[b]Mirror[/b]

“You did what?!” Slate’s eyes are very wide indeed, like big saucers full of feeling. And she’s standing on the balls of her feet, that old pounce instinct to attack on full display even though she probably won’t. She clenches her fists though. 

There’s a lot to discuss with Slate. You could have started with the question of unusual noises beyond the general background din of people moving and chatting, the hum of containers being moved about on hovering platforms, and the distant buzz and clang of metal being worked and welded. Could have also started by asking for repair status, and Slate obviously has something to tell you (it’s the news about the flowers on the other planet you didn’t visit). 

But you know what? Sometimes you have to open big and Slate’s the sort of cat who’s not going to take it any better if you bury the lead. So you’ve told her you shared details of the Nine Tails plans, that you have acquired a new…follower? in Matty, and that Trosta will be installing your new chains for you soon, certainly before the next match. 

Now she’s taking it all in. She has also remembered to breathe, but it took her a second. “Okay, start again boss because it sounded like you just said, ‘Slate I gave away a bunch of our most important secrets on a whim to someone I just met and her hot assistant’ and [i]am I hearing this right[/i]?” 

***

[b]Solarel[/b]

The plan goes off perfectly. You’re in one of the larger caves rooms, still on the lower level. Four entrances, as it’s a larger hub room, offering you space even if the Kathresis were to punch in from an unexpected angle. Bioluminescent lichen lights the room in a dim, soothing purple. 

The spirit is following your camera pattern and floats its way through the door, the Kathresis just off the ground. It’s ideal, you float the drone near a camera and once it goes past, you leap and grab upon its back!

Touching the Kathresis is like touching a new lover after a breakup. You’ve felt metallic skin like this before, but not in so long, and not [i]this[/i] skin. It’s full of mysteries. The Kathresis is not smooth, but molded, its metal skin full of bumps and texture, shaped roughly to its humanoid form. 

When you land, the spirit lets out a shriek of surprise and spins. At first, the Kathresis hopes to throw you off from momentum, but you’ve got a sure grip and you’ve done this before. The thing may be powerful, but it’s not nearly as big as even the Sea Spike from your first match, and that one couldn’t do more than get you to slide halfway down it with far more torque. 

As you pull yourself up to the shoulder, you realize that you’ve countered the spirit’s primary advantage. If it phases out of its position, it will be giving up its direct interface with the Kathresis and that could give you an opportunity to seize an advantage. It needs to hold its ground here.

“You. You!” It’s mouth works, and you can see the fury rise and fall as it struggles to find words and ultimately takes a different tack. “You disrespect your masters by disobeying me. You should be a servant. If you prostrate yourself now, I promise no harm will come to you or your traveling companions.”

You’re not going to take the offer though. Roll to fight with the spirit and tell us what it looks like when you do now that you can hit it. 

***

[b]Isabelle[/b]

Repair drone 1328 is not presently available. The network determines that you were confused but that it would be easier to accept the designation Tate than to remedy this confusion. You are aware that it will respond to Tate if addressed henceforth. 

The answer you receive to your communications query is anywhere. You can record right here if you don’t think Crescent and Annika will notice and turn around to bother you. Any set of nanobots can convey your recording to the communications array three rooms away and one level below you from any interface point.

The array is not multi-frequency, so pick one of your channel options, try to hide if you think that’s helpful, and send out your message. Let’s see who you get.

***

[b]Dolly and Jade[/b]

You can feel the heat from Angela as you hold her. The closeness. She squirms, but you can’t help but kiss her atop her head. The chefs are forgotten for a moment, Ksharta is working calmly and slowly and doesn’t need to be bothered. The world is the touch of that soft hair, the warmth beneath it, just slightly damp with sweat, smelling of Angela’s body. A blush rises up through her cheeks, and you feel completely immersed. 

Then Angela lets out a grunt through her gag and headbutts you straight upward. Your vision flashes white, and you can taste a little blood. Hers and yours, your fang doesn’t discriminate. Angela lets out a satisfied sigh and smiles at you.

And then, there is the greatest injustice. Before you can take revenge or even really get your bearings, Ksharta is back, looking slightly confused at the two of you as she sets down three bowls of her soup from the cauldron in front of you. Little herbs float on the surface and within you can see peppers and flecks of little seeds along with the meat from before. “Eat” she commands, and there’s really no choice in the matter. 

It’s going to taste divine. A subtle palette of the herbal aroma and a slowly building numbing spice that makes you salivate with each bite of the meat. Even Angela is going to like it, though about halfway through she’s going to find it too spicy and have to take a five minute break just to drink water and let her mouth recover. She will smirk the entire time though, don’t doubt it.