HALO CLXXXV: The Titles End Here

[Keeper]

Entrance Hall

Henry really isn't sure how to take that and isn't going to press the issue. Owena would never make comments like that. Especially not at this girl's age. Or...they might be kind of close? Oh no he can't entire tell does that mean he's old?
"Um...I think Artesia is the name of Dorota's assistant? Snake lady? Down the hall, make a left, then a right, second door on the left. Look for the chemical smell."

[Halae]

[Entrance Hall]

Poor Henry. Doomed to Old.

"Thank you!" Skye bows politely, and then will begin moving in the direction Henry indicated. Hopefully, this is the right person, or she's going to feel terribly stupid.

[Keeper]

Lab

The lab is pretty well organized, as one would probably expect from Dorota. However, Dorota is not here at the moment. Who is here is a very large person in terms of volume. The snake-woman looks to be roughly twenty as far as her features go, and is indeed quite curvy. But that is actually not her most striking feature. Her olive complexion is complemented by the peacock-like feathers that replace her hair, accentuated by the small wings extending from her forearms and head. Then of course is the massive snake body from her waist down, almost thirty feet long and with a scintillating rainbow effect on the scales on top of the blue, green, and gold of the peacock-eye pattern all the way down.

Needless to say, her simple technician's uniform contrasts her extremely striking appearance. And at the moment she appears to be taste-testing reagents and producing a strong floral perform with the aspergillum-like rattle on the end of her tail.

[Halae]

[Lab]

Wow, that's quite a look. Skye's eyes will linger on the woman's chest for a moment - even through the most clothing that's quite a striking figure - as she waits for the tasting to be finished. When it is - so that she's not interrupting, naturally - Skye says, "Excuse me, are you 'Artie'? I was asked to come and speak to someone by that name by an entity calling itself 'Libra'."

[Keeper]

Lab

Artie starts and turns, but she seems even more surprised by what Skye says.
"What, she's not even appearing in person anymore? Bad enough she throws me into an immortal role without my consent, and now she's isn't even facing me herself? Fine, best she's not here. I can't do with another wardrobe change. What's the message?" Somehow she gives the impression of someone who isn't normally that combative who simply has That One Person they can't help themselves when talking about.

[Halae]

[Lab]

Skye blinks, "Ah..." she sighs, "To be frank, I don't have a message. I was asked to come speak with you because Libra said she gave you a gift and you didn't appreciate it. That's all. I believe she wants me to convince you to enjoy it, not that I'm certain how to do that if the very mention of her name sends you into a fit of rage."

And now she's just standing there awkwardly.

[Keeper]

Lab

"Rage? I don't think I'm exactly livid. But for clarity's sake here: Libra stole a mask from a fey court, causing immense upheaval, threw it onto my face without telling me what it did or asking my permission, fusing me with an ancient entity that committed horrific crimes and centuries of eugenics with nary a thought and causing a full body and mind transformation and locking me into an eternity of serving a court that doesn't trust me and has already made me numerous enemies with the possibility of wiping my mortal mind from my soul when this body dies.
Because I complained while drunk that I didn't have time to find a date while working." Artie explains, crossing her arms.
"She doesn't do things halfway and I'm a bit miffed about the whole thing on principle."

[Halae]

[Lab]

Skye's eyebrows shoot up, "... Yes, I imagine I would be as well. I had no idea she'd done anything like that; she didn't do a thing when I asked her for help with my own problem."

Not the most believable thing, given Skye's... intense figure.

"I apologize. Had I known, I never would have agreed. all she did was promise me some kind of nebulous boon for speaking with you, thankfully not necessarily convincing you of anything."

[Keeper]

Lab

"So I have to ask...are you sure? Because properly speaking, my Mask did come with some changes to my personality. And if I'm being blunt, if anyone deals with Libra there's a seventy-five percent chance they walk away with a bigger bust size. And the twenty-five percent is almost all men who managed to stay that way."
Artie seems more than a little concerned. Libra directly messing with people's heads is new territory that is, frankly, kind of objectively terrifying.
"I'm not sure exactly how she expected you to convince me to enjoy being a snake fey scientist. With no offense intended, I don't think you're any of those things."

[Halae]

[Lab]

Skye tilts her head, then taps her chest once, "This was starting to happen before I even met her. It happened when I entered the Nexus, several months before our first meeting."

Because that's a ridiculous idea. That she'd affect the mind.

Right?

"I suspect she's not all together in mind most of the time. Simply pushing her will on things and hoping it turns out in her favor."

[Keeper]

Lab

"Hmmm.
Did she comment on it?" Artie asks simply, slithering over to look at Skye better and discuss things more evenly.
"I'll be honest, the idea that someone would ask for help and she'd do nothing is extremely troubling. I've known her to only throw them into whatever whim she's having that day with no regard for their wishes. If you described a problem and she didn't do anything, not even say no, that says she absolutely did something. But also, she's crude enough that if you already looked like that, she would have commented."

[Halae]

[Lab]

Skye remains largely still, allowing herself to be examined, "I made my request, and then she simply smiled and vanished. I... you see, I was granted a corrupt power that's attached to my soul, that drives me to feed on the free will of others. I asked her to remove it, and she did not."

[Keeper]

Lab

"Oh. Oh no. She definitely did something. Chances are she did something that would make you feel better about it. And then I'll be honest, probably threw in some 'modifications' for free. I've met her a few times. It took a while to catch up to me, but there was always a girl built like that involved somewhere. Except maybe the time with the musical number. But that was just weird. People kept turning into moons."
The reverse werewolves! Libra is strange.

[Gullara]

[A Meeting of Minds]

Ambrosia has been occasionally glancing at Utayo's carp as it comes into being and now that they're finally finished she had the chance to ask something that had been on her mind.
"Do you by any chance know a legend about a carp that swam up a waterfall and became a dragon?" Since Ambrosia did identify with that story even if she must assuredly had never been a carp.

Anyone even suggesting that would be eaten.

Dorota will find that the essence doesn't behave quite like other material. Since while at first it indeed seems to be liquid as it trails down the chisel the moment the drop separates from the tool it starts to float upwards. Still behaving like liquid but now as if there had been no gravity as it slowly starts to move in the direction of the orb.

Noticing this, the dragon scholar looks up. "Oh yes, it does that. It strives to return. It might be better to try to apply it more directly or placing the orb on the sculptures."

If Dorota does either of those things the not-liquid seems to seep into the clay of their sculptures. Starting to turn them the same shade of purple as the dragons scales over the span of a few minutes. But as they observe this happening they can also see that it isn't just changing the clay's color. It leaves traces of scales and feathers drawn into the clay as it slowly continues to change.

"Are you noting this down?" Ambrosia asks, perhaps unnecessarily considering the company she's in.

[A Meeting of Minds]

Dorota indeed already has a notepad in her hand.

"That's a lot more... organic than I was expecting," she admits.

[A Meeting of Minds]

"Curious. It's not the first time I've encountered common tales on separate planes." Utayo confirms. "I've always thought there's things that unite all beings, even beyond planar barriers. It'd be an interesting phenomenon to study if I were an anthropologist."

Utayo doesn't need to physically note things down, unless she's making longer term records. She'll be able to recall in perfect detail if there's any gaps to fill in when they part today. She glances at Ambrosia, considering. "I didn't imagine it would have some totally unrelated result when we started this experiment. You say the orb is a part of you; perhaps it's a part of you that makes you as you are." She muses.

[Shadowcaller]

[Lab]

There's suddenly a knock.

And if either of them turns they will spot a panting Libra floating just by the lab entrance. It looks as if she's been running a marathon despite mostly lacking in feet these days.
"Came... came fast as I could..."

If either of them had turned their attention to the corridor sooner, or check the security cameras later, they would have seen Libra floating down the corridor. Taking the same route as Skye did to get here.

She points at them accusingly while leaning heavily against a star-filled copy of the door frame which she just passed through. Seemingly created only for the purpose of being leaned against. "Since- since you were talking behind my back... weren't you?"

[A Meeting of Minds]

It should be noted that the sculptures don't manifest any actual biological parts or traits, just clay versions of them. Or indeed, just patterns on said clay.
They might note that the carp and the tiger are manifesting more of these changes than Dorotas sculpture which remains
relatively pristine. The clay making up the cubes taking on a more metallic sheen as they harden. Their texture slowly becoming smoother until it appears as if the sculpture is now made of an indigo colored metal.

The carp is changed in a similar fashion, becoming smoother and shinier but never to the point it appears metallic. Rather, it looks more biological at that point. Its features becoming increasingly lifelike. Like an actual indigo colored carp which just happens to have feather-like fins.

Finally, the tigers changes are somewhere in a middle ground between the carp and the cubes. Since while the clay becomes smoother it never gains the lifelike quality of the carp or the metallic texture of the cubes. Instead it remains the most clay-like of the three. Appearing more like a tiger you would see in a claymation movie than an actual animal. Only this one seems to just have holes for eyes.

Ambrosia have been observing these changes closely, having brought out her floating tome to take notes.

However, Utayo's comment makes her abruptly look away from the sculptures. "Yes... that's, ah, that's correct actually. Excellent observation." She gives the moonfolk a slow nod and then quickly starts clearing her voice as to cover up the fact she was blushing.

Ahem

"Since as Dorota observed it's more of a biological process. The orb actually being more of an egg or a cocoon despite its current appearance." She gives it a pat as she seem to have instinctively grabbed onto it once Dorota had extracted the essence.

She glanced back at the sculptures and seems to make the decision that she could take a few more seconds to explain this as she looks back to Dorota and Utayo.

"If you're familiar with the process of metamorphosis the orb is not only the cocoon where the process takes place but also what triggers it in the first place. It happens when a mature enough imugi or wurm, which would be the caterpillar in the analogue, comes in physical contact with the orb." Ambrosia took a quick breath between sentences as she felt increasingly nervous while saying all of this.

"T-this causes the orb to grow significantly to accommodate for the to-be-dragon as it absorbs it. Once this has happened a hard wood-like shell forms around the orb, making it appear almost cocoon-like. The imugi then spends roughly three months inside the orb where upon it emerges from it. Causing the formed shell to break apart. The orb then shrinks down to its original size though even so the, ah, dragon will be forever bond to it, meaning that no other imugi can be erm- changed through it."

Ambrosia breathes out as she seems to have finished what she had to say. "...any questions?"

[Halae]

[Lab]

"When a being purports to be as powerful as you, talking about such an entity is not behind anyone's back. As you have just demonstrated," Skye says with disapproval towards Libra. She stands rigid, and for the insightful she wants to drop into a fighting stand and is restraining herself.

Not necessarily to fight Libra, but because she imagines Artie might want to.

[Keeper]

Lab

"Libra, from the sound of it, you literally hired this girl to talk to me. I'm not sure what you were expecting. What do you want?" Artie asks, making no hostile motions at all aside from looking vaguely annoyed.
"...and what was your name?"
Skye never mentioned it.

[Murkus]

[Fourth Tower Compound]

Sticks blanches visibly at the mention of Vax, and though he has the entire trip on foot to compose himself, he still looks vaguely anxious when Bontu leaves them alone again. He doesn't have much to add to the idle conversation - it sounds like their goal remains unchanged.

[Shadowcaller]

Lab

Libra takes a deep breath and slowly pushes herself into a standing position and as her hand leaves the star-filled doorway, it disappears.

Then she throws her hands in the air in what seems like a gesture of surrender. "Alright, I know that when I have two people correcting me at the same time that I'm beaten. So what do you want? Since I'm not sure that I'm smart enough to figure out how to undo the damage I've apparently caused to you."

She makes a circular motion with her hand. "So give it to me. No entertainment clause, no surprises. You want to go back to being a centaur? A human? Something else? Anything you want as long as it doesn't involve teleporting something in here 'cause I don't even want to read up on whatever ol' Halo had as teleport blockers. Probably something nasty I figure." She let's out long sigh as her non-existent heart was still beating from the exhausting journey down here.

Teleport blockers should be blocked in her opinion. They were just so humiliating.

[Morty]

[A Meeting of Minds]

"A cocoon? Fascinating." Any nervousness Ambrosia might be experiencing flies past Dorota's head like a fighter jet. "Does that mean dragons begin their life cycle as these wurms?"

[Feline Inquiry]

One of the base's airlocks will open to allow in Calm Reed, the Exalted monk from Vigil. Notably, it doesn't appear that she took a teleporter or sumbarine. Indeed, by all appearances she simply swam down from the surface. When she enters the airlock, she brings her palms together in an abrupt gesture, which causes all of the water to spring forth from her body and clothes, landing on the floor. Then she steps into the base proper. She's looking for Reinholdt, but anyone can encounter her.

[Halae]

[Lab]

Skye looks at Artie curiously, "... My name is Skye," she says quietly, but she doesn't want to interrupt Artie's concentration on Libra, so she says it quietly.

This has gotten quite interesting.

[Keeper]

Lab

"Well, you can start by telling us if you did in fact do anything to Skye here." Artie insists. She doesn't seem too empathetic to Libra's plight, but neither is she aggressive.
"What would even happen if you made me something else? My soul is all...fey now, however that works. Apparently I have a star or something. So even if you made me mammalian again, I'd still be that. And part of the change deleted my ability to know how legs work, so..."

[Shadowcaller]

Lab

"Sure-" And so Libra will tell them.

What did she say?

It's honestly hard to recall despite her saying it just seconds ago. Something about accommodating her to the nexus?

"Anyway, well, uh, yeah. But if you find someone else to take on your feyness then I can do a transfer! You can go back to what you were and they can become an immortal fey being."

[Halae]

[Lab]

Skye narrows her eyes, "... Libra, saying what you did in such a way that it's impossible to actually understand what you said is not an explanation. It's an evasion."

[Keeper]

Lab

"I mean, I like being a lady and all that. So I wouldn't want to be exactly how I was. And frankly, I don't think I trust you enough to rip my soul apart from the Mask and keep it intact."
There are SO many identity problems with Artie being an amalgamation of two people now.
And given how she currently looks and how fey make their own bodies, there's something to be said about how Artie actually feels about all this.

[Shadowcaller]

Lab

"Ehh... remind me, what did you ask of me again, Skye?" Libra gestures at her head. "I got memory issues sometimes."

Then she turns back to Artie. "Well... okay. But remember, you haven't actually told me what you want yet, Artie. You started asking me a bunch of questions and repeating stuff I already know. So I'm gonna ask you again, what do you want me to do? Since if you don't know what you want then how would I?"

[Halae]

[Lab]

"Did you do anything to me?" Skye repeats, enunciating every word carefully.

[Keeper]

Lab

Artie seems pretty annoyed at this point.
"I don't know what I want! What you did was awful but it's done! I can't go back to being a guy. But I don't know if I'd be happy being what I was after I got snake brain'd. And I repeat, I don't trust you to go mucking around with my soul. And I definitely don't want anyone to have to deal with my responsibilities."

[Gullara]

Fourth Tower Compound

A slightly awkward silence reigns as they’re left alone without much to do. Jim leans over to Jaahlyn.
”So…ARE there normally other ways to do this sort of thing?” he asks her quietly.

Fourth Tower Compound

Jaahlyn gives Jim a shrug as soon as she's sure they're out of earshot. Though she still leans in before she replies. "Ehh, she was talking about banes I think. It's like... instead of threatening someone with a knife you do research to find out they're cheating with their wife and then threaten them with black mail." She supposed that metaphor would do.

"As in you find out about something which only work against one specific fey. But it requires a lot of special knowledge and might not even work the way you want to."

The satyr looks back in the direction Bontu left. "But I suppose there's still the option of hiring these people instead of our current plan. We could always bring it up when we're talking to them. But I doubt it would be cheap though."

[Fourth Tower Compound]

Sticks blanches visibly at the mention of Vax, and though he has the entire trip on foot to compose himself, he still looks vaguely anxious when Bontu leaves them alone again. He doesn't have much to add to the idle conversation - it sounds like their goal remains unchanged.

[Fourth Tower Compound]

A couple minutes later, Bontu emerges from the room. "She's ready for you." Then she steps out of the way of the open door.

Once inside they'll find a room laden with various plants consuming most of the edges of the room. A large window looks out over the island and lets sun flood into the room. There's a writing desk as well, and that's where they find Vax. The woman is grinding something in a mortar.

With out looking up, she remarks. "You have a lot of nerve coming here." Her tone is neutral. It might be a confusing statement, except for who the statement is for.

[A Meeting of Minds]

It should be noted that the sculptures don't manifest any actual biological parts or traits, just clay versions of them. Or indeed, just patterns on said clay.
They might note that the carp and the tiger are manifesting more of these changes than Dorotas sculpture which remains
relatively pristine. The clay making up the cubes taking on a more metallic sheen as they harden. Their texture slowly becoming smoother until it appears as if the sculpture is now made of an indigo colored metal.

The carp is changed in a similar fashion, becoming smoother and shinier but never to the point it appears metallic. Rather, it looks more biological at that point. Its features becoming increasingly lifelike. Like an actual indigo colored carp which just happens to have feather-like fins.

Finally, the tigers changes are somewhere in a middle ground between the carp and the cubes. Since while the clay becomes smoother it never gains the lifelike quality of the carp or the metallic texture of the cubes. Instead it remains the most clay-like of the three. Appearing more like a tiger you would see in a claymation movie than an actual animal. Only this one seems to just have holes for eyes.

Ambrosia have been observing these changes closely, having brought out her floating tome to take notes.

However, Utayo's comment makes her abruptly look away from the sculptures. "Yes... that's, ah, that's correct actually. Excellent observation." She gives the moonfolk a slow nod and then quickly starts clearing her voice as to cover up the fact she was blushing.

Ahem

"Since as Dorota observed it's more of a biological process. The orb actually being more of an egg or a cocoon despite its current appearance." She gives it a pat as she seem to have instinctively grabbed onto it once Dorota had extracted the essence.

She glanced back at the sculptures and seems to make the decision that she could take a few more seconds to explain this as she looks back to Dorota and Utayo.

"If you're familiar with the process of metamorphosis the orb is not only the cocoon where the process takes place but also what triggers it in the first place. It happens when a mature enough imugi or wurm, which would be the caterpillar in the analogue, comes in physical contact with the orb." Ambrosia took a quick breath between sentences as she felt increasingly nervous while saying all of this.

"T-this causes the orb to grow significantly to accommodate for the to-be-dragon as it absorbs it. Once this has happened a hard wood-like shell forms around the orb, making it appear almost cocoon-like. The imugi then spends roughly three months inside the orb where upon it emerges from it. Causing the formed shell to break apart. The orb then shrinks down to its original size though even so the, ah, dragon will be forever bond to it, meaning that no other imugi can be erm- changed through it."

Ambrosia breathes out as she seems to have finished what she had to say. "...any questions?"

[A Meeting of Minds]

"A cocoon? Fascinating." Any nervousness Ambrosia might be experiencing flies past Dorota's head like a fighter jet. "Does that mean dragons begin their life cycle as these wurms?"

[A Meeting of Minds]

"More of an egg shell, or the husk of a cocoon. Though neither of those commonly provide much purpose once they're spent, so it seems the metaphor is incomplete." She leans side to side to examine the results of their work. "Though these changes could be latent magic, rather than something with much use. Though by your words it seems a bit more important than that."

[Keeper]

Fourth Tower Compound

Jim has no idea what she means, but presumably there is Beef somewhere. And it's not him.
"They're both here on my behalf." he insists. Did Jaahlyn or Sticks stiff her on a deal at some point?