[b]Isabelle[/b] “You wave that sort of money in front of me like that, I’ll think you’re trying to stuff it down my breasts, girl.” But Madame Toldeo is smiling wide, and it’s not actually the money that got her. You really got her with the weather effects, you could tell from the way her eyes lit up. The tails not so much, seems like she’s already seen plenty of Hybrasilians and Zaldarians and doesn’t think much of you trying to imitate them, but that first idea of a dress that trails mist and light, that gives you your own environment as you move through a room and can still adjust for everyone close to you and far from you, that has her feeling inspired. And a woman like that, she hasn’t felt inspired in a long time because so many things are rote to her, business that she’s done a thousand times. But this, setting it up, supporting it, taking these technologies and doing something new with them, new even to the people who have come from across the galaxy, that she is excited about. Isabelle, Madame Toldeo really shows off those strong thighs as she picks you up into a strong and affectionate hug. You can feel her press you tight, and no this isn’t just something for everyone as a personal affectation, this is what you get for pulling her in and making her see the stars again. She wants this, she wants to be with you, now, wants to be a part of what you’re making. Emidio can see this is something special and he’s got all his notes happening as well as getting carefully out of the way as Toldeo closes in on you so he’s not blocking anybody’s movement. When she finally lets you go, she’s still beaming. “Teresita Bioluminescence, that’s the young designer’s brand. Too long if you ask me, but it’s memorable to say out loud, less so in writing since nobody ever gets it right, you ask me. But no mind that. Sit here, watch the show and I’ll introduce you. Teresita I can get out for you now, the others you’ll need to get after the show if you can catch them. If not, I’ll be sure they get your offer and that it’s received very favorably!” Then she walks away to grab the mind behind Teresita Bioluminescence, though not before giving you a kiss on the cheek as she departs. [Take a string on Madame Toldeo.] Teresita Bioluminescence is represented (headed? You’re not sure and Madame Toldeo didn’t make it clear) by a thin, somewhat scrawny woman with short hair in a pixie cut who joins you at your table. She’s wearing white tuxedo pants, a white shirt, and a teal blue double button vest for the evening, not currently displaying any of the tech she was showing off, though she’s got quite a number of monitors with neural mesh links on her left glove for various things, probably controls for some of the drones, or at least status screens. She introduces herself as Asil Marina, lead designer. Hands you a card. Paz is still here, he’s eating up this exclusive (too much?). This girl though, she’s not sure what to do. Folds her hands awkwardly. Looks at you, opens her mouth, closes it. You’re too important, she doesn’t know what to say. It’s on you to make the first move here. *** [b]Dolly[/b] You’re being held by two goddesses. Or…of course you’re being held by one goddess and one very strong woman, how ridiculous that even your blissed out mind would equate the two. Just watch the show, no more thoughts. [b]Jade[/b] The vastness of the hangar must be something, even for a deity like you. The scale of being within Akar the Arena really is something. The pilots may be gone, but that leaves the engineers to bustle like hive insects as ships great and small move things in and out of the space. You are, of course, very focused on your priestess and your new prey. But, you’re also having some work done. Angela Victoria Miera Antonius may not have been able to really hurt you, not with Dolly’s lovely dancing, but you were bitten by quite a large number of gnats. Each one, though it has no effect upon core systems, leaves a little part of your body feeling not quite perfect. Internal diagnostics indicate that this will only affect your overall performance by 0.01% (your scenario planning module has come up with a very small number of scenarios where modification to aerodynamics at that level of precision affects the outcome of combat, mostly involving long range ordinance with unexpected payloads at precision distances), which is to say that it’s not important, but on the other hand, a goddess deserves no less than perfection. So, it must feel nice to have engineers working over your body and fixing all those little gnat bites, smoothing your great metal skin and ensuring that you look pristine as a goddess ought. Your team of Hybrasilian engineers is, of course, well-trained in work on you. They are also well-trained in ensuring that someone unknown does not approach you without making appropriate supplications. In Dolly’s absence and in an unfamiliar hangar, that at least includes a hangar ID card with authority to outrank the engineering team. The mysterious visitor here, however, has no such card, and your attention is first drawn to them as they start gesturing vociferously and signing to the outermost of your engineers on the edge of your docking bay a story below you. The visitor is Zaldarian. You do not know them. You’ve never actually met a Zaldarian before (having been incarnated too recently to have fought in the war) but the programmers whose work attracted your essence provided data on them. Thus, what you recognize is that this Zaldarian is in the traditional form: they appear as a bipedal bird-like creature with dark dull-iron skin, and wearing a set of loose robes that leave only the face, neck, and lower arms exposed in what the Hybrasilians understand to be traditional Zaldarian dress. This particular Zaldarian is wearing black with gold highlights around the neck and edging of the cloak down the sleeves and along the back. Your data does not indicate whether the colors and dress have any specific association with a Zaldarian community or sub-group. Your engineers probably will not let this visitor approach you. Sensors do not indicate any weaponry, however. They are simply an unexpected guest with a strong desire to meet you. Do you intervene? *** [b]Solarel (and Mirror)[/b] Crescent is taken aback by the attack. She specialized in fighting Zaldarians and came into this encounter extremely prepared for that. She obviously did not brush up on TC anime culture to the same extent and the called attack confused her, so that rather than going for an opening, she went defensive and didn’t expect the hard roundhouse kick, which shook her. [Crescent marks Frightened, one of two conditions before she would be taken out] Left on her own, she’d probably have stayed defensive, tried to get back on top of the situation and moved it back into her rhythm. She’d have enjoyed that in her way. Even in the dim light of the booth, Solarel, you can see the way she adjusts, her lithe motions, the strength behind her swaying body. Hybrasilians are attractive in a fight and seeing one start to take it seriously, knowing what those paws of hers are capable of, it’s hot. [Crescent responds to the Fight by taking a new string on you.] But then, you hear an old voice, and it’s calling out a command. Crescent hears it too, and she’s a catgirl who understands the tone of command and is used to following it. She changes tactics instantly: she drops out of her defensive stance, leaps against the booth wall using all four paws for balance, and then pushes off before her momentum even settles, shooting herself behind you. There’s an instant of pain, the feeling of claws tearing into the neck right where Mirror said to hit you, and then you slump in place and you can’t move your lower body, the connection’s been severed. This is temporary. Your nanobots, directed by your body’s needs and any local spirits you’re carrying with you, will repair the damage if you’re left alone. From how fast the pain was, it probably wasn’t even that deep a hit, you’ll be fine in a few minutes (well, you’ll still hurt, but you’ll be functional). You can still speak and gesture, can look out and see Crescent standing in front of you, and behind her, Mirror holding a Consortium woman possessively. Also, be reassured that your dress was not touched. This was a single clean blow at the open neck and your clothing and all your scale decoration remain untouched. You look rather like a broken doll at the moment, beautiful and pristine, legs simply unworkable. This fight wasn’t ever about really hurting you though. Crescent stopped immediately after this, leaping out of arm’s reach and balancing herself on the edge of the booth seat. She’s looking at Mirror with respect, back at you with desire, back at Mirror with uncertainty. [b]Mirror[/b] Mirror, you probably don’t know this Tigress. She never served on any science stations where you were, and she obviously didn’t know TC space. It’s possible Solarel mentioned her once, but their fight was brief and more meaningful for Crescent than it was for Solarel herself, so no guarantees you have that connection to make. She knows who you are though. Well, no, she knows who you are now, you were just on a lot of very large TVs a short time ago embarrassing your current date. She addresses you by your star name. “Whispered Promise, my star name is Waxing Crescent Moon. I was…speaking with this Zaldarian just before you passed by. I wished to make her an offer, but she insisted on a contest of dominance first and I granted it. I hope I have done you credit. How can I assist you?” She’s giving off a mixed scent of fear and heat. She was enjoying herself, got thrown, not hard to see. She’s nervous about why you intervened, some of the fear is that she’s done something to offend you, and her body language is respectful in the self-introduction: fur down, back straight rather than arched, facing you directly with her stomach open. She offered only her star name though and didn’t offer a clan. Might be a pirate. Hardly surprising in this area, but worth consideration. Also, isn’t it nice speaking with another Hybrasilian? Much clearer than everybody else. *** [b]The Third Fashion Line by Linterna Brilliante[/b] Mirror, this is the one that Valentina said she liked, useful pilot tech in addition to the fashion. There’s a brief pause after Murasaki finishes, as the stage is reconfigured. A new platform is laid atop the existing one with a set of stairs and open underneath it, creating two tiers for the models to walk simultaneously, one directly above the other. The supports are spread out, so a model could reach down and touch the model below her through the sides at most points. The line is interesting. Stylistically, they did focus on pilot garb: flight suits with pants and vests, a few matching three piece suits that look comfortable to move in for more formal occasions. Modern and extremely well-made (close inspection shows the quality of the cut, seams, and styling are just absolutely top tier). But what really makes Linterna Brilliante stand out, and why they needed the multiple levels of walkway, are the gadgets. The first pair have a set of high heeled boots that are obviously designed for improved mobility and wrist cuffs that offer leveraged strength. The lower model, with the boots, repeatedly leaps into the air, and the upper model catches, swings, and tosses her, then the lower model comes down on the other side to be caught again and swung back into her walkway. They continue to advance while doing this, performing three stunts through each open section of the walkway platform. The next performers have boots that can either stick to a surface with high strength or do some local gravity alteration, you’d have to get really close to tell which. Their paired walk is both of them rotating themselves around the upper platform one behind the other, and using just their feet. Several models after them do variations of this. Linterna is still a fashion house, after all, and they want to show off their suits for cold climates (fur lined, with accents at the cuffs and the neck and big fluffy hoods) and their suits for hot weather which mix a more revealing look including the models’ very pretty open bellies and a bit of high tech environmental regulation and liquid monitoring software. Their big finisher is a set of paired models. These two are in formal dress, both in tuxedos with gloves and tails, tight cut, revealing their curves under the jackets. And they’re putting on a magic show for the audience. They’ve got setup with watch style gadgets and something worked into the suits that’s giving them a light show and some limited conjuring. This isn’t anything as complex as on the spot fabrication (though rumors are that the Zaldarian showing next will be pulling that out), this is more about lasers, holograms, big shows of animals running about with them, one of them pulls a rabbit out of an actual top hat (that was definitely in there but the suit let them obfuscate the trick and offered some pretty neat visual distortion), they the two models do another round of acrobatics near the end, this to flashing lights and soundless fireworks. The whole thing is showing off a kind of glamorous and formal utility. Look how well these clothes move, how they hold up through a performance, how you can be stronger, faster, more mobile! It’s an interesting take for haute couture, less flashy than either of the previous ones, but better executed than the amateur designers. It’s a little hard to tell where Linterna Brilliante is coming from on this though. The show would have looked like this from designers who failed to read the room on regular expectations or from designers who had nothing to prove and wanted to just revel in their own work. Most people will give them the benefit of the doubt given how well their clothing sells, but it’s hard to be sure.