HALO 182: Wait, what if we ARE Lawbreaking?

[FireFox]

[Training Room]

Based on a few of his other schemes I've been stuck in, if I had to guess, I'd say that his ideal result is something that benefits you, me, him, and either removes an enemy or helps somebody else we aren't even aware of. The plan will also be set up so that even a failure benefits one or two of us. Multiple birds, half of a stone... you know. He shrugs, but otherwise stays in his relaxed stance. How long can you stay kneeling before your leg cramps? Asking for a friend.


[Office]

It's hard to reason with someone who is confident that you can't kill them. Which is the usual attitude for villains in the Nexus to have. I've found it far more efficient to make it clear that you can prevent them from doing what they want while offering a way for them to get something they want. Tobias leans back in his chair and steeples his fingertips. How do you fight?


[Entrance]

After doing what he came here to do this time, Douglas goes to take a pod up to the surface. He stops in his tracks when he sees Thariza, taking a few moments to realize who it is. Huh. I mean, hello. Do you need help?

[Beans]

[Training Room]
Khaari thinks. "Welllllll... lemme break that down. What benefits me depends on whose perspective we mean---there's stuff I want, like the glorious avengement of my slaughtered people and broken nation... and there's stuff he wants for me and insists is good for me, like not bothering the nerds and taking medication... and whose enemies? His, yours, mine? Overlap is not assumed." She shifts a little. "I mean, national threats, inter- and intra-service rivals who might even have good intentions but bad consequences should they achieve power... that's your kind of thing. I have, again, the murderers of my nation. Also your milksop-convention of a Royal Post." His last question tugs an annoyed twitch from the corner of her mouth. "I dunno yet, but I can switch knees. I have that power. As for your 'friend', would that happen to be my brother? He's a huge dweeb."

[Mee]

Kitchen

Isaac shakes his head.
"It's fine. I don't mind it being small." he says, though he does have to be careful with the tiny spoon. So tiny.

Kitchen

"All right! Enjoy! It should be served a bit warmer, buuuuuuut it should be fine." Grace says, watching Isaac and grinning at him, arms crossed, sitting up against the counter.

The Crème Brûlée is amazing. Having never had one personally, and as I am failing to ask google the right question to find out what makes a Crème Brûlée good, you'll just have to take my word. Grace is a phenomenal cook, and deserts, pastries, and other baked goods are her specialty.

After Isaac finishes tasting it for the first time -- because Grace is huge into watching peoples' expressions to judge if they hate a specific type of food or not --, she starts putting the cooking torch away.

[Morty]

[Entrance]

"I'm... not sure," Thariza admits. "I, uh... I was dead, and now I'm not. I might also be a huge security risk. All I know is that some demons dragged my body from the Vigil tower and raised me. Then one of them let me go."

[FireFox]

[Training Room]

Matt's not as much of a dweeb as he used to be... His fighting has lost all subtlety. Like his mother, he'll just pick up an oversized greatsword and try to beat you into the ground with it. Alex moves his right foot to the side and waits for Khaari to get all relaxed if she assumes he's just stretching. It's possible you're supposed to help my career, somehow. I'm being fastracked--I was promoted to major in about a quarter of the time it took me to make captain--but I don't know what for. Right around that last verbal dash, the swordsman abruptly pivots on that foot, steps closer, and lunges towards Khaari with his practice blade aimed at her heart. Between his long arms and legs, he's hoping to take her by surprise and get inside her guard.


[Entrance]

That's interesting. Why don't you come with me to one of the conference rooms and we'll catch each other up on everything? You raise an awful lot of questions. At least she's aware of how bad this looks. Douglas takes a moment to figure out his face, settling on an apologetic smile, before he gestures for Thariza to lead the way down the hall.

[Beans]

[Training Room]
Khaari's not on point like she should be---Alex mindgamed her well enough. However, she's still a paranoid violence-fanatic and that tends to help; she pushes herself into a backward roll away from him, getting hit on the leg rather than the practice blade reaching her heart. She comes up with a vicious drawstroke to deter another advance.
Eyes narrow, she huffs. "He's boring to spar with, so's mom---they're good, but it's so dull. Now, you..." She tilts her head. "You're nothing like them. Do you want to call it with that hit, or shall we continue?" She thinks about what he said. "How does meeting me help you, though? Gain brownie points among the RMA for sticking it to their bully?"

[Morty]

[Entrance]

Thariza follows him dejectedly. She's fully aware she might be executed or locked up, but she had nowhere else to go to.

[FireFox]

[Training Room]

Khaari may not be able to say as much of that as she intended. Either way, Alex silently continues his assault. He gets his footing perfect while she gets to her feet, blocks her slash, and then attempts to deliver a two-handed blow to the side of her head. He pulls it enough to avoid injury, of course, but the whole sequence has the rapid force of an inexorable river.


[Conference Room]

How about you take your armor off? Go ahead and pile it up in the corner there; get yourself comfortable. He moves calmly around the Charr: setting up audio and visual recorders, turning on a coffee machine, placing a few notepads and some pencils on the table, and finally easing himself into the seat opposite her. Tell me everything that happened.

[Morty]

[Conference Room]

Thariza does take off her armour, revealing the padded clothing underneath. It seems the pattern of scars and whitened fur continues down her body.

"Well... I remember dying when the demons attacked Vigil. I fought, but they dragged me down with numbers. Then I was there again. Everyone was dead, except for me. And I fought... but with an axe in my off-hand, not my shield. With magic I don't recognize now. I met Commander Mithar, who told me to retreat. Another demon appeared, and I fought it. But then it turned out to have been a... vision, of some sort. I was in a demons' temple. One of them raised me from the dead. But it didn't get along with the one in charge there. It seemed like it had brought me back to life to see if it could. It offered to send me anywhere I want, so that its leader doesn't get me."

[Beans]

[Training Room]
Khaari's words come out in spurts between movements, and she doesn't bother asking if he wants to continue. His swing at her head is blocked, and she makes a dip-and-swerve before coming at his side with a thrust.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Office]

Quin nods slowly.

"Indeed, but some people can't be reasoned with. Or they want things that you can't afford to provide them. Death, destruction, mayhem. That sort usually only responds to physical force, unfortunately. And in that regard, I am well-versed in both melee and ranged combat. My current, default form, is optimized for ranged combat, though it does possess limited melee capacity. However, if I equip Excalibur, I can assume an altered form that is optimized for melee combat." Quin holds out one hand, palm up. Toby can see the energy emitter embedded in the palm, along with the obvious energy cannons embedded into his chest armor. The oblong object centered on the front of his "helmet" may also be recognizable as an energy emitter of some sort, though it's difficult to tell how powerful it might be. "Would you like to see my other form?"

[FireFox]

[Conference Room]

A demon talked to you? Do you think you can write down every word they said? Did they have names? Douglas pushes a notepad and pencil over to Thariza. I'm sure you understand how important this is for all of our safety. Did you ask to be brought back here or was the demon the first one to suggest sending you to HALO?


[Training Room]

Alex steps to his left, dodging the thrust with almost superhuman speed. Now he's practically pressed against her, too close to swing again. So he tries to hook his right foot behind her legs and shove her back with his right hand. If he does trip her, he'll try to get the sword in his left hand behind her for a smooth draw cut as she falls.


[Office]

Directed energy weapons, Tobias assumes. It's a bit hard for the druid to wrap his head around some of the more "sci-fi" members. Maybe he should get someone to write him a cheatsheet. Yes, of course I would. Go ahead, please.

[Beans]

[Training Room]
Khaari tries to twist away, but isn't fast enough to beat Alex's maneuver. The training sword slides across her top, though she does still turn her fall into something she can roll into. She halts in another kneel, her training blade on the ground, and sighs through the panting.
"Well, that's... me dead, then. Sorry, I don't think I brought you my best performance, that's a bit rude of me." She looks at him, eyes sharp and interested.
"If you'd like to go again sometime, you... may or may not know where to find me. Here a lot, or other places---I can tell you where my room is. I'd love to figure out how you're so fast."

[Morty]

[Conference Room]

The Charr shifts uncomfortably.

"I can't remember exactly, but... the one who raised me was called Jaccalish, or something. Also 'third legion', whatever that means. The other one was named Sargon." She starts writing it down. "Jaccalish said he'd raised me as a proof that his methods worked. Sargon didn't like it at all. Then they received word that someone had attacked. Sargon relieved Jaccalish of command and went to deal with it. They've clearly got some problems with the chain of command over there," she observes. "Jaccalish said that Sargon would want to kill me after he was done with the invaders, and offered to send me back anywhere I wanted. I picked HALO, because... I couldn't think of anywhere else." She pauses. "He said he couldn't let his 'work' go to waste."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Office]

Quin nods, and shifts his arm so that he's making a not-quite-closed fist vertically. In that hand, tiny green cubes of light begin to appear, and swirl into the fist, more and more, coalescing into the form of a massive greatsword. As the cubes subside, the object seems to finally snap into focus, as though a picture had been loading on a very slow computer. The sword is sized for Quin, its blade polished, with the lower third of the fuller filigreed in a golden circuit pattern. The cross-guard is of silver, each end of the guard ending in a lion's head. Though the sword is meant for someone of his size, Quin doesn't seem to have a problem hefting it one-handed. The grip is smooth and black, while the pommel is a silver socket that holds a spherical ruby. Quin seems to salute with the blade, bringing it up slightly in front of him, still holding it vertically, but with both hands now. His eyes glow brighter, as more of the tiny cubes of light appear, and wash over him, the massive structures jutting up from his shoulders changing into massive pauldrons. From his back, a cape descends, while his helmet also seems to shift to a different design. While he retains the oblong structure on his brow, there is now a massive crest plume that extends from the structure straight back down the middle of the helm. The plume itself seems to be made of flame, though it doesn't burn the ceiling above him as one would expect. His greaves, boots, and leg armor all shift slightly as well, as though he's now a cross between a mobile suit and a knight of some sort, complete with a massive shield stored on his back, over the cape. The colors of his armor have shifted significantly, from green, trimmed with yellow and orange, to white, trimmed with gold and red. His eyes remain the same glowing red they were, and the area where his face would be in the helmet continues to be a dark void save for the glowing, pupil-less eyes, but everything else has changed. He nods down at Toby, moving the massive sword aside of his face.

"This is Paladin-Style, afforded by Excalibur here." He gestures with the sword. "I can change back and forth at will, but I must have Excalibur in hand to do so. I have a limited ranged capacity in this form, and I cannot fly while using it, but its enhancement in strength and speed helps compensate for those shortcomings."

[Deathkeeper]

Kitchen

"All right! Enjoy! It should be served a bit warmer, buuuuuuut it should be fine." Grace says, watching Isaac and grinning at him, arms crossed, sitting up against the counter.

The Crème Brûlée is amazing. Having never had one personally, and as I am failing to ask google the right question to find out what makes a Crème Brûlée good, you'll just have to take my word. Grace is a phenomenal cook, and deserts, pastries, and other baked goods are her specialty.

After Isaac finishes tasting it for the first time -- because Grace is huge into watching peoples' expressions to judge if they hate a specific type of food or not --, she starts putting the cooking torch away.

Kitchen

That's alright, this author had it in a nice cafe in San Diego.
The little spoonfull isn't very filling but it is enough for a taste. Isaac wiggles his ears in pleasure and gives Grace a warm one-armed hug.
"This is great. You're a great cook." he tells her sincerely. Maybe he's just acting like he does for his mom but that's just how he's learned to behave when complimenting someone's cooking.

[Mee]

Kitchen

That's alright, this author had it in a nice cafe in San Diego.
The little spoonfull isn't very filling but it is enough for a taste. Isaac wiggles his ears in pleasure and gives Grace a warm one-armed hug.
"This is great. You're a great cook." he tells her sincerely. Maybe he's just acting like he does for his mom but that's just how he's learned to behave when complimenting someone's cooking.

Kitchen

Oh good!
"T-thank you! I try my best. I just really enjoy feeding people, so if you want more, you're welcome to!" Grace replies, suddenly taken kinda off kilter. She wasn't expecting the hug.
If Isaac hugs slightly too tightly, it even comes to light as to why Grace had avoided the handshake earlier!
Turns out! Spoilers: She has no bones.

[The Bushranger]

Kitchen

Indeed it was, and Esmock gave her a big happy one in response. "Awh, hell yeah." A happy, well adjusted and healthy demeanor hadn't been new on the demon for awhile, but it would be so to Dani - he was aloof and slowly starving to death last time she saw him. Her necklace really did have a healing effect on his life. "Here to let you know how Kwen has been," he said, in fact starting with a topic other than the one he was really here for.

"Aw, you look great!" Dani chirped, ice cream forgotten as she bounced over with a cheerful grin. "Ooooh, how is she? I hope she's as well as you are. I guess she couldn't make it to say hi - oh, you want some ice cream?" she asks, proving the sweets hadn't been forgotten at all, as she bounced in place with enthuiasm.

[Deathkeeper]

Kitchen

Oh good!
"T-thank you! I try my best. I just really enjoy feeding people, so if you want more, you're welcome to!" Grace replies, suddenly taken kinda off kilter. She wasn't expecting the hug.
If Isaac hugs slightly too tightly, it even comes to light as to why Grace had avoided the handshake earlier!
Turns out! Spoilers: She has no bones.

Kitchen

Isaac is a little too strong for his own good but he's barely touching her for just that reason. If he really squeezed she might be in trouble.
"Aw, thanks. But I can't sit here eating desserts all day. Maybe next time you'll have something new, when I go around visiting again? I ought to look around sommore." he suggests.

[Mee]

Kitchen

Isaac is a little too strong for his own good but he's barely touching her for just that reason. If he really squeezed she might be in trouble.
"Aw, thanks. But I can't sit here eating desserts all day. Maybe next time you'll have something new, when I go around visiting again? I ought to look around sommore." he suggests.

Kitchen

Probably. Good thing he didn't.
"Lies! You absolutely can do that!

Buuuuuut next time you visit, I'll definitely have something new. So do swing by! Don't let me stop you from looking around. I'm just going back to the lab, if you find yourself that way."

[Siena]

Kitchen

"Aw, you look great!" Dani chirped, ice cream forgotten as she bounced over with a cheerful grin. "Ooooh, how is she? I hope she's as well as you are. I guess she couldn't make it to say hi - oh, you want some ice cream?" she asks, proving the sweets hadn't been forgotten at all, as she bounced in place with enthusiasm.

"We fixed her split personalities. She's all back together and runs a bookstore now. Also we're datin-- yeah I want ice cream." Gluttony demon distracted by food. Always.

[Deathkeeper]

Kitchen

Isaac nods and gives the chemist a little, well, a little wave with a big arm, and heads out. Maybe he'll run into someone else, or maybe that'll be it for the day.

[Mee]

Kitchen

Isaac nods and gives the chemist a little, well, a little wave with a big arm, and heads out. Maybe he'll run into someone else, or maybe that'll be it for the day.

Kitchen

Grace waves as well, before waiting for Isaac to leave, and nomming a spoonful of the Crème Brulée herself, and heading back to the lab, spoon still in her mouth.

[The Bushranger]

"We fixed her split personalities. She's all back together and runs a bookstore now. Also we're datin-- yeah I want ice cream." Gluttony demon distracted by food. Always.

And this explains why he and Dani get along.

The little redhead quickly dishes up the cold goodness in two massive bowls, then dumps an obscene amount of hot fudge atop each. [color=navy]"So! You said you were dating her? That's awesome!" she chirps, not having missed that almost cut-off comment in the slightest.

[FireFox]

[Training Room]
Khaari tries to twist away, but isn't fast enough to beat Alex's maneuver. The training sword slides across her top, though she does still turn her fall into something she can roll into. She halts in another kneel, her training blade on the ground, and sighs through the panting.
"Well, that's... me dead, then. Sorry, I don't think I brought you my best performance, that's a bit rude of me." She looks at him, eyes sharp and interested.
"If you'd like to go again sometime, you... may or may not know where to find me. Here a lot, or other places---I can tell you where my room is. I'd love to figure out how you're so fast."

[Training Room]

No, no, any rudeness is mine entirely. I didn't mean to get so personal with my "learning moment" comment earlier. It's just, To-, His Majesty, has called on me to humble the Huntress before. I shouldn't have assumed you were, hm, like her? Young and arrogant, rushing straight into fights, relying more on innate strength and skill than technique, etc. He reverses his grip on the training sword, then holds it by his side while offering his right hand to pull Khaari to her feet. I am at your service, Princess, whenever I'm not occupied with the responsibilities of my new command. Or family.

[Conference Room]

The Charr shifts uncomfortably.

"I can't remember exactly, but... the one who raised me was called Jaccalish, or something. Also 'third legion', whatever that means. The other one was named Sargon." She starts writing it down. "Jaccalish said he'd raised me as a proof that his methods worked. Sargon didn't like it at all. Then they received word that someone had attacked. Sargon relieved Jaccalish of command and went to deal with it. They've clearly got some problems with the chain of command over there," she observes. "Jaccalish said that Sargon would want to kill me after he was done with the invaders, and offered to send me back anywhere I wanted. I picked HALO, because... I couldn't think of anywhere else." She pauses. "He said he couldn't let his 'work' go to waste."

[Conference Room]

His 'work', huh? What do you make of that? I mean, as a soldier what do you think that sounds like. He fidgets with his phone while she writes in the habitual matter of someone accustomed to always being "plugged in", all but addicted to the flow of information. Hey, you and I are going to be here for awhile. We need to debrief you--learn all we can about what happened--while it's still fresh in your mind. What kind of food do you want me to order, do you eat pizza or what?

[Office]

Quin nods, and shifts his arm so that he's making a not-quite-closed fist vertically. In that hand, tiny green cubes of light begin to appear, and swirl into the fist, more and more, coalescing into the form of a massive greatsword. As the cubes subside, the object seems to finally snap into focus, as though a picture had been loading on a very slow computer. The sword is sized for Quin, its blade polished, with the lower third of the fuller filigreed in a golden circuit pattern. The cross-guard is of silver, each end of the guard ending in a lion's head. Though the sword is meant for someone of his size, Quin doesn't seem to have a problem hefting it one-handed. The grip is smooth and black, while the pommel is a silver socket that holds a spherical ruby. Quin seems to salute with the blade, bringing it up slightly in front of him, still holding it vertically, but with both hands now. His eyes glow brighter, as more of the tiny cubes of light appear, and wash over him, the massive structures jutting up from his shoulders changing into massive pauldrons. From his back, a cape descends, while his helmet also seems to shift to a different design. While he retains the oblong structure on his brow, there is now a massive crest plume that extends from the structure straight back down the middle of the helm. The plume itself seems to be made of flame, though it doesn't burn the ceiling above him as one would expect. His greaves, boots, and leg armor all shift slightly as well, as though he's now a cross between a mobile suit and a knight of some sort, complete with a massive shield stored on his back, over the cape. The colors of his armor have shifted significantly, from green, trimmed with yellow and orange, to white, trimmed with gold and red. His eyes remain the same glowing red they were, and the area where his face would be in the helmet continues to be a dark void save for the glowing, pupil-less eyes, but everything else has changed. He nods down at Toby, moving the massive sword aside of his face.

"This is Paladin-Style, afforded by Excalibur here." He gestures with the sword. "I can change back and forth at will, but I must have Excalibur in hand to do so. I have a limited ranged capacity in this form, and I cannot fly while using it, but its enhancement in strength and speed helps compensate for those shortcomings."

[Office]

Tobias' mouth contracts as if he just took a big bite out of a lemon when he hears that P-word. It's a reflexive sort of distaste, like an American has for people who say "football" when they're talking about soccer or like a cat reacts to the presence of a big dumb dog. You certainly seem confident with your gear, but I wonder if you've been adequately tested by the Nexus. What is the most potent threat you feel comfortable fighting by yourself, stated in as general terms as possible?

[Beans]

[Training Room]

No, no, any rudeness is mine entirely. I didn't mean to get so personal with my "learning moment" comment earlier. It's just, To-, His Majesty, has called on me to humble the Huntress before. I shouldn't have assumed you were, hm, like her? Young and arrogant, rushing straight into fights, relying more on innate strength and skill than technique, etc. He reverses his grip on the training sword, then holds it by his side while offering his right hand to pull Khaari to her feet. I am at your service, Princess, whenever I'm not occupied with the responsibilities of my new command. Or family.

Khaari takes his hand up, standing and smiling. "Ah, she is a dear, isn't she? Won't let me near her priestesses any more, sadly---pity that." Her eyes narrow as she smiles a little more widely, and perhaps a tiny bit less... nicely. "So, you call my father by his first name, at least when he's not around to hear? Interesting." She deliberately makes no effort not to let the syllables in 'interesting' click disconcertingly. "Well, I call him less dignified things and not always when he's not around to hear, so---family?" She tilts her head, blinking. "I hadn't heard about that, though to be fair I haven't exactly been keeping terribly aware of what you've been up to."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Office]

Quin rubs his chin thoughtfully as his armor shifts back to its default form, though Excalibur remains in his hand. He rests the massive sword against his shoulder as he considers.

"I don't know the names of all of the creatures around here, though many exist in mythology on my world. Shortly after I arrived here in the Nexus, I was assaulted by a pair of creatures that seemed to be a combination of an owl and a bear. I was able to drive them off with little trouble by myself, though I do admit I was trying not to kill them, either. I'm reasonably certain I can take on some of the mecha I've seen wandering about, but I'm not too sure about anyone who can use magic. I'm not sure how to quantify my abilities properly, though I have extensive combat experience from before I arrived in the Nexus. In my home dimension, I've fought, erm, creatures that resembled hydras and dragons, but I had access to an extra ability that I no longer seem to have since arriving here. Does that help?"

[DoomITP]

Grant seems to be merrily walking down the hallway singing something to himself.

Come and tell their story
Gave their lives so boldly
Come and tell the Swiss Guards' story again!

[Morty]

[Conference Room]

"Can you get some beef ribs in here?" Thariza asks. "We don't really eat things that aren't meat. Being dead made me pretty hungry, too. I hope I can still eat." She shakes her head. "Uh, anyway. It felt like he was obsessed with bringing people back to life. Not sure why, given how his kind seem more interested in killing everyone. But that was his goal, and he treated defence and strategy like unavoidable annoyances."

[Siena]

And this explains why he and Dani get along.

The little redhead quickly dishes up the cold goodness in two massive bowls, then dumps an obscene amount of hot fudge atop each. "So! You said you were dating her? That's awesome!" she chirps, not having missed that almost cut-off comment in the slightest.

"I certainly think so. Kwen sort of... mm... makes me hate the world less. Hey, how's your wife?" Esmock had as much conversational tact as ever: not so much.