The Duke now gently stroking the machine like he has seen males do with females in night time movies to make her like hot wax in his big hands gives her a smile with his bad teeth and the booze cone she thankfully can not smell.

"Aw love. My fingers are way to big to push such a little button and i don't want to be rough with a fine thing like you. Surely you can help a guy out don't you? After all we are trying to not to kill everyone in here to get the water back to the trees outside."

ooc: 09:58, Today: The Duke rolled 10 using 2d6 with rolls of 4,6.  Charming the computer.

Ajakstu puts the soup and Rake on a table. He then sets about seeking a basket or box or at least a tray on which to carry all of the other available food. Overhearing The Duke, he concentrates his search as far from the terminal as possible while humming any and all childrens' songs that he knows.

Ajakstu finds a sturdy plastic crate that will hold all the food items.

(Note: I believe that The Duke has returned to the server area in the Programming Department...)

Rake seems to like the smell of the soup, but he finds the bowl (that's keeping it warm) daunting. He appears to be smart enough to realize that if he climbs onto the edge of the bowl to consume the soup, he'll tip it all over and make it spill... He patiently crawls around the bowl, assessing the situation, thinking, thinking...



"I think I understand. You are saying that your request has a high priority, because it is a safety issue, as well as an issue of environmental safety. Is that correct?" When The Duke confirms this in the affirmative, the magic computer voice (The Duke decides, in his head, to name her Magic Voice) seems impressed by the urgency of the situation. "All right, that does sound important. What exactly is it you wish to communicate? That water in the operating theater area must be conserved? Is that essentially correct? Are there any additional details that need to be conveyed?"

(No further roll needed yet-- if I need another one, I'll let you know)

The Duke ponders for a long moment and then tries to convey what he thinks needs to happen.

"The washing ritual needs to be done in a way that no water enters the drain but is returned to the basin. And they need to pray to the lady instead of to the screen. She is better to give the wisdom needed to end the war with the other races and return the water"

Seeing Rake's difficulties, after loading the food into the crate Ajakstu gently picks his pet up and holds him on the edge of the bowl so that he is supported and can reach the soup.

The computer beeps a few times. "...It seems likely that there may be follow-up questions. To what 'lady' are you referring?"

---

Rake happily enjoys the soup, sort of lapping up droplets with a curly tongue.

The Lady smiled.
It was a sweet gesture by The Duke, to drum her up a little Attention; it had been a long time since anyone had prayed to her.

The Duke blinks a few times confused and then gestures the lady over to stand beside him.

"This is The Lady miss. She guides people to their luck."

The Lady did a curtesy to the machine, although she was ageless and kinda remembered that such a gesture was worthless but for the entertainment factor.
“That I am”, she said, smiling at The Duke, “And that I do”.

"Computing... stand by..." says Magic Voice... "Stand by... Announcement commencing."

The screen shows Shuak, the Onsu High Priest of Shaa, sitting at his chair in front of his terminal. His eyes are closed-- he seems to be meditating. There must be a tiny and/or hidden camera in that room.

"ANNOUNCEMENT," says the screen, and Shuak's eyes snap open in surprise. "STAND BY FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT."

The screen splits-- it also shows the entry hall to Shuak's room, and also the "operating theater, although the sound is not on to hear the singing-- and it looks like the singing stops, too. All the Onsu in each room shown look very surprised.

"ANNOUNCEMENT BEGINS. DUE TO REASONS OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFICIENCY, THE OPERATION THAT IS BEING RITUALLY DONE IN THE OPERATING THEATER MUST SAVE ALL WATER POSSIBLE. RETURN ANY EXCESS WATER TO THE BASIN IN USE. ADDITIONALLY, ALL QUESTIONS, APPEALS, PETITIONS, AND REQUESTS ARE TO BE DIRECTED, FROM THIS POINT ONWARD, TO DESIGNATE 'THE LADY.' 'THE LADY' APPEARS TO BE A HUMAN FEMALE, BUT WITH GLOWING GREEN EYES, CURRENTLY WEARING WHITE CLOTHING. FURTHER SENSOR SCANS SHOW THAT DESIGNATE 'THE LADY' IS, IN FACT, HOWEVER, AN ENERGY BEING IN THE SHAPE OF A HUMAN. AGAIN, ANY AND ALL REQUISITIONS AND/OR SOLICITATIONS ARE TO BE REFERRED TO 'THE LADY.' SHE IS AUTHORIZED TO EXPLAIN AND ADVISE REGARDING ENDING THE WAR WITH THE OTHER SPECIES, AND/OR PROPER WATER DISPOSAL. ANNOUNCEMENT ENDS."

The Onsu on the screens look shocked...

The Duke gives the lady a wide grin and looks at the screen with the shocked high priest.

"Well that settles the first group. Lets go to the next."

He salutes at the computer and gets ready to return to the main chamber.

"Thank you miss you where quite helpfull."

"Of course. Happy to be of service," says Magic Voice.

'Well, that worked unexpectedly well', thought The Lady.
But what she said to the computer was, "Thank you for that service.  May your efforts be blessed".

It occured to her that she hadn't used that phrase for ... a millennia?

Turning to The Duke, and to Ajakstu, she smiled, "Then let us continue.
We have this mess to sort out, and be upon our original quest, then".

But she was already thinking on .... something important.

The party returns to the "operating theater," but the singing that was formerly going on there has stopped. All the Onsu are quietly discussing recent developments with anxious confusion.

The Onsu stop talking when they see The Lady.

They wait to see if any of the interlopers (watching The Lady, in particular) will speak...

The Lady smiled graciously, as she entered the room ... followed by The Duke and Ajakstu.

She chose a place near the centre of the room, and spake unto those gathered,
"Come hear me, friends" as sweetly as she could.
"There is much that must be learned and developed, to bring you all into the new age of enlightenment" ... and without wanting to type entire sermons, The Lady is going to make it clear that:
- First and foremost:  a new system must be developed to ensure the flow of water that comes into this realm, leaves this realm.
- A new form of worship, in which she 'as the living avatar of the land' (and the computer) be loved and worshipped by all the races of this realm.





- rolled 6 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 1,3.  Charming ... just because.
Frag me, I just CANNOT get a break on 'Charm' rolls with this character

Ajakstu glances at Rake and adjusts his most awesome hat and perhaps sidles slighly away from The Lady and perhaps slightly towarss the exit.

The Duke seeing the awe that these strangers came and now had replaced their god laughs a loud rumbling laugh as he gathers the Onsu for their first seremon.

"Come friends the Lady wants to introduce herself and the blessings she can bring to your people. And who knows maybe a lasting peace to this small world."

ooc: A 4 to aid.

(The Lady rolled 6 using 2d6+2, namely 1,3 +2 = 6.

Substituting a 4 = 4 and 3 plus 2= 9.)

The Lady's words fall on stunned and angry ears.

Then The Duke speaks, and... the tension is broken. Now they're just shocked and stunned... but they're also not getting hostile. They're thinking about the possibilities. They're not welcoming The Lady with open arms... but they're not attacking, either.

"...Blessings...?" wonders one female Onsu...

As this character hasn't ever really received much in the way of 'Attention' (that resource that I need to perform my godly blessings, I don't actually have anything to offer them right now, but ...

"Follow me, my children.   I will teach the rites and ways to draw blessing and good providence unto your society.
Live in my footsteps, and ride my coat tails, and your people will prosper with luck and prosperity", The Lady said, aimlessly (words that she had spoken to endless civilisations since the dawn of time) as she wandered among them now, curiously looking them over.

Charm Roll:
- rolled 4 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 1,1.
Yup, like I say,   for a character with +2 Charm, I just cannot roll even a basic success with this character.

The Lady doing her thing the Duke nods along with her though her words felt a little flat. Was she running out of her luck now that people might actually need it? So the Duke tries to help which in his grand drunkenness Sounds majestic.

"Yeah the Lady is a real luck bringer. I lived in a dark lonely place but ever since i met her i have friends and been traveling with them and see she brought me to you. How lucky for you."

And lucky they are right. A giant saying things like that with the dried blood of many of their comrades all over his body. The Duke might need a bath soon.

ooc: The Duke helps with a 4 making it a soft hit.

The Onsu begin to leave, muttering, anxious, but at least they aren't violent anymore.

Most leave, in fact.

A few stay.

One, a young female (not a child nor a feline teen, just a very young adult female) steps up to The Lady. "...Teach me, teacher..." she says. "Teach me a rite for prosperity and blessing..."

The Duke gives the lady a massive grin and a huge thumbs up as he saunters after those that leave.

"So my friends tell me about this bathing ritual of yours. Why did you watse the water? It achi9eved some special goal?"

"Wasted?" says the young Onsu woman with just a hint of resentment. "It was not wasted. It was impure. It cleansed us of spiritual impurities."

The duke shakes his head.

"Water is life and even if it is used to clean your body you can not just pour its essence down the drain. It needs to return into the cycle of life. If you think it is unclean after use boil it do not throw it away."

As he walks on with the group leaving the temple where the lady is about to teach his tone of voice changes as he places a hand on the womans shoulder.

"Without water this world will seize to exist and it is up to you to retrieve it by venturing down the drain. Only then live will return and you will learn what impure water is."

And like that his demeanor changes again as he leaves to go to the central room to solve the troubles with the next tribe.

"Without chemicals life itself would be impossible," Ajakstu intones. It is hard to tell if he is sincere or not. Perhaps merely repeating some long lost rite.