The Great Northern Forest

[SINIB]

Eruraviel

Her eyes gleamed into his soul, digging at him and searching for any hidden chinks in his armor-she'd met powerful mages whom could obscure themselves from her before, and she wouldn't be letting her guard down so easily.

Eruraviel ran her fingers through her long golden locks and flipped her head with a callous grin on her face. "I am indeed. My name is Eruraviel, and it's my pleasure to be your host today. What refreshments would suit your tastes?"

[YOLF]

Longirsu

There was no sorcery like hers contained in the cage of his physical body. But ancient mechanisms turned and sparked beneath his ribs, processing arcane calculus and paradigms as old as a world, and they were no less capable.

"I would not want to impose," he said, looking her up and down in cool appraisal. "Tea will do."

Longirsu was certain now. She and the mobile power source identified by Ib were one and the same. Interesting.

[SINIB]

Longirsu

There was no sorcery like hers contained in the cage of his physical body. But ancient mechanisms turned and sparked beneath his ribs, processing arcane calculus and paradigms as old as a world, and they were no less capable.

"I would not want to impose," he said, looking her up and down in cool appraisal. "Tea will do."

Longirsu was certain now. She and the mobile power source identified by Ib were one and the same. Interesting.

She waved her hand, and he felt an enchantment wash over him, bathing the area in light where there had been darkness. He now could see clearly the flamboyant beauty on display, as well as the numerous gems embedded inside of her body, fused with her skin as if it were naturally part of her own form. "Please. As a wood elf, I could never forgive myself if I failed to show proper hospitality to a guest in my house. Especially one whom has come to discuss bussiness with me, hmmm?"

[YOLF]

Longirsu

Elf wasn't a denomination he was completely unfamiliar with. But "wood elf" implied there were other kinds, and likely that they identified by their choice of habitat. He doubted that was their chosen native name, but the elves he was familiar with had only a slightly less hazy and eroded personal history than most of the people who lived in the world Longirsu knew. Perhaps he was projecting his expectations of the things that weren't allowed to make sense back then.

He nodded cooly to the woman - he wondered if the objects in her body were regulators, or power containers, but decided he could verify such later - and picked himself up, grabbing the large suitcase from the ground.

"Very well. Please lead the way."

[SINIB]

Longirsu

Elf wasn't a denomination he was completely unfamiliar with. But "wood elf" implied there were other kinds, and likely that they identified by their choice of habitat. He doubted that was their chosen native name, but the elves he was familiar with had only a slightly less hazy and eroded personal history than most of the people who lived in the world Longirsu knew. Perhaps he was projecting his expectations of the things that weren't allowed to make sense back then.

He nodded cooly to the woman - he wondered if the objects in her body were regulators, or power containers, but decided he could verify such later - and picked himself up, grabbing the large suitcase from the ground.

"Very well. Please lead the way."

Eruraviel

"Of course. Follow behind me closely, and be sure not to wander." Eruraviel spun around in a circle on the front of her foot with a grace seldom seen in even the most trained gymnasts, and with a skip and a hop, lead him inside the great oak which had served as her base. Every wall and corridor had been magically crafted out of the still-living and healthy tree, and after having been lead up a set of spiral stairs, the two entered into a cozy room lit by everbright torches hanging from the ceiling. With rustic, wooden furnishments and plush cushions to sit on, the room gave off a sort of rustic air. On a stumpy table in the center, a china plate of cookies laid arrayed around a tea kettle, with a cup for each of them to drink the rich concoction from.

"What brings you to my corner of the forest-I so rarely get visitors out here."

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura smiled as she heard Arceana's response, the elf's words and actions ending any uncertainty she had about the whole thing. Arceana seemed to have nothing but good intentions, both for her and for the copy that she intended to make. And the way that she trembled with excitement as she awaited the response made the thought of refusing seem akin to kicking a rather enthusiastic puppy.

"I think that it's a wonderful idea. You seem like you can be trusted with a copy of my soul, and what you are offering in return is just too good to pass up", she said with a smile, before pausing.

"But, what you said about my affinity has left me uncertain what it is that I actually want. Having my natural abilities returned would be hugely beneficial, but I'm worried about what I might lose. Would you be able to explain what the possibilities are in more detail, so I can decide which one to go for?"

Arcaena

She proceeded to do so, listing off various modifications or enhancements she'd be able to make to Sakura, all to sweeten the deal further. She wanted a copy of Sakura's soul to give to her mother, as a gift. She knew that having gained such a high-potential tool would boost her prestige in her mother's eyes, as well as giving her the materials required to make another one of her sisters.

The reward was more than worth the cost of forging a new soul from scratch.

[Bern]

William

"OH ERU I'M BAAACK!!!"

Oh yeah enough time had passed and he could finally go and collect what was necessary to advance his plans, the final missing pieces that couldn't be left behind, and now that he had them things would finally all fall in place.

Because the dry cleaners had finished up.

Thus he returns in full glory with the tower of hats, and he carried them under his arm despite their reality defying size. The hats all warped in on each other creating a whole that was both larger and smaller than the sum of its parts. It was a perfectly ordered chaos and the end of a circle.

He floated, no danced into the room to the beat of an inaudible tune. No there was definitely a dramatic fanfare hailing his arrival, With every swish of his robes, another dramatic note played. And when he came to a stop, so to did the music.

"What is the meaning of this? Are you holding a tea part without inviting me? How rude, I'll see to issuing a formal complaint right now with the Elven Princess Union! For shame my Princess, for shame..."

[YOLF]

Longirsu

He was archiving his thoughts before retrieving the right words to respond, while engaged in beaming analytically at the craftsmanship and magic that shaped the building, when the yell suddenly interrupted them. Contemplation snapping to a halt, Longirsu cringed at the attention-drawing entrance that followed.

But an instant of seeing him was all it took to set sharp strings on edge inside the inventor. He furrowed his eyebrows in confused unease and looked at Eruraviel for help. "And this is...?"

[SINIB]

Eruraviel

Eruraviel straight up burst out laughing, chortling at William's cringeworthy entrance—of course he'd return like this! And why so many hats! It was absurd, yet it fit her impression of him completely. She spun the tips of her ears around in a few quick circles to calm herself before answering her confused guest's call for aid.

"This is William, the newest member of my harem." She replied, patting on her lap for him to sit down. "Come, accept my lap as an apology for your imagined slight. He came all the way out here to see me, so I was simply showing him some hospitality."

[Cherry Lover]

Sakura

Sakura listened with interest to the options available to her. She didn't really want any of the physical changes, but some of the enhancements that were on offer sounded extremely tempting. Improved senses, darkvision, faster healing, a stronger immune system, all of those sounded extremely useful. And, whilst she wasn't aiming to raise a child right now, the thought that she would be able to do so one say was extremely appealing. Plus, a part of her was intrigued by the idea of increased sensitivity, wondering exactly what that might mean.

"Some of those things sound very interesting, thank you. Darkvision would be extremely useful, as would improved aight and hearing, faster healing and a better immune system. And, whilst I don't want children right now, I would like the option one day", she said.

"Would all of that be possible? I don't really want any physical changes, I'd like to remain looking much the same as I do now. Nor do I want life extension, unless you can offer the same to my husband and any children we might have. The idea of outliving everyone I know and love doesn't appeal to me at all."

Then, Sakura blushed slightly.

"Oh, and you mentioned something about increased sensitivity. Could you explain that further, please?" she said, thoughts of having even more fun with her beloved husband filling her mind.

[Bern]

William

"No no no..."

He twirled around and around until he reached the beautiful Elf, but instead of sitting on her lap as suggested it was the tower of hats that found its place seated on her.

"I need somewhere perfectly safe to store my precious so could you please hold onto to them for now Princess?" Then he twirled around with much suddenness, and faced the guest or whatever Eru had called him. He glanced over him once before uttering something absurdly insightful.

"You're not of this world."

[YOLF]

Longirsu

His eye twitched. Harem? Was that a peculiarity of these Wood Elves? Was she just wanton and greedy in her relationships to warrant that? Did that make her superior to this man, if she had the leading role in this... arrangement? Some part of him bristled at the thought of how one would organize such a relationship, but no, that wasn't any of his business.

Longirsu scowled back at William. "An astute observation. Are you?" He said. "I am aware there are many vagrants in the Nexus, especially as of late."

Thrown by circumstance or some incomprehensible destiny into a realm entirely unlike their own, foiling anything that awaited them there or that they themselves had planned, for the forseeable future.

[SINIB]

Eruraviel

Eruraviel didn't miss a beat, or at least, she gave no indication that she was surprised by William's idiosyncrasies. The blond elf simply plucked a black tricolor hat from the stack and placed it upon her head, placing the remainder inside a magical bag she calmly pulled out of her bare chest. "You need not worry, William, for I shall keep your treasured hats safe from harm." She slipped the bag back into the hammerspace between her mounds. "As long as I live, your hats will be protected with my life."

Eruraviel refocused her gaze at Longirsu with a wry smile, her large eyes closing for a moment, reopening with their natural purple hue. she crossed her legs and leaned back into her chair, kicking her feet up onto the table. "Nor am I a native, although I've been here for longer than a week. But you wouldn't come out here simply to say hello, would you? What do you have on your mind, friend?"

[Bern]

William

"Thank you Princess, but you should be aware..."

He stepped around her and grasped her legs, only to lift them off the table. "That in Human culture, putting your feet on the table in front of guests is considered a grave insult. for an Age I have watched over the rise and fall of civilization in this place and not once has this fact change." His attention then shifted to their guest. "But you are not entirely correct, there's been many periods with a large influx of travelers and they all lead to times of great upheaval."

"You call him "friend" yet you show him your feet, Is that because you view him as below you?" His voice reached the mind of the Elf, he wanted to see if she thought of him as a potential ally or someone to exploit.

[YOLF]

Longirsu

Longirsu's fingers ached to wrap around a weapon that obviously he hadn't brought, or at least a wrench or welder, wanting for familiar grounding. Something he couldn't hear was passing between the two seated before him, and he didn't like that. It had been a long time since the inventor had spoken at length with anyone who wasn't Ib, but he was certain that polite conversation was not supposed to include a second secret stream of conversation right in front of everyone else.

And nothing that ever smugly spoke of watching over the world for an Age was trustworthy. But the information yielded was curious, and those who smugly spoke of watching over the world for an Age, hinting at plans just as old, did not in his experience tend to lie about such basic information. It would be easy to verify later, at any rate.

Longirsu coughed into his hand. "My research concerns the potential of functionally endless sources of energy, and their correlation to physical laws." Staring directly at Eruraviel, he paused for a shallow breath, before resuming his response. "You yourself appear to be one such source, albeit autonomous and free-willed, and I wish to inquire."