Conference Headquarters

[Hattish Thing]

[Myranda's Desk - Before Security Breach]

The secretary laughs a little here, hanging her head low as she sets her latest batch of folders down. "Surely... you didn't come all this way just to ask if I was alright?" She grimaces before reaching for the folder again, organizing several important-looking documents.

She doesn't stare back towards Nigel.

"I... I'm fine."

---

[Kramolagh's Office - After Lockdown]

Much like the rest of the gothic manorhouse above ground, the large and imperial chamber below which acts as Kramolagh's second office is exquisite, packed with all manner of strange knick-knacks and foreign articles stored within glass cases or mounted upon walls. Dark purple tapestries depicting eerie symbols lined with golden threads hang from the walls, while a thick carpet of a matching shade and consistency drapes across the fine wooden floor. Crowded bookshelves filled with a variety of bizarre titles line the walls of the chamber, which smells of dark wine and exotic herbs. Incense burns atop a large mahogany table, lined with glittering gilded accents of faded gold.

All throughout the room, portraits of individuals of various humanoid species hang from the walls, posed nude. Built into small nooks, dozens of glass cases filled with a number of occult objects can be seen, many of which appear far more fragile than the artifacts on display elsewhere. An enormous mural depicting what appears to be the depths of space has been painted onto the farthest wall, flanked by odd pillars carved with disturbingly sexual murals featuring tentacles of various shapes and forms. Across the room, an ornate desk can be seen. Dark curtains are pulled over each of the large windows within this room, yet flickering lamps bathe the room in weak illumination, before shrouding the chamber in shadow once more.

Kramolagh rests his gloved hands against the rich, dark wood before gesturing to the comfortable chair in front of the desk. Unlike other visits, a pair of armed security officers have been positioned in front of each pillar across the chamber.

"Please, Magtok. Sit."

The artificial smile plastered upon his face is chilling.

--

[Aurelia Laur’ve - Wingless Rock Research Facility - Meeting Area]

Kramolagh nods slowly here, pondering over various options. What to do with this interesting little accident?

"Mm. Now, vhould you like to know?"

"Vhat are you vhilling to give, in exchange?"

[Lord Magtok]

Kramolagh's Office - After Lockdown

Magtok sits. He narrows his eyes at the guards, and begins calculating maybe a dozen or so different escape plans, on the off-chance this turns ugly, but he does sit. He even waits to be spoken to for once, instead of immediately speaking out of turn. That's less manners and more for his own safety, though. He's not going to deny doing something only to find out Kramolagh brought him here for another matter altogether. He's not going to ask how the situation with Ellrin is going, only to be told the purpose of this meeting is to brainstorm prom proposal ideas for Feia.

[Hattish Thing]

[Kramolagh's Office - After Lockdown]

Kramolagh taps his gloved fingers absentmindedly against the darkened wood of his desk, his cheek twitching ever so slightly out of frustration. As the cyborg sits down before him, the gray-coated man rests his elbows upon the table, fingers steepled before him. After breathing in sharply, he leans forward, his enigmatic expression difficult to read from behind the large lenses of his ornate onyx spectacles.

His stare is intense, but finally, he speaks.

"Did you zhink zhere vhould not be consequences?"

"No. You are not an ignorant man."

[Lord Magtok]

Kramolagh's Office - After Lockdown

Try as much as he can to stop it, Magtok can't help but allow the faintest of smiles to cross his face, before quickly burying it away behind an impassive frown. Good, yes, perfect! Kramolagh knows nothing. He suspects, certainly, but he doesn't know a single thing. He wouldn't say anything so terribly open-ended, such obvious bait to someone who's played this game as long as Magtok has, if he had anything of substance on the cyborg.

Still, it doesn't matter how obvious Kram's tactics might be. Unlike the Executor, we don't have any wiggle room here. We have to play perfectly, or it's straight to the Inevitables death pit with us. You can tell just looking at him how badly he wants to throw Magtok in, and we can't so much as give him the slightest hint of an excuse before we're ready. The plan must not fail. Our life depends upon it. The Nexus depends on it. Most importantly of all, Libby depends on it.

"I am afraid you're mistaken, Executor. On whatever matter you've brought me here today, I am wholly ignorant," Magtok admits, with a detached frown, and his hands in his lap. Two sentences. We stop there, at just two sentences, uncharacteristically succinct, leaving the ball on Kramma Lamma Ding Dong's side of the court. We are not, under any circumstances, giving him additional rope to hang us with.

[Halae]

[Multipurpose Hall]

Kramolagh narrows his brow somewhat towards Amity, offering an artificial smile. In truth, Amity's filthy appearance was hardly something he appreciated, and it likely showed in the corners of his eyes. For the stout-looking woman to have fouled her uniform was of no legitimate surprise to the man by now, but her lack of hygiene was a continual problem reported by her colleagues.

He sighs somewhat, glancing instead towards others within the crowd before responding.

"An employee vhas followed by a particularly distasteful individual tovhards zhe facility. Alzhough zhis individual's sensors failed to gather any information on zhe facility proper, several inconsistencies likely pointed tovhards zhe existence of a secret compound below."

"Zhose responsible for such inconsistencies have been removed, and zhe individual has been dealt with."

[Multipurpose Hall]

One has to wonder what Kram thought Amity's work style would be like, given the state of her dress before getting here. It's not like her clothing was particularly clean or in good repair - tattered and dirty from time spent with her passion of mechanics and interacting with her pet, who stands behind her looking disgruntled. Really, Amity looks disgunrtled as well, but she lets this pass without comment - a building going into full lockdown because someone is maybe approaching? That's probably overkill, but this is Amity we're talking about - Overkill is what she does.

Away From Magtok's Workstation - Later, After That Security Breach Scene

Magtok blinks, and turns to look at Amity as if he only just noticed she existed. The (metaphorical) gears in his head turn quickly, assessing the current situation from a number of angles, considering a dozen or so directions this could take that he might or might not be prepared for. Things are already tense enough as is with Affidavit without adding a third person to the list of people who need to keep their mouths shut about the big secret plan. Libitina might or might not perish depending on the actions we take. We went on a date with Caelynn on our last weekend off. Kram might suspect him of conspiring against the Conference, and sent Amity here to prove he's up to something. The Deathclaw could pick him up and tear him in half if it wanted to. So, so many threads and connections and individuals with their own agendas in this web of lies and secrets and deception.

She's not bad-looking, either. Considerably shorter than most Nexus women, who usually stand quite a few inches higher than the human average, but that just means Magtok wouldn't have to hover off the ground to feel like he's not being surrounded by Felandrias. She'd almost be cute, except there's something vaguely feral about her, something sneaky and hungry and devilish in those tired, weary eyes, something that doesn't quite mesh with the fascist lab uniform, but that only makes sense. Even with her scaly friend backing her up, a small little genius like her would have to possess some cunning to last more than a week in the kind of nuclear horrorshow world capable of producing such gargantuan murder lizards. God, the Nexus pulls from some really weird places, doesn't it?

Still, she's definitely within our dating standards (which mostly just requires someone to be female and express interest in the cyborg), so long as the demon iguana stays a safe distance away. I mean, if she's serious about the date thing, and not just using it as an excuse to meet outside headquarters. We think she's serious, but keep in mind that she's from some kind of godforsaken radioactive wasteland. You know, the kind of place where civilization is little more than a bunch of leather daddies and muscle cars screeching along barren dirt roads. She might be one of those weirdos who don't follow the same social rules we do, who think a grin is a display of aggression and a middle finger says 'we come in peace.' Her smiles might be intended to communicate some kind of unspoken threat. Too soon to say, we need more data to be sure.

"...Hrm," Magtok finally answers with a thoughtful frown and a distant look, which might not be the most promising answer Amity's ever received when asking a colleague out on a date. Or hell, maybe it is, and spending so much time with Tank has completely destroyed what could've been a rich and fulfilling social life, because people would rather run away screaming than get to know her. We wouldn't know; we've only just met her, after all.

"I guess we'll have to compare notes when we're back on company time then, but sure. You have any plans for this evening?" The sooner we get her off-site and screen her for signs she might be a Krampus spy, the better. Less time for her to meet with the boss and prepare if they do this immediately after work. If she is a mole, she won't know what hit her.

Away From Magtok's Workstation - Later, After That Security Breach Scene

"As a matter of fact, all I was going to do was re-weld my concept piece spider harness, and that's not going anywhere," The grin on her face is... almost predatory, with that feral glint Magtok noticed before. It might even unnerve him slightly. The fertility goddess may have given her an attractive body, but that doesn't change the person inside, who's a wastelander and mechanic at heart, with minimal social interaction that isn't with a giant doom monster and raiders that want to kill her, "My shift ends at Three. Swing by my workshop, and we can go get something to eat. Maybe a hearty salad for me - the fruit in the Nexus is just wonderful. So juicy."

She gets up on her tiptoes and gives Magtok a kiss on his organic cheek, before walking back the way they came, and taking Tank with her. As they go, Tank waves a little goodbye

[Hattish Thing]

[Kramolagh's Office - After Lockdown]

Kramolagh takes careful note of the cyborg's smile, his eyes narrowing beneath his spectacles, his lip curled at the side. Quickly, he relaxes, resting back comfortably in his chair. A smile, far wider than the cyborg's own brief expression, flashes upon his face and remains there, all confidence and security.

He raises a hand as if to signal his security officers and leaves it hanging there for several seconds, suspended perfectly like a guillotine poised to fall.

The guards step forward slightly.

"Impossible."

[Lord Magtok]

Kramolagh's Office - After Lockdown

"Was the secretary...Mira, I think? Was she supposed to inform me of the reason I was being brought before you?" Magtok raises an eyebrow, and turns to glance at both guards warily, resuming his calculations. Left fist to right guard's temple, glide into his arms and take hold of his weapons. Fire at the other guard, elbow the first, and then use him as a human shield before firing on Kram, unloading the entire clip into him through his desk. Actually no wait, we need him alive, he'll have triggered an alarm by then, and we'll need him as a human shield if we intend to negotiate our way past security and through the facility lockdown. Then we-

"I've been following the time tables, Executor. My work is proceeding apace; I have not fallen behind schedule. Nor have I made contact with Ellwick, in accordance with your wishes, despite my own personal experience suggesting I could convince him to ignore our operations here, if I were allowed to do so," the cyborg insists, adding four more sentences to our total. Taking a bit of a risk there, aren't we?

Away From Magtok's Workstation - Later, After That Security Breach Scene

Magtok weakly waves back to the gargantuan biological engine of death, before realizing what he just did and glaring at his own arm for its treason. He's just left standing there, wondering what the hell just happened. Is this a conspiracy of three now? A date? A honey trap? All three things at once somehow? Gods, why didn't we just tell her to get lost the moment we say her? The last thing we needed was for everything to get this much more complicated.

[Halae]

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

As Myranda's shift is ending, a pair of familiar heads poke around the corner to the front - first the head of a short, tired-eyed blond woman, and then the head of a giant white reptile, "Myranda!"

Oh, it's Amity and Tank. While Myranda hasn't seen a ton of Amity if she hasn't gone looking for the short mechanic, but she's certainly heard of the utter mess that the pair have been making. Complaints about cleanliness are constant - she's even wearing a grease-stained uniform right now - constant problems with her carrying lethal weapons on the premises, talking back to other mechanics and scientists over build designs, organization in the workplace, not following procedure for schematic storage, and she never submits incident reports when something in her segment violently explodes. In fact, many times, people can hear her laugh about them, and the Deathclaw is similarly amused by such antics. Tank also has a tendency to wander the base, looking to interact with the other scientists, and constantly asking for head scratches and belly rubs. Myranda may have seen the Deathclaw around, in which case he would have butted his head up against her hand like a cat, looking for chin scritches.

However, the pair of them have also proven themselves to be incredible at mechanical design, and faster than all but efficient mechanized factory builds. Amity herself currently has three different projects in the work right now, with a fourth one having already been sent to the other techs for study and approval. The one she shipped off for approval was her modular exo-armor frame, and she's already already working on a pair of armor configurations for it (one for ground based combat, and one for rapid movement). Her last design - a plasma rifle structured for enough power to puncture a starship hull at massive range at the cost of fire rate and charges - Is meant to be a specialist weapon, and is proceeding apace while she waits for some specific machined parts to come back for the armor designs. Even Tank has proven himself exceedingly useful in the tech labs, as he's able to move heavy machine parts and stress test plating without the need for heavy equipment, and given he's capable of understanding English, he's even proven himself capable of assisting other mechanics and engineers, has provided a few blood samples, and, aside from the one car he wrecked, is remarkably well behaved for such a large animal.

Still, it seems she's not actively working right now, despite working long hours and sometimes even sleeping in her lab - this is her first real break in almost two weeks, and she barely looks fazed by it. She moves right up to Myranda and takes the taller woman's hand, "Sorry I haven't really been around to talk much. Just making the best use of the resources I can here, you know? I've got so much in the works already!"

[billtodamax]

[Myranda's Desk - Before Security Breach]

You... sure? Nigel nods, thinking. Alrighty. What's up with the chip in your neck. He asks, quirking an eyebrow. The subtle approach was apparently too hard to maintain for more than three sentences. Sorry, just... wanted to make sure you don't have any medical issues I could be helping out with.

[Arkhosia]

[Aurelia Laur’ve - Wingless Rock Research Facility - Meeting Area]

”It would be a nice start, at least. I know next to nothing right now, after all. For what I can offer... well, pretty much just a talent for talking-“ no crap Aurelia, you e done nothing but talk ”-and a certain skill with weapons and coaxing out answers, aside from my body itself of course.” That might be taken as a bit of a scandalous offer to make so casually, but Aurelia meant a little more than just that; unskilled labor or frankly just being cannon fodder was always an option too, she wasn’t picky in the slightest.

[Hattish Thing]

[Aurelia Laur’ve - Wingless Rock Research Facility - Meeting Area]

Kramolagh chuckles darkly, the rightward end of his pale lip curling up into an attractive smirk, perfect white teeth flashing in the light. "Your body? How scandalous." His smile slowly fades as he looks over Aurelia once more, like a craftsman assessing a tool, his gaze lingering here and there.

She was not an unattractive specimen.

"I have t-taken zhe initative by preparing a reorientation display."

"In my quarters. Join me, perhaps?"

--

[Myranda's Desk - Before Security Breach]

The woman smiles softly here, gesturing towards her neck before laughing a little. Shaking her head, Myranda continues to organize the folders at her desk. Despite her smile, a sadness of sorts can be seen in her deep, blue eyes. "Blood condition. It's genetic, very rare. Since I received help early, it's manageable. The chip, its less of a hassle than shots. I've never been very fond of needles and all."

"Helping me out with?"

--

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

Although positively overwhelmed by the mounds of paperwork before her, Myranda smiles warmly when Amity and her pet saunter down the hall towards her. Setting down a few of her papers, she waves and waggles her painted fingers in a sweet sort of fashion. Amity was one of the few contributors at the facility who Myranda looked forward to speaking with, for while not all of the scientists and researchers at Slumbersun were necessarily unfriendly, most were highly eccentric and difficult to deal with. That, and the short, curvaceous woman stirred certain feelings within the secretary that she hadn't felt for a woman in quite some time.

She recoils back out of surprise as Amity grips her hand, but swiftly grows more comfortable with the gesture as she relaxes.

"Oh! Hello, Ms. Amity. You look lovely."

"I'm so glad to hear that you've been enjoying your work! You seem to be doing wonderfully."

--

[Kramolagh's Office - After Lockdown]

Kramolagh raises his gloved hand slightly higher and snaps his fingers, a dramatic gesture which produces forth a shimmering, golden contract. He sets it down upon the table before retrieving an entire folder of transgressions, including video evidence, statements from other employees, various complaints, and many copies of the cyborg's many problematic "suggestion" cards.

He passes the folder over before producing a pen, jotting things down in what appears to be some sort of notebook.

"Vhen you joined us h-here at zhe Conference, you swore to abide by zhe rules and regulations specified vithin your contract. Although you have only vhorked here briefly, you have violated dozens of clauses and directives. Frankly, your behavior is intolerable and utterly unacceptable, and as such, I vhill be forced to fine you for your transgressions, as stated within zhe contract."

"You vhill find zhat your many, many infractions add up."

--

[Multipurpose Hall]

Unless other questions are brought forth, Kramolagh departs swiftly, allowing for security officers and attendants to begin crossing names off of lists as researchers and employees are attuned.

[Halae]

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

"How've you been?" Amity asks, letting go of Myranda's clasped hand, "From the look of things you've got far more work than me piled up. You ever get something I can help with, let me know."

Tank moves up to Myranda, butting his head against her hand like a cat looking for head scratches. From the chuffing sounds he's making, he likes her as much as Amity does.

[billtodamax]

[Myranda's Desk - Before Security Breach]

Ah, genetic. Genetic's rough. Is it something only your species gets? Nigel asks, suddenly all curious. Nigel you had an objective here stop being distracted by nerd stuff.

If it was something chronic I thought I might have been able to help - I'm a doctor before I'm a researcher, y'know? He adds.

[Hattish Thing]

[Myranda's Desk - Before Security Breach]

She glances down at her folders, seeming made somewhat uncomfortable by Nigel’s prying line of questions. She wrings her small hands together, setting her blue pen down beside her. Her smile is genuine, but she still seems quite tired. "We’re not sure. It’s what brought my father and I to Cauvin’s attention, years ago. My father, he didn’t get help fast enough, but… the Executor did everything he could to help me."

"Without him, without all this... I don't think I would be here."

--

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

Myranda seems thoroughly pleased with the brief exchange of physical contact, greatly appreciating the temporary reprieve from her world of numbers, letters, and harsh white paper, especially a reprieve shared with as lovely and kind an individual as Amity. Although, as secretary, she’d heard much in the way of discussion centered around Amity’s eccentricities at the workspace, she still found her stranger activities somewhat charming.

She laughs a little, glancing down once more at the pile of folders before her.

"It’s… it's a lot, but nothing I can’t handle. All the new recruits means that employee information has to be updated. Still, it’s mostly just busy-work. You’re very sweet for visiting me. Most of the time, researchers only come to me to complain about the cyborg."

"It happens a lot."

[billtodamax]

[Myranda's Desk - Before Security Breach]

Oh jeez thank god. Nigel says, relieved. So Kram doesn't have a bunch of Myrandas in a vat somewhere! Sorry to pry, you just... I thought he might have been manipulating you with the chip or something. Spooky secret organisation right? Nigel you are being rude.

Sorry again, I'll get out of you hair. He says, turning to leave.

[Hattish Thing]

[Myranda's Desk - Before Security Breach]

Myranda frowns here, offering a concerned expression towards Nigel before responding.

"Sir... are you ill?"

[Halae]

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

"You mean Magtok?" Amity asks, "eh, he's a sweetheart. He keeps dropping off these great suggestions for me to use. Got my Spider Harness's efficiency up by a fair amount when he told me how to fix a torque issue with the graphene layer. I'm still trying to figure out how to make diamene-weave bodysuits, but it shouldn't be too hard with the resource we have here."

[Hattish Thing]

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

Myranda sort of winces here, glancing back down towards her papers. "Not from what I've seen. You can tell a lot about a person by the way in which they treat people who work service. I don't think he even asked for my name. I wouldn't get too attached, at the rate he's going, he'll have gotten himelf terminated by the end of the month."

"Anyway... did you really come here just for me?"

[billtodamax]

[Myranda's Desk - Before Security Breach]

Nigel turns back to Myranda. No! No, just... just paranoid, apparently. He says, frowning. Sorry. He adds, for the third time now, before turning once more to leave.

[Halae]

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

Amity tilts her head a little, uncomprehending, "Well... yeah? What else would I have come to your station for? If you make a friend, you're supposed to keep up to date with them, and I haven't exactly been doing that."

[Hattish Thing]

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

Myranda nods a little, smiling sheepishly as she realized her question was somewhat silly. She wrings her hands together before sighing a little. ”Right. I’m sorry, I’ve just been under a lot of stress lately. Hours go by around here, and I don’t see much of anyone at all. I think I see more of people through security cameras than in person. I’d kinda like to change that, to be honest. My shift ends later tonight, I mean, very late tonight, so I know it’d be a bit of a hassle, with work and all…”

“But maybe we could do something together?”

[Halae]

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

Amity smiles brightly, "I'd like that. I tend to lose track of time when I'm working, so you'll have to come and get me, but that's fine, right?" Amity says, "What are you thinking we could do together?"

Tank, sensing Myranda's anxiety, snorts a breath of hot air into her shoulder, and butts his head up against her hand again. Scritches.

[Hattish Thing]

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

Myranda, in response to Amity's own bright smile and the nudging of her unusual companion, offers a small smile of her own, fidgeting all the while. "Lovely. I don't mind, all of the transport pilots know me. Your workspace is a little far, but it's not a hassle!" She nods a little here before filing away a particular folder, unable to waste too much work time and risk falling behind. "As for what we'd do, well, to be honest I'm not entirely sure."

"I've been thinking about something like this for a while, but I've never really thought about options."

"I didn't think I'd get this far, to be honest... What do you do for fun?"

[Lord Magtok]

[Kramolagh's Office - After Lockdown]

Kramolagh raises his gloved hand slightly higher and snaps his fingers, a dramatic gesture which produces forth a shimmering, golden contract. He sets it down upon the table before retrieving an entire folder of transgressions, including video evidence, statements from other employees, various complaints, and many copies of the cyborg's many problematic "suggestion" cards.

He passes the folder over before producing a pen, jotting things down in what appears to be some sort of notebook.

"Vhen you joined us h-here at zhe Conference, you swore to abide by zhe rules and regulations specified vithin your contract. Although you have only vhorked here briefly, you have violated dozens of clauses and directives. Frankly, your behavior is intolerable and utterly unacceptable, and as such, I vhill be forced to fine you for your transgressions, as stated within zhe contract."

"You vhill find zhat your many, many infractions add up."

Magtok looks through the folder, examining each and every point carefully. Hm. So this is how interpersonal issues are resolved around here, then. No warnings, no mediation, no attempts to work things out. Everything just gets kicked all the way up to the boss. Magtok tries his very best to feel some modicum of surprise at this, but can't manage even an ounce.

"Hm. Doesn't really look like that many clauses and directives. Looks like I just did one thing, repeatedly, with the best of intentions, to ensure things would run optimally. Then a bunch of sour children complained to the boss instead of saying a single word to me about it, because this is the first time I've heard a word about this. You know, this is kinda funny, because-hold on, can I draw a diagram for you on this folder? Or heck, is there a blank or unimportant piece of paper around here I could use? I can defend myself with words, but it'd work a lot better if I had a visual aid to demonstrate a particularly salient point." For once, Magtok actually waits for an answer instead of immediately starting to write on the folder. If Kram is throwing around fines just for helping people, he's probably more than happy to fine him for defacing a folder or something.

[Artemis97]

[Xar'Cha Meeting - Wirholdt's Rictus]

Kramolagh nods here, before gesturing towards the technicians. "Vhith ease."

"Vhe have used zhis technology in a similar fashion."

"Zhere is power in faith."

[Xar'Cha Meeting - Wirholdt's Rictus]

"There is." Erelae agrees. "And we would harness it, for our own ends."

"Can you demonstrate for us, Mr. Kramolagh?" Sornnolu asks.

[Arkhosia]

[Aurelia Laur’ve - Wingless Rock Research Facility - Meeting Area]

Aurelia blinked in surprise, not quite expecting this change of mood. I mean, she was mostly joking when she said that! Sure, she meant it entirely that she could pay him back in physical labor or guard duty, but that was different.

Although... perhaps this would be a much more immediate and less demanding way, make it so much faster for Aurelia to quickly gain that knowledge she so desperately lacks.
”...Fine, I don’t see the harm in it.” she half-lies, forcing on a smile even as she shivers under the man’s gaze. Ugh. She was not going to enjoy this.

[Hattish Thing]

[Aurelia Laur’ve - Wingless Rock Research Facility - Meeting Area]

Kramolagh, on the other hand, remains as calm and measured as ever, rising elegantly from his ornate chair before gesturing towards the security guards across the room. Once Aurelia approaches, he offers a dazzling, white smile before leading the way with her just behind. Wordlessly, Kramolagh and his security entourage step forward, leading Aurelia through a tangled network of highly secure passages. Cameras watch blankly from the cieling, and laser turrets built into the wall glitter in the artificial lighting. A majority of the compact walls, ceilings, and floors of the facility appear to be composed of some strange, otherwordly metal that seems resistant to rust and other degradation. Rows of technomagical orbs embedded along the upper edges of the walls bathe the rooms and hallways in green-tinted light.

Most of the doors Kramolagh escorts Aurelia through are composed of reinforced metals, allowing access to deeper areas of the facility by sliding into recesses in the walls after specialized keys and passcodes have been scanned or typed into glowing panels. Finally, Kramolagh leads her to an expansive chamber equipped with specially treated blast doors made to withstand extraordinary punishment, both to keep outsiders from accessing the more questionable experiments within, and as a fail-safe to ensure that escaped experiments cannot evacuate the facility.

Several scanners bathe the gathering in unusual radiation before a green light built into the ceiling activates, and the doors ahead open, revealing an enormous elevator.

--

Once the elevator is boarded, the gathering proceeds to walk forward down one last metallic hall, before a hatch and a lever is opened, revealing the innards of the expansive common room of an opulent manorhouse. The architecture is extravagant, and the occult decoration is likely stunning to Aurelia.

He glances back towards her before speaking, his voice little more than a whisper.

"Zhe fluids vhich you vhere exposed t-to during your time in stasis ought be cleansed, zhe guards vhill escort you to zhe washing room."

"Take as much time as you vish."

---

[Kramolagh's Office - After Lockdown]

With his eyes narrowed from behind the onyx lenses of his glittering spectacles, Kramolagh makes no attempt to respond to the cyborg's ludicrous request. "If you vish t-to complain about zhe vhay in vhich you are being penalized, you have zhe right to call upon zhe entity in charge of zhe enforcement of your contract."

"I assure you, however, it vhill be far less understanding of your situation."

---

[Production/Robotics - Amity]

At around the middle of her shift, Amity will be approached by a particularly tired looking individual she will likely recognize as Ormin Lange, assistant to the department head. Although far younger than most of his co-workers, at the age of twenty-six, Ormin appears far more aged than he ought to be, with dark circles under his eyes and stress lines the likes of which signify an unhealthy lifestyle. While the others have likely been less than receptive of Amity and her eccentricities, Ormin will have likely been friendly enough. At least, as friendly as his deadpan voice will allow him to come across as.

As he approaches, clad all in a ragged black sweater worn beneath his gray uniform, he glances down at a dangerously full clipboard.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

[Lord Magtok]

Kramolagh's Office - After Lockdown

A blank sheet of paper is a 'ludicrous request,' huh. Gods know how anything gets done around here, then. I suppose Kramolagh personally marches in with a cavalry saber to execute anyone who so much as borrows a pen from a coworker. Heaven help anyone who runs out of staples.

"Fine. I didn't want to be a narc, but you've left me no other option. Last Thursday, 3:23 PM, Amity runs a stress test on one of her designs. The coolant system did not experience an unexpected leak three minutes into the test. The ammunition did not cook. The test did not fail spectacularly. The two of us were not consumed in flames in the blink of an eye, along with roughly nine-tenths of the building in what I can only describe as 'castastrophic existence failure' and a 'category seven INES incident,'" Magtok explains with a heavy sigh, before handing the folder back to Executor Kramolagh. Given he knows about the surveillance technology, the fact that he's given Kram an exact time and date suggests this is probably not a bluff. Amity is one of the only people whose name isn't on the list of complainants, too.

"But don't worry, I understand your point, Executor. Buildings can be repaired. People can be resurrected. Conferences can bounce back from massive unscheduled detonations. The rules are more important. I will pay your fine and never offer Amity or anyone else advice on their projects ever again. They will sink, swim, or destroy everything you've ever worked for, based entirely upon their own merits." This would be right around when you might expect Magtok to pause and wait for Kramolagh to reconsider, but he does not. In fact, he's getting up out of the chair, he's signed whatever he's needed to sign for the fine to clear, and he's waiting for the guards to let him go. Kramer clearly would prefer to die than admit fault; there's no point in dawdling.

(Spoke to Halae before posting, don't worry)

[Halae]

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

Myranda, in response to Amity's own bright smile and the nudging of her unusual companion, offers a small smile of her own, fidgeting all the while. "Lovely. I don't mind, all of the transport pilots know me. Your workspace is a little far, but it's not a hassle!" She nods a little here before filing away a particular folder, unable to waste too much work time and risk falling behind. "As for what we'd do, well, to be honest I'm not entirely sure."

"I've been thinking about something like this for a while, but I've never really thought about options."

"I didn't think I'd get this far, to be honest... What do you do for fun?"

[Front Desk - Myranda and Amity]

Amity doesn't knows what Myranda means by 'get this far' but a question has been asked, so she doesn't bother to linger on that, "Mostly, I tinker, but it seems like that's not really your thing," Amity says. Well, that explains why she spends so much time in her lab - those are her entertainment hours. What, did you think she was working as hard as four people at once because of some kind of loyalty to the company? Not a chance! "Besides, I'm more interested in what you want to do. Go to a movie? Get something to eat?"

[Production/Robotics - Amity]

Amity is currently elbows deep in the construction of a hydraulic system, her hands covered in the grease needed to ensure smooth operation. Tank is helping, holding up a section of steel a grown man would struggle with with little more effort than someone picking up a suitcase. Amity has at least rolled up her sleeves this time, to avoid staining anything that isn't so easy to wash.

"You're not interrupting," she says, continuing to work, "As long as you don't mind that I keep going while you're talking."

How very literal of you, Amity.

[Arkhosia]

[Aurelia Laur’ve - Wingless Rock Research Facility - Meeting Area]

As she follows Kramolagh through the facility, Aurelia’s unease only grows. Aside from the general unsettling nature of her surroundings, the level of security did not escape her. Aurelia didn’t like being confined to begin with, and she frankly just wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. But she had to know, had to get a lead on just who she was....

”T-that seems a bit much, don’t you think? I’m perfectly harmless, and it’s not like I’m going to try anything. Besides, I think I know how to wash myself.” she jokes a little uneasily, knowing full well that is neither going to convince the man, nor that the latter part is the reason why she’s getting an escort.