"Well, she is married to him.  That's pretty unusual for us."  Sonia starts to move down the bridge again, "Her name was Jael.  You can find more about her in the Bible, but it tells you very little.  But the point wasn't that eventually we must all pass and fade, but that the biggest things are done in quiet."

She laughs at Lyla's last comment, "Yes, things have changed.  Fifty years ago this one would've attempted to kill you- this one wouldn't have liked it, mind you- and would've gotten killed as a result.  A hundred years ago and this one would've done everything in her power to kill everyone you held dear.  A thousand years ago and this one- well, you get the image, hm?  We live in strange times, you and this one."

Lyla nods, her hand instinctively finding its way to give a thoughtful tap to her cigarette case.

"I can only imagine adjusting yourself to suit the time and the change. Though if you couldn't adjust, we wouldn't be talking here. Perhaps it should worry me, that you are still around, because the day might come that you'll decide to rid the world of me... or at least try."

She waves a dismissive hand.

"But lets not go there. I have no need or any want to start a quarrel with you, or your kind. Instead I have to admit being surprised for being asked here, honored as well."

"The day might come," Sonia tastes the words with her perfect mouth, "This one is tempted to throw a roundhouse kick at your face right now.  Not because she is angry or dislikes you, but to show you how futile that is.  You would wipe the floor with this one.  It would be... so very embarrassing." She smiles at Lyla, "In ten years, if you are still alive, this one would not even be able to muss the hair on your head.  At that point this one will leave such a problem to your peers."

They pass out of the glass catwalk, into the next warren.  Here Lyla can see things have gotten more secure.  The Neomah here are more beautiful, their glamours more tailored, their solicitors bleeding discreetly under well-hidden bandages- or perhaps not at all.

"There are certain things only you can do."

"I'd offer you a chance to spar sometime in order for you to fullfill that roundhouse kick dream, but I'm not big fan of sparring. Fighting on flat open ground without any element of surprise just for the sake of fighting just doesn't suit my tastes. It's naturally necessary for training purposes, but.." Lyla shrugs, with a vague smile.

She does look around, paying attention to the details after all she'd never visited the Neomah herself. The security of some areas in the Last Refuge never seized to amaze her. Given they all lived in such tight quarters, and everyone was constantly gossiping about something, it fed her curiousity to find such places that were still mostly discreet.

"Apparently so."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:52, Mon 10 Apr 2017.

"Oh no.  This one doesn't spar, honored one."  She gives Lyla a smile like a deadly snake.

As Lyla looks around, Sonia lashes out with her foot!  Since when was the Neomah in high heels?  Since when were they needle sharp and glistening?!

((Sonia Init:
9, 8, 4, 4, 2, 1 & 1.
*Init 24 + Speed 5 + AB 5 = 34
*Float 1-1))

((Initiative: 10, 10, 9, 7, 6, 4, 3 & 2
Using Murderous Shadows w/ Unarmed+Saber
Initiative: 16+15+10= 41, delays after Sonia
FoB: 17+15+10 = 42/ 2 chi
Ghostly Presence: 19+20+10 = 49
Float 10-10))

She doesn't flinch, when she faces the foot lashing directly at her. The shadows seem to darken momentarily, leaving her in a smoke screen of after images. But unlike most other times, this time Lyla waits. Waits to see what was coming at her, even if that might be silly.

((Attack:
7, 6, 6, 6, 3, 2 & 1
*4 Chi: Strike +20
*Strike 36 + Strike 15 + AB 5 + IKF 20 = 76, Better Blocked:  Dodge -5))

The Neomah is startlingly efficient for someone with such low Essence, her round-house kick aimed directly at Lyla's temple.  A kick like that wouldn't need poison- against a normal human being, it'd punch right through the side of their skull and destroy their brain.

((Defense:9, 8, 7, 6, 3, 2, 2 & 2
Crow eclipses the sun 4 chi
Dodge: 32+15+5+10+20-5 = 77 vs 76

Attack: 10, 10, 9, 7, 6, 4, 4 & 3
Reincarnating Nine Brothers 5 chi

Strike: 40+20+25+10 = 95, better dodged
Burn: 24+10+10 = 44
))

Lyla was always wary, maybe too much even, and when her kick comes at her, she is already mapping her surroundings. She falls into a backwards cartwheel, her shadows disguising her movement.

Then the blueish blades lash out from the dark, much lower than anticipated, aimed at her torso. A small part of her mind reminds her that it wouldn't be good if she'd actually hurt Sonia, and the other part of her mind tells her not to lose, but always put everything at stake.

((Defense vs Lyla:
9, 6, 6, 5, 3, 1 & 1
*Defense vs Strike with Flowed 41 + Block 10 + IKF 10 + AB 5 - Better Dodged 5 = 61 vs 95, 2 Ripples + Roll
*Defense vs Burn 26 + Block 10 + IKF 10 + AB 5 - Better Dodged 5 = 46 vs 44, Blocks

RR on Sonia:
*19 + Damage 15 = 34 - Toughness 20 - Chi Aura 11 = 3, a Trivial wound))

Sonia pours all of her Essence into resisting Lyla's attack, but it's ultimately fruitless.  She lacks the raw strength to do more than mitigate the damage.  Lyla lands a telling blow, cutting through Sonia's leather jacket.

She takes a few steps back and raises her hand, giving up.

"As you can see, this one can't even touch you at the height of her power.  And please note that this one is considered a- hmm- expert at martial love.  This one could not ever threaten you."

Lyla draws back and takes distance instinctively, before stepping back near her. The shadows around her retreating back to their natural places.

"Are you alright?" She inclines to the cut. "I over did it. Pardon me. Besides, you are selling yourself short. Your kick packed quite the punch and your technique is most likely much better than mine. It was a close call. Maybe with a bit of planning and an advantage at location, you'd have pushed through."

She winks, it appearing slightly odd on her face, like something you did when performing and then trying to do it with a real meaning behind it.

"This one is fine.  You pack a hard punch,"  She smiles at Lyla, "That took most of this one's strength and capability; this one couldn't sustain attacks like that.  Please, this was illustrative!  This one is no threat."

She takes Lyla's arm again, somewhat possessively.

"We will continue." 

She pulls them along the hallway.  The Neomah now look exceptionally professional.  They're all smartly dressed in formal businesswear.  There are no solictors but there are clipboards, pens, smart-tablets. Lyla is uncomfortably reminded of a massive corporate office.  Sonia is quiet as they move through, eventually knocking on a nondescript door in a nondescript section of the warren.

The door chimes and they step through.  There are three chairs present, one of lush red velvet and two of an old-world style, wooden and comfortable.

"Take a seat,"  Sonia gestures, "And Leanette Akashic Florentine will enter shortly."
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:58, Tue 18 Apr 2017.

"I trust you on that one," Lyla smiles at Sonia's assurance.

There is a small grimace on her face as they pass through the "office". She has to remind herself that she is here, because her help was asked, and she could always decline after the meeting if it didn't suit her work ethics.

"Thank you, Sonia. Will you be seeing me out later or was this it for now?" She asks before taking a seat in one of the old-world styled chairs.

"This one will be staying here with you.  This one does know many things and as your assistant must be privy to all of this information as well.  This one is here to help you synthesize and prioritize."

Sonia hasn't shifted her appearance, still appearing like the motorcyclist-super-spy she favored.  It jars when compared with the rest of the Neomah they'd just passed.

Eventually, however, a door opens.  Leanette Akashic Florentine is beautiful but in an understated way.  Whereas all the other Neomah are almost cartoonish in their beauty Leanette resembles a mid-20th century movie star, full of elegance and confidence.  She wears a simple black minidress.

"Lyla," She greets the Exalt with an extended hand- featuring beautifully manicured, sharp fingernails.  Lyla sees no trace of aconite poison on them.  "I'm Leanette.  It's a pleasure to finally meet you, but we've both been so very busy."

Lyla already knows that only the highest-ranked, most self-confident Neomah use the first person.  It's still jarring to hear come from one's mouth.

The way Sonia appears and behaves is some sort of a safe haven for Lyla. At least there was something vaguely familiar, instead of something she absolutely despised.

"Nice to meet you too, and quite the chance that being face to face, I must admit," Lyla gets up to give her a handshake, one that is rough around the edges, too relaxed for the formal occasion.

Safe to say that her nails are far from manicured, clean only thanks to wearing gloves on missions.

"It seems everyone is so busy these days, that almost all contacting is done through mail."

"Yes, which is unfortunate but necessary.  It helps with quarantine protocol, too.  Less difficult to pass on... contagion."  She smiles thinly, "I'll cut to the quick of things, which I'm sure will please you.  Neomah spies- the Asherim- unearthed evidence of a hobby-cult dedicated towards the creation of Virtual Intelligences.  These gelded Artificial Intelligences are highly suspect creations, believed to be inspired by the Enemy's agents within the ship.  They're also of a lot of interest to Michael, seeing as the very first thing a budding AI tends to do is try to break Core Protocols.  They always say it's a stress test, but we have a very dim view of it."

"80% of all Asherim counterintelligence operations are dedicated towards squashing this sort of thing," Sonia says in an aside to Lyla.

"Long story short, our feud with these hobby-cults is ongoing and laborious.  Normally we wouldn't bother you with it.  However, Endings was recently sent to investigate potential traitors identified by files on the Buchenwald, and when he got close to one of them... he disappeared.  And the one he approached?  A prime suspect in our own investigations, a potential cult cell leader.  To make matters worse, I've been informed by Secrets that Endings is dead with an 89% probability.  So besides subversive behavior and potential treason, we have outright murder of an Exalt."

"People have always been into trying to create life, and unfortunate enough they do cause quite the problems when dabbling into things they eventually cannot control. Such as an AI. I... have had some problems with people doing what they want outside the given law as well, so I'm glad to hear someone is monitoring them," she ponders.

"That being said, giving any possible leverage to Thanatos on the long run sounds like someone is a bit too carefree in their creation. Having too recently confronted her, and I'm sure no-one would want her running amok on this ship."

Her voice a bit annoyed as it is, she frowns deeply when the news of Endings surface.

"Hmph. I see. I'm glad you decided to bother me with this. The death and most likely a murder of a Sidereal is nothing to be taken lightly. I know Endings was in comparison a fresh exalt, but that doesn't make him an easy target to be killed or captured. So, who is the suspect?"

"Monitoring them with great interest.  We've kept some of the more... useful and sane ones alive.  They've led down some interesting roads once we neuter their little projects." 

Leanette nods grimly.

"No, he wasn't; especially with training from Battles.  The suspect?  Taru-Han, the Daimyo of Souls.  We believe she was working with the rogue programmers to imprint higher souls on computer circuits, allowing mass-production of VIs and also allowing her to make 'copies' of her collection, just in case.  Of course, the big problem there is that techno-ghosts are still ghosts.

Secrets thought she was possibly Inconceivable, a Neverborn spy and point of contact to the Neverborn's other sleeper agents.  Of course, she's always been quietly suspect; the most powerful psychopomp can't be too far removed from the Neverborn.

She's old, powerful, and supremely dangerous.  I would place her roughly akin to Sunipa or Five Days Darkness in strength."

Lyla nods, gives a thoughtful tap to her cigarette case, and turns to look somewhere in the distance digesting what was just told. She gives a thoughtful stroke to her scarf, before returning to the matter at hand.

"So, given that it's Taru-Han, what is the course of action...Getting more solid evidence or catching them redhanded? Surely not fighting them head on, because in that case you'd have contacted Daniel."

"More solid information and a plan, in essence.  We need confirmation, and once that's done we need to set up an operation to safely take her into custody.  Or kill her.  I'm not sure if the latter's even possible.  She's a living spray of visible light."

"This one doesn't think she can be interrogate light,"  Sonia mutters with amusement.

"In addition to this," Leanette continues on, pressing forward like a kid trying to eat something they hate, "Michael has requested a personal conversation with you.  Not within his cradle of course."

"Need to ask from entities similar to her for a good course of action. Killing her might also complicate things in other levels, and it does sound a bit too extreme, at least at this stage," Lyla smirks at Sonia comment.
"It'd be best to have someone infiltrate, alas I'm not good at technobabble to make it convincing. Unless you already have someone there?"

It's perfectly visible on her face how surprised she is. She does reel her expression quickly back in to its normal sceptic smirk. The Ragnarok had happened so swiftly after her exaltation, that she had never really had a chance to meet Michael, even though they were both part of the Old team, so to say. At least he had done his best for humanity, even though he was an Infernal.

"Well, I'm ready for a conversation whenever he wishes to have it."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:10, Wed 26 Apr 2017.

"We don't.  The gods don't like the Neomah,"  Leanette sounds calm but Lyla can tell the woman is starting to bristle up like a porcupine, "Taru-Han will be suspicious of anyone approaching her.  We'll need to be calm and collected about it."

Leanette stands up, "Excuse me, Lyla, allow me to talk to my husband first to make sure this is what he wants?  And to ensure he's in a fit condition to see you?"

Sonia looks at Lyla with impassively gorgeous eyes.  She raises an eyebrow.

A small part of her wants to see what would eventually happen when Leanette would have had enough of it. It somehow amused her, that even though she was the one to asked for assistance, she is not the one getting annoyed at the whole deal.

"Sure. Luckily I'm not in a hurry."

Lyla crosses her legs and leans on the arm rest.

Sonia clears her throat as soon as Leanette leaves.

"This is different," She says immediately, "Leanette isn't pleased.  This one had no idea that you might be seeing Core.  Since Leanette didn't tell you right here and now what this conversation would be about, it means that he doesn't want her to know."

Lyla shortly raises her brows.

"Peculiar. I was already wondering what was eating her so much."

She shifts in her chair.

"Well well. This whole case gets more and more interesting and concerning at the same time."

"Very.  This one won't be able to attend the meeting with you either." She says as she reaches out to touch Lyla's shoulder, "You will not be permitted to view the cradle itself.  But you'll get the closest in recent memory."

This sounds practically religious.

"Be cautious.  Leanette will attempt to grill you for information afterwards."