," Allo says as she fiddles with the touch screen and brings up a rather long classical piece that begins playing over the machine's speakers. "It's a tool that's able to process and store information. This particular computer is a multi-functional device that can serve a rather wide number of functions."

[Zefir]

The young kistune seems to not even move when fighting brakes out. It's like she was frozen for a moment. After it ended she nips on her hot choclate. She listens, but still things like killing, even a hologramm isn't a theme she wants to talk about.

[Darkcomet]

"It was resorting to lethal force over a box of confectioneries. While much of the chaos about, including that from sudden portals, is rather nonlethal despite the rampaging, I believe that fit into a different category. The category of 'going to kill someone over something incredibly petty.' Were I more capable of pity, I doubt I would be experiencing it over that creature. Would you like to bring the waterproof firearm back to base for research?" Well, that's a sudden topic shift. But she/it isn't programmed to be really great at being social.

[Rebonack]

Allomyrina gives a small huff and takes the firearm. Having long since reserved herself to the fact that she isn't going to be getting any reading done she'll begin unloading the weapon before storing it. Given that it looks like a fairly normal revolver she isn't sure if there will be anything particularly useful about it. If she were to wager a guess Allo would say that there's probably just a good seal on the cartridges so the gunpowder doesn't get wet.

"Maybe it's just a cultural difference," she comments with a sigh. "Someone with broken mind would probably be subjected to a court-mandated regiment of reform spells so that they can be reintegrated into society."

Wait, what?

Are we talking brain washing here?

"The death penalty hasn't existed in my home world for... a long time."

[Lady Serpentine]

"Maybe I'm just not fond of stuff that's unkillable taking up residence here and enforcing its own rules. Especially not when you don't know **** about normal people and like to mess with them out of curiosity, as well as not even having emotions to temper your reactions.

'Sides, I don't know her. Why the hell should I be grateful to you for saving the life of someone I've never met?"

Ashara glares at the hologram as she explains her point of view, her hair starting to stand on end as she gets up from the table, pupils entirely replaced by a bright flame now.

A moment later, a highly powerful EMP shoots out from her, filling the entire tavern, in an attempt to short out as many of the emitters as possible, since presumably, shielding them all well enough to prevent such attacks would prevent them from actually functioning, too, though of course, she could be wrong about that.

[Arkhosia]

Makaria stands up, and her hands erupt into flame, ready to defend her friend and master.

[Deathkeeper]

Shut Up! shouts Spade from the next table over, making a bit of a show of blocking a large section of the EMP which passes him.
"Some of us are sittin' here trying to have a conversation and now I've got to deal with electrical pulses flyin' around? 'Sides, what you just said sounds more sociopathic than the AI. And tryin' to fry her is just as much murder as you're complaining about, according to the laws of this city. So shut up and sit down!" huffs the mouse, his voice projecting surprisingly well for someone this size.

[Darkcomet]

Oh dear.

Given that Trog's was revealed to be a holodeck, this has some interesting effects. The pulse proves rather unpleasant for many, some chairs and stools and such vanishing at random, and numerous other fixtures appearing distorted and warped as the systems are attacked.

It doesn't seem to have fried everything, though. Trog's has the remarkable capability of repairing itself, probably partially related to those holosystems, I would guess.

The security hologram warps and distorts as well, portions of her/its appearance scrambling from the pulse. "Please-refrain-frrrrOM damaging-the HOLODECK. Self-preservation PROTOCOLS dictate use of lethal force response. Distress signal ssssENT." The speech is choppy and scrambled, kind of obnoxious and grating-sounding, really.

That bit about a distress signal is kinda ominous, though, given who set that thing up...

"SurrENDER or safety protocols will be disengaged." That translates to 'then I can actually use lethal force without having to get a real weapon first'.

[Arkhosia]

Makaria pales.
Ashara, I'm not sure this is really a smart idea, could we leave?
She asks Ashara, her voice full of worry and fear.

[Rebonack]

Fun fact: the amount of current or radiation put out by an electro magnetic pulse strong enough to cause significant damage to electronics also happens to be strong enough to cause significant damage to organic life forms. Or in other words, The Matrix lied to you.

What does this mean?

Radiation burns for everyone!

Yay!

Everyone loafing about in the tavern who wasn't shielded in some way probably just got the mother of all sunburns.

Allomyrina screams when the pulse hits her, a horrible, inhuman keening sound. Emerald flames lick across her as her body seems to almost stretch away from something below it, causing her whole form to crackle and warp and waver. The human illusion stretches thinner and glows brighter until it winks out altogether, revealing a creature below that is wholly inhuman.

She's a tall, leggy looking alien clad in black carapace that appears to be some sort of cross between a deer, a reptile, and an insect. A long, backwards swept horn on her forehead ends in a four pointed star rather akin to a rhinoceros beetle's. The creature's eyes and hair are a vibrant candy-apple red.

She's also sizzling a bit.

Aaaand just slumped into a heap on the floor.

Her phone, still sitting at her table, is crackling and popping and sparking.

[Lady Serpentine]

"Yes!"

And, with that, Ashara attempts to grab both Makaria and Allo, then activate a ring to emergency-teleport all three out of danger! After all, she did just fry the person trying to help, the least she can do is kidnap her to heal her up, right?

Err... Now that it's put like that, maybe it's not such a good idea after all. There is that portal to the Sanctuary Fortress, if nothing else. Surely someone would have tossed her onto there, so that at least she wouldn't be being dragged off by the same person who just attacked her, even if that part wasn't intentional?

Suppose she should have though of that before she did anything, though. Bit late now, after all. And... Well, this is Trog's. It's just as likely she'd simply have been left there to smoke peacefully on the floor for a while.

In any case, if it works, all three will find themselves in Ashara's house, in the Home thread.

[Deathkeeper]

Spade huffs and shakes his tail, sending a small wave of relief which should help alleviate the slight skin aggravation given to a few NPCs just now before returning to his previous spot at the table.

[Rebonack]

Welp!

Given that Allomyrina is currently stunned from spell-feedback when the EMP toasted all her active spellwork there really isn't much of anything she can do about being abducted.

Aside from, perhaps, making some moaning plaintive noises.

For what it's worth Allo isn't exactly small in her natural form. Even discounting her horn she stands a bit over five feet tall and probably approaches four hundred pounds.

Though...

Given how powerful most teleporters in the Nexus are her weight probably wouldn't matter.

[Arkhosia]

Welp!

Given that Allomyrina is currently stunned from spell-feedback when the EMP toasted all her active spellwork there really isn't much of anything she can do about being abducted.

Aside from, perhaps, making some moaning plaintive noises.

For what it's worth Allo isn't exactly small in her natural form. Even discounting her horn she stands a bit over five feet tall and probably approaches four hundred pounds.

Though...

Given how powerful most teleporters in the Nexus are her weight probably wouldn't matter.

Makaria is teleported!
Why would she not want to?

[Lady Serpentine]

Indeed it doesn't! It's more a limit on the number of distinct living entities, though trying to transport, say, an SUV and its occupants would be at the extreme limit, and it's probably best not to try that just in case.

Don't want to end up with anyone leaving bits behind, after all, or ending up as part of the car. Teleportation fields being unstable is generally not a good thing at all.

[Darkcomet]

"Photon and forcefield emitters stabilizing." After a bit of continued distortion, the effects on the security hologram and various holographic bits of scenery stop.

She/it just...stares blankly at nothing in particular.

"Canceling alert and forwarding recording of events to program controller."

More blank staring.

"...Why? I do not understand."

[Zefir]

The kitsune woman throws her hot choclate off as she ries her arms up. She may understand how the emp works, but still her instinct says she should cover her face. The mug with the choclate might land anywhere and the kitsune is crouching in her seat.

[Artemis97]

Spade tilts his head a bit.
"Um, no. I'm-what even is that? Aren't Furies female?"

Livia smiles and shakes her head. "I guess you don't have them here, hm? That is strange, but I don't know if the lands over the seas have them, either. Furies are... Hmm... Spirits, of a sort. They're a part of the land, the air, the water. We use them, tame them, work with them, to help us protect ourselves and to civilize our lands." She explains.

[Deathkeeper]

Spade looks a bit indignant.
"I'm Spade, God of the Downtrodden. I'm not one to be tamed."

[Chaotic Bob]

The door to the tavern slides open and in walks a rather frail looking man.
Back bent, the product of far too many years of life, there isn't much else to remark about on him.

Then again, the important thing is what he holds and stares at with a desperate expression.

A torn fragment of a small dress, charred along an entire length.

His mouth moves, but nothing comes out.
Keeps on making the same movements, even as he looks up towards the many tables around him.
Silent, painfully silent.


Help me.

[Artemis97]

Livia holds up her hands. "I wouldn't dare try."

The shouting woman hardly catches her attention, just another belligerent patron of the tavern. As she turns back to Spade, however, the notices the man at the door. His expression holds her attention, and Livia slowly pieces things together in her mind. That slilent plea pulls her from her chair, and she cautiously approaches, not wanting to startle the man.

"Sir, what happened?" She asks him.

[Chaotic Bob]

Livia's attention is noticed with a faint relief, buried under a greater desperation.

The man makes a rough gesture at his throat with one hand, mouth speaking noiseless words again with an expression begging her to understand.

I can't speak.

His gaze flicks down to the cloth in his hand and back up, pointing his hand now back out the door.

Outside.

[Deathkeeper]

Spade hops off the table and goes with her.
"I'm really not supposed to take direct action helping people, but I supposed I'm not being stopped..."