<@Ked> [Tuesday, July 14, 2490 - late afternoon in the Academy Building theater] <@Ked> Tasiya and the gang have descended on the stage for a first walkthrough of their play. Only three short weeks until they have to show it to their parents! <@Ked> They don't have full costumes yet, but they're getting into the pieces they have backstage... <@Ked> [mini start] * Natsumi struggles with her gloves, and the tiara falls off again. Oh, drat. Oh, sorry! Do you need help with that? * Natsumi stomps one high-heeled foot. "Why do I have to be the Duchess?" * Darrell looks over, and smiles silently. Could you? Sure, I've got some pins and stuff here... * Tasiya bustles over and tries to attach the tiara more firmly. I don't *get* these gloves. * Natsumi holds them out. They look like refugees from a wedding ceremony that have spent too much time hiding out in an abstract art college. Um, I think they're supposed to look, like, elegant and mysterious and stuff? It seemed like the right kind of look! Everyone knows what happens to Paint in the end. All the parents will think I'm a dictator in training! If I turn out to be a Lady, no one will trust me! Well, you'll be a cute dictator. Which ultimately, I think, may be the point of the Hierarchy. Yeah, but there's still another year left! So we're on-message. Maybe next year we'll do something else with you in another role, and then when you're a Lady everyone will just think you're versatile and awesome. Uh, *if* you Become a Lady, anyway. * Natsumi pouts mildly. Hey, there were no Lords involved in the colony effort so it's not like I got a lot of choice either. * Darrell finishes pulling up the overalls and hefts a slightly-exaggerated hoe. * Tasiya tilts her head at Darrell, smiling a little. "Yeah, but you wear it well." Yeah, well, I'm going to go work on Reamey - this whole Spirit-of- the-Farmer thing is too abstract to do without a proper chorus backing me up. * Darrell heads out onto the stage. * Natsumi forces her arms into the gloves, and poses momentarily. "What's the rest of the costume going to be?" I know we're already not quite following Paint's real outfit. ...ummmm... You mean what did I have *planned*, or...? 'Cause like, I can still change it around some if you want. I didn't think it'd be so uncomfortable... Is there more than one plan? It's not uncomfortable, it's just... weird. * Tasiya bites her lip a little. Oh, Tasi, don't worry. I'm sure you'll make it look good. * Tasiya brightens briefly. "Yeah, but I don't wanna make it something you, like, hate wearing?" Or *I'll* make it look good. Yeah, you will! - hey! * Tasiya turns. "Huh?" We got here first! Uh-oh. * Tasiya follows the sound of Darrell's voice! <@Ked> The stage is relatively full, and at a glance almost a third of the school must be standing there. Tasi's gang is in their mixed-up street and stage clothing, while the other group is in a somewhat eclectic, futuristic- barbarian set of full costumes. One is wearing robes, another in robe-y tunic and tight pants, a few in silly, unrealistic white armor and another with a black mask. The apparent female lead seems to be putting on earmuffs. * Braxton half trips on his robes as he steps forward. "So? We've had time reserved for weeks! Who are you people supposed to be?" * Tasiya crosses her arms and raises her eyebrows. "Who are *you* supposed to be?" I'm the Spirit of Farming! ...Magics I can't believe I just said that. * Braxton snickers. He pulls a stage sword out of his belt and flips a switch. It suddenly glows with a blue holographic halo. "We're here to put on a real classic, not some lousy student-written pageant." * Tasiya pffs. "You mean you don't have anyone creative enough to do anything other than copy 400-year old productions." We're going with the 2291 stage production, actually. Harley knew his stuff, and the holo gear we've got can manage it easily. The dialogue isn't as snappy, but... * Braxton shrugs. "We really do have the stage reserved, though." * Tasiya pfffs again. "If it's soooo classic, and you're soooo ready for it, do you really need the stage *that* badly?" C'mon, please? Yes, as Duchess Paint I really have to insist that you let us work on our blocking today. * Darrell seems to be trying to slink backwards into the curtains. * Braxton raises the glowy sword-thing to a meter or so from Tasi's face. "You've got today. But we're going to need to get the holo alignment right, and that's going to take time. Have your EI talk to mine." * Tasiya tilts her head back a bit and doesn't visibly gulp. "OK, I will. Or Takagi will." <@Ked> The sword goes dim with a familiar snap-hiss sound, and the troupe troupes off the stage, the armored cast struggling slightly for air. * Tasiya takes a sidestep towards backstage again as everyone leaves. "Thanks so much!" Tasiiii... we're going to look like kindergarteners in comparison with them! * Tasiya gulps visibly this time. "H-hey! Giselle's *really good* at her holo stuff!" I want a glowing sword. Can't I be the Spirit-of-the-Force instead? And, and we're doing something completely new, so people will, like, pay more attention because they don't know how *our* version goes? ...uh....maybe Spirit-of-the-Force-of-Human-Perserverance? ...that needs a chorus even more. * Dakdak pops up. "Uh, Tasi?" Well, I don't think they wrote me to have a role that's onstage while you're onstage, maybe me and Alex can drag Ellis and Reamey onstage... * Tasiya blinks at her little dragon-winged literal puffball. "I thought I put you on silent mode!" You did, you did, I'm sorry but you have a call... Oh, uh, OK, just a second I guess. I guess we *should* talk to Reamey about the script some. And, and I'll try to do a better job with the costumes. Be right back! A... *private* call... * Tasiya trots off-stage to a private location, saying audibly as she goes off, "Yeah, I know, I know, bro doesn't like to see the "bourgeois environment" or whatever..." Nothing wrong with bourgeois anything, Tasi. Well, *I* don't think so.. * Dakdak morphs cleanly into a slightly cartoony Lady Ballistics * Tasiya shushes Dakdak and whooshes off to a place as guaranteedly private as possible, looking around to make sure. This colony needs more of it, really, not less. * LadyBallistics eyes Tasi. She's not smiling. * Tasiya jumps back a bit, though she was obviously expecting a Lady. "H-hi Lady Ballistics..." Um, sorry it took so long to pick up your call, I, I just didn't want it to look too suspicious... * Tasiya eyes Lady Ballistics nervously. No problem - obviously I'm interrupting. We didn't really get to meet, did we. Not when the others came up for pizza and toys. Honestly I just said that 'cause it was the first thing that came to mind that'd make sense for me to have to go off in private... ...it probably didn't make that much sense though... Oh, don't worry. Your cover just has to last a year or two. * Tasiya nods nervously. "I, I guess. I mean, I try really hard! ...but I guess I am a little more nervous about it after what happened to John and everything..." The first wave of snowflakes probably isn't going to get to stay private for long. But... yes. John. And everything. And...yeah, we didn't really meet, er, outside of the other day that is, but things were busy then and... Did the others explain to you what I do? Um, a little, I guess. You, you check on us and try and keep us safe and stuff. Heh. Apparently not. Which is good, since I told them not to. Tasi, I watch everyone. All the time. * LadyBallistics shrugs. "Or your EI's watch you, and I collect and use their information." * Tasiya looks a little panicked. "Um...?" Oh. OK. Here's the thing. You have a very good friend who doesn't carry her EI very much. * Tasiya makes a motion that could either be a gulp or a short nod. "...er.....?" ...and she has been doing that a lot more lately. Including Saturday. All day Saturday. When a certain Lord was attacked. * Tasiya gasps. "No, she wasn't!" I mean, she was, but she didn't--she wouldn't--she couldn't've.... Well, if she got off campus, I'd be pretty surprised. She wasn't!! But... did she help coordinate somehow? Is she planning things that are going to happen on campus? I've watched Dakdak's logs of your interactions with her - I think she knows who you are. But--what?--Really?--no!!--I've been trying so hard... * Tasiya looks like she's about to cry. Oh, it's hardly your fault. I think Spoon tipped her off more than you. And if she wasn't so suspicious, it wouldn't matter. But... she is. * Tasiya looks down and bites her lip. "But...Lady Ballistics, on Saturday..." To be honest, the reason you didn't get invited to Malletfall with the others was because I was so leery of you and your relationship with Carter. I, uh, I saw her right before you came and got us about the...sea creature thing. Which I guess was right before the John thing...happened. And she wasn't talking to anybody or anything like that. Oh? She was in the abandoned lab? * Tasiya apparently decides to put Carter's estimated greater good first. "Uh....y-yeah..." With the rest of you? Your little rescue party? * Tasiya looks down a little. "Y-yeah...well, not *with* us, but there at the same time." * Tasiya winces a little. "Sorry, Lady Ballistics. Sei talked us into it." Oh, like I give a shit about the ecology. What was she doing there? * Tasiya thinks, remembering. "She liked the monkeys, too...she was playing with one of them when I saw her...er, I was Blended, so she didn't see me. And didn't seem to hear me, either..." Playing with the monkeys. * LadyBallistics doesn't sound like she really believes it. Well, cooing at one of them, anyway. I don't remember if she'd picked it up or not. Oh! She had some other stuff with her too at the time... I'm trying to remember... There was a handcart in there with her with some containers...and some plastic bins with like plastic flasks and squirt bottles and things... Damn Acne. She's so sloppy sometimes. ...and you don't know if she took it with her, of course, since you had to go fight giant squid-thing. Or if she was going to do something with it there. I'll have to send the Guard... Er... ...all underground, we can avoid... Wait, I don't... Are you saying you think that means she *was* involved? * LadyBallistics pauses for a moment. "What's Carter's politics? Is she a sidser?" * Tasiya tilts her head. "I don't think she is. I mean, she's got respect for Lady Composocrete and stuff..." And, and she says her dad used to work with you, and she made it seem kinda cool... Her... dad? That's not right... oh, okay, there was... hmm. She does know someone who was in my inner circle. I'll have to go chase him down... Or for you, or something.... * Tasiya trails off uncertainly. Look, Tasi. I know she's your friend. You don't need to avoid her. But... be *careful*. Don't let her trap you alone somewhere. But Lady Ballistics, if you're thinking that she was involved since she had some weird stuff, how could she get it to the people who did that stuff? I mean she'd have to take it off campus and she didn't have time to go off campus, and and if people were picking it up from her wouldn't it be safer to take all of it if it were something dangerous and dispose of it somewhere off campus? * LadyBallistics tilts her head... "No, no, if she was tied into Saturday, she was using the moment of maximum distraction to set up something here." But, wait, what? Nothing happened... * Tasiya 's voice goes flat. "....oh. Yet." Nothing happened... yet. Just... be careful. The ones who came after Lord Wind - they did so with no intention at all of surviving the experience. * Tasiya frowns a little more. "But that doesn't...she knew about plans to come down there that wasn't ours. Why would she risk other people seeing it?" She didn't see you, though. And she expected that she'd be out of there by the time your little party was going to arrive. ...er...but, um...sh-she was supposed to go with us... Yes, so you would have waited on her to meet you. How convenient. * Tasiya lets her mouth hang open a bit. "B-but I wasn't going to be the only one there!" D-do you think she really would...I mean, if she were...I mean, to someone who *isn't*... * Tasiya 's lip trembles. ...maybe she isn't. Maybe she's just a girl that likes to get into trouble. But Tasi - be CAREFUL. * Tasiya gulps, tears in her eyes, and nodnods. <@Ked> [end mini]