Terra - New Paris

First topic message reminder :

Yeah

(Well there's a drone chasing it around right outside Vestia, so I guess we might as well intervene, haha)

"Usually follows a wave of extremely rapid progress, if I know any history at all," Asher said, "Magic, artificial intelligence, the invention of the world-scale bio bomb."

~~
"So you're a supervillain's mook. Okay, I can accept that," joked Ellie.

Starr nodded, but was distracted by a drone flying around Vestia. " What is that drone doing? " She asked, thinking it was something to do with one of rhem

~~~
"Bodyguard, yeah." Shane said then smiled at her. "And you just accept it that easily? "

"It's chasing something," Asher said, attempting to identify what that something was. His eyesight, although good, wasn't even close to powerful enough to see something that small from this distance.
The pilot brought the shuttle down to land.

~~
"Better to be a bodyguard than a mook," she said. "And sure. I mean, everyone else I've met lately has had some really improbable back story, so why not you too?"

Starr got out when the transport settled to the ground. She paid the driver then looked around for the drone as she went to the ramp.

~~
Shane laughed and shook his head at that "Improbable huh?" He asked and glanced to the others then back to her again.

"Ten seems reasonable enough," Merith said softly, taking Syren by the hand to head over to the doll section. Many different dolls lined the aisle, from collector's porcelain to thirty cent trinkets not even an inch tall. Plush stuffed dolls to plastic-made, anything a girl could wish for decorated the shelves.

The drone was hovering near Vestia's ramp, while its target hid underneath. Asher knelt down to see what the target was.
"It's a rat," he said after a moment, "This must be a pest eliminator drone."
"Help!" The rat squeaked, "Help me!"
The android's eyes widened as his data profile of the creature updated, and the First Law suddenly took effect. "We have to help it."

~~
"You know the young couple with the kid? They used to hate each other," Ellie said. "Very improbable that they would ever work together again. So where are your buddies taking us?"

Quinn The Fox wrote:"Ten seems reasonable enough," Merith said softly, taking Syren by the hand to head over to the doll section. Many different dolls lined the aisle, from collector's porcelain to thirty cent trinkets not even an inch tall. Plush stuffed dolls to plastic-made, anything a girl could wish for decorated the shelves.

She carefully looked at each one, drawn to the more basic stuff doll that looked more like raggy Ann. Heny would just keep a causally eye on things as Syren only found two dolls she liked, then shyly asked about building toys.

Starr raised an eyebrow then looked up at the drone. "Can you send that thing to another place? I can get the rat inside if the drone isn't watching us."

~~~
"Likely to the house." Shane said, frowning a little then nodded "Hate and love aren't too far apart, they are both strong feelings and can be changed if enough pressure is added.

Asher looked up at the drone, pulled out his stun blaster, and took aim. The drone, sensing imminent danger, swerved away, its tiny processor whirring as it flew away around Vestia's hull. He tilted his head, listening for the sound of it returning. "Go ahead," he said, voice quiet.

~~
"That's deep," said Ellie, pressing her nose to the window to watch as they left the city and entered green countryside.

Starr nodded and took the basket, setting it down beside the ramp "Come on, little one." She said, waiting for the rat to get in so she could take it inside and to her shuttle

~~~
Shane shrugged and watched her as she watched them diveing up to a large estate and go inside to the main doors.

"Nice place," she commented as they got out. "Good old Lucian Powers, he's a quality guy."

"Quality? Nah, just rich" Shane said quietly as he got out and took her hand to go to the door. He glanced to their guards and sighed, hoping this went well for him and Ellie.

The guards escorted them in, down a tastefully modern hallway to Lucian's office.
"Or his landscapers and interior designers are quality people," Ellie amended.

Shane laughed again at that. He liked the way she thought and expressed herself. He sobered quickly though as the were called into the office to see an older human looking man at the desk.

"Hello you two." Lucian said and set a file aside and looked at both of them,

"Hi," said Ellie, "I'm Ellie. You must be the boss around here?"

Kooshie wrote:"Hi," said Ellie, "I'm Ellie. You must be the boss around here?"

"Yeah, I am, and you should have come in as soon as you got back, not galavanting around town with a floosie." Lucian said as he looked to Shane after looking Ellie up and down.

Ellie didn't recognize the word, but she suspected it didn't mean anything especially nice. She gave him a long look. "Shane was ahead of schedule. Don't get on his case."

Kooshie wrote:Ellie didn't recognize the word, but she suspected it didn't mean anything especially nice. She gave him a long look. "Shane was ahead of schedule. Don't get on his case."

"Don't but in girlie, he's mine to do what I want witth. I found him and took him in as a kid," Lucian said, glancing to Ellie. "He knows my rules by now."

"Yours? He's an adult!" Ellie knew it wasn't a good idea to be antagonizing this man, but his words couldn't have been better calculated to make her bristle. "Even robots get to do what they want on their days off!"

Kooshie wrote:"Yours? He's an adult!" Ellie knew it wasn't a good idea to be antagonizing this man, but his words couldn't have been better calculated to make her bristle. "Even robots get to do what they want on their days off!"

"What day off would that be?" Lucian asked.

Shane moved closer and touched her arm "Don't make him mad" he said quietly

"Well he's making me mad," she muttered. But she decided maybe Shane should do the talking, since after all, this was about him.

Kooshie wrote:"Well he's making me mad," she muttered. But she decided maybe Shane should do the talking, since after all, this was about him.

Shane sighed and looked back to Lucian again. "I would have been back before the deadline, without involving or inviting anyone else to get involved in this. Robie refused to let her be dropped off or sent back."

Lucian just stood up and came around his desk, walking over to Ellie and looking at her again. "You have a tongue on you, anything else you can do girlie?" He asked, ignoring Shane until then "Shane, go to your room. I will take care of the girl."

"I know horticulture. There's one type of algae that smells just like you," she said, watching him warily.

Kooshie wrote:"I know horticulture. There's one type of algae that smells just like you," she said, watching him warily.

Lucian returned his attention to her again, reaching up to grab her by the side of her neck. " Oh really?"

Shane stiffened and moved from foot to foot, wanting to stop this but holding back because he was used to obeying without question.

Ellie threw a punch at Lucian's face. It wouldn't be an especially painful one because she wasn't trained to fight, but she figured it was the intention that mattered. "Who do you think you are?" she snapped, furious.

Kooshie wrote:Ellie threw a punch at Lucian's face. It wouldn't be an especially painful one because she wasn't trained to fight, but she figured it was the intention that mattered. "Who do you think you are?" she snapped, furious.

Lucian looked at her and narrowed his eyes, grabbing her and forcing her closer to him "Now that was a bad idea girlie. I rather like my girls to have a bit of fight to them, then I get rid of them when I'm done." He said darkly.

Shane shook his head, reaching a hand to Ellie's shoulder and the other out to Lucian "No, leave her alone!" He said then felt something he never had before as a pulse of arcana energy left him, pushing Lucian and the guards back forcefully but leaving him and Ellie standing in place. He gasped and looked around, dumbfounded by what had happened.

~~~
Starr headed for the market in her human form to try to get the rat food and return to Vestia as quickly as she could.

"What--" Ellie looked at the enemies who were now standing dazed at the other end of the room, then up at Shane. She forced herself to breathe for a moment, trying to calm her Lucian-induced terror. "Did-did you just use magic?"