[IC] Kokotha: Old Magic, New World

[Patches]

@Yomojo
Hueco spent his time discussing with the Kokothan Amalgamate Branch. Having a lot of pressure on his shoulders, he was a busy man for the few days after the meeting. He didn't have enough time to send a letter all the way over to Gishka; that didn't keep him from sending his son an update on his status. He promised to spend quality with time with him after this was over.

Waiting for Juniper to arrive, Hueco sat on a crate near the designated meeting location. The meeting location was a empty yard, near the Amalgamate Branch of Ammonia Avenue. With him of course was a backpack containing some of his stuff, a stone suitcase affixed with runes, and a large gift basket containing flowers and fruit. Simple, but Hueco had heard from observers that this "King" fellow was a person of simple pleasures. He dressed in a nice looking UM uniform; a button of suit with the Machine's logo on the lapel. He had to look nice and diplomatic for this after all.

Seeing Juniper approach, Hueco smiled. She really did stand out, with her odd attire. He wondered what that collar hid. Maybe some sort of cybernetics or a scar... Maybe it was some fashion statement. She also too came incredibly prepared for the trip. Much more than him. Greeting her, he waved, speaking in his normal friendly tone You came prepared. That's a good trait to have in the Machine.

[Yomojo]

@Patches
"Prepared for anything, hopefully." comes the response, ever so slightly muffled as usual. The thought comes to mind that if Juniper didn't have as strong of a voce as she does, it might've been hard to hear her. Having to talk over working machinery, however, trains one to have a voice that carries.

June suddenly becomes a bit self-conscious, looking down at her clothes."But my my, Hueco, don't you look sharp. Was I supposed to wear the fancy clothes already? They're in the bag, so I can get changed pretty quick if I need to." she hefts the more plain looking bag in her left hand for emphasis.

[Patches]

@Yomojo
Like the outfit? Just got them dried cleaned at the UM's cleaners. He said, flicking his head in the direction of the aformentioned cleaners. Industrial jobs like those at Ammonia Avenue were dirty, so it payed to have a good laundromat. We won't be meeting with him immediately though, you have time to change and probably time to eat if you're hungry. We'll be traveling through Yim to get there quick.

[Yomojo]

@Patches
"Travel through Yim, huh? Can't say I've actually done that before... is it safe for non-casters? Not that I think you'd knowingly put me in a dangerous situation, but it wouldn't be the first time someone forgot I didn't have a rune." June elaborates for herself, giving a light shrug. She puts the two suitcases down, and stretches her arms.

Unzipping one of the outside pockets of what seems to be her suitcase (the other bag most likely containing the automata she was gifting to King), she pulls out a plastic bag containing what is probably the clothes she was talking about putting on for the meeting with the Radiant representative. "Oh, and should I start to look for somewhere to change, or will we be spending a bit of time in Yim?"

[Patches]

It has been tested, don't worry. He said confidently, Worlds created within Yim are just made of magic, it's not like magic is poisonous to non-casters. Just don't let any voidstone come in contact with any of the constructs. He did understand her concern though. Many people, even casters, have had anxieties about entering Yim.

He said, as he held his hand out and began to focus, working on opening up a rift. You can change when we get into Yim. There should be a place for you to change there. My apologies, I'm still practicing traveling this way, so I might be rusty.

[Yomojo]

@Patches
June zips her bag back up and slings her good clothes across her shoulder. "Well, I don't have any voidstone on me, so we should be good to go."

Picking both of her bags back up, she takes a couple steps closer to Hueco, so as to get a better view. Being a non-caster, she very rarely dealt with Yim or anything involving it, so she was very curious as to what entailed opening a portal to the realm of magic. She has enough knowledge of magic to know that opening portals is one of the few forms of magic not tied to any rune, so it could theoretically be learned by any caster. Other than that, the most she knows about this sort of thing is that it is similar to how a magic user charges a rune battery, albeit at a much larger scale, and in a more controlled manner.

She looks on with slight anticipation, Hueco's assurance leaving only excitement to enter this world June long felt she had been denied access to.

[Patches]

@Yomojo
Opening a way into Yim was always finicky for people who didn't do it all the time. As a matter of fact, Hueco had taken a boat here due to his lack of experience with it. But now it was time for him to pull it off. For us Casters, opening up a rift to Yim can be thought of as opening a door that isn't there to a world that isn't here. You have to envision that it is there and open it. He said, as he focused. The veins of his skin were glowing a lavender color, magic pulsing through them, even his finger nails were taking on a purplish tinge.

But, within a few dozen seconds, a bright purple rift opened up before them. Whatever was on the otherside wasn't visible through the light. The color in Hueco's arm began to fade, now the rift had opened, he could stop focusing as much. Well would you look at that. Hueco said, grinning, looking proud of himself.

[Yomojo]

@Patches
"Good job, partner." June says to Hueco, taking the initiative and striding right towards the rift. She gives the beastkin a grin over her shoulder before stepping through the magical door.

Once through, Juniper stops right in her tracks just on the other side of the portal. Having forgotten to prepare herself for actually being in Yim, she stands there dumbstruck, just looking around and taking in the view that presents itself before her.

[Patches]

The world was very simple. Looked to be a hallway, crossed a library. Large shelves reaching the ceiling, ladders going high up in order to reach the highest shelves. No turns or corners in the odd hallway of books, just a wide corridor of shelves, ladders, and stairs. Was this a world of Hueco's design?

In time, Hueco stepped through the portal as well, following Juniper. With her standing directly in front of the exit, the beastkin clumsily bumped into her. With a lightweight body likes his, Juniper would unlikely be budged by him, even when taken off guard.

[Yomojo]

@Patches
Feeling the diminutive fellow bump against her shocks Juniper back to life, causing her to jump slightly. "Oh! Oh, sorry Hueco. I was just, well..." she turns around, sheepish look on her face. "Well, I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this. Guess I just got a little... distracted by the scenery." she explains to Hueco, giving him an embarrassed half-grin.

Having gathered her senses, she starts walking down the strange hallway. "I guess I was expecting a wasteland of some sort? I mean, that's all I've really heard people describe Yim like. You know, barren cliffs and rolling storms, and all the other stuff brands are evidently drawing power from." June muses as she strolls, attempting to explain herself.

Still taking in the decidedly man-made architecture, she looks back at Hueco, asking: "Say, are there people... living in here?" Realising how ignorant she probably sounds, a light blush comes across June's face and she shakes her head. "Heh, sorry, I'm... not usually this air headed. Being a non-caster, I don't really feel the need to keep up with how all this works, so I'm feeling a bit out of my element here. I guess I was just caught off guard by seeing something so... normal looking, ironically enough."

[Patches]

Chuckling, Hueco nodded, It's all good. Everyone has a bit of culture shock, you could call it, when entering a world in Yim. Hueco said, walking down the hall, suitcase in tow, running his fingers along the shelves. Books upon shelves upon walls of literature.

It might be a bit confusing, but let me explain... he turned to face her, Yim is in fact the dimension of storms, rain, and mist that you are taught about. But a skilled caster is able to enter Yim and draw upon its powers, greater than they could when in the physical world of Kodo. He pointed to himself with his thumb, looking proud. I am one of those skilled Caster! A Caster can create whole worlds made from magic, their own personal spaces in the world. It's a technique said to have been learned from Amalgamates, back before Kokotha was even a concept of a country.

Still looking proud, the beastkin began to show a bit of humility in his art, O-of course I can't create a huge world or one too big. This is about as far as I've gotten. I mostly use it to get alone time. No one else is here... Just the two of us. I rarely bring anyone in, even my son.

[Yomojo]

@Patches
Listening to Hueco explain where they are, June's face lights up. "Oh! You know what, now that you mention it, I do remember someone talking about something like that. I didn't really understand it at the time, but that mention of creating a "personal sanctum" makes a lot more sense now. It was a conversation I heard in passing in the Amalgamate branch back in Ammonia Avenue. They probably used it like you do, for quiet research. Pretty impressive, if I may say so."

"But, uh, about getting changed. Is this just a hallway, or are there rooms as well? I trust you to turn the other way if it comes to that, but a closed door would be preferred." she asks, starting to walk along behind Hueco. She seems to have gotten her composure back, her words regaining the confident plainness they usually carry.

[Patches]

@Yomojo
Hueco nodded, Exactly! With permission and supervision, dangerous weapons are tested in these personal sanctums. It's safer in worlds that are blank slates rather than ones with a complicated infrastructure like Kokotha or my home of Gishka.

As he walked, he listened in on her question. Right... Keeping changed. His face blushed a bit. He was far too much of a gentleman to have a girl undress and change clothes in front of him. With a quick motion, he extended his hand to the wall on his left. With a grinding sound, the bookshelves moved backwards and parted... Revealing a small empty room.

I have a few of these to test my creation abilities... But you can use it to change. I won't look, don't worry. As long as you don't leave anything behind it shouldn't be a problem.

[Yomojo]

@Patches
Juniper looks at the shifting wall with amazement, until Hueco explains what it is. ~Oh. That was already there. Well, that makes more sense, I suppose. Creating and modifying matter would probably take a lot longer than activating a secret door would."

"Alright, thanks. I shouldn't be long." she says, leaving both suitcases and her backpack in the hallway and walking into the room with her good clothes still in the bag laid over her shoulder. Taking a few moments to look around the small room first, she takes off her sleeveless overcoat and jeans. She puts the other clothes on and puts her old garments in the now vacant bag.

"Okay, that should be better. What do you think about the shoes though? Are they fine?" Juniper asks as she walks back out of the small room. The outfit she has put on looks as freshly cleaned as Hueco's, although you could still tell from her build, and the calluses on her hands, that she doesn't have a desk job. Her uniform was a proper-looking navy blue button up coat with filigree on the folded collars, and the UM logo emblazoned in front of the heart. The collar around her neck seemed custom made, and was raised up as usual to obscure her mouth. The pants were simple navy blue dress pants, the collars of the legs folded and filigreed similarly to the ones on her arms. The shoes she had referenced were simple, black laced shoes, lacking any sort of elevated heels like on shes one might expect a "proper" lady to wear on formal occasions.

[Patches]

The beastkin waited for her to change. Keeping his promise that he wouldn't look, he waited patiently. He wondered what type of outfit would she wear? Something to represent the Universal Machine or something formal and pretty looking for this occasion?

Once she was done, Hueco looked over. A formal outfit, plus it suited her quite well even with the visible calluses and how it hugged her larger build. Giving a thumbs up, he gave a compliment. Looks good! Glad you came prepared. Now that you're ready, you want to head out? The Radiant's are expecting us.

Although, if there was one observation the beastkin made, was Juniper's collar. Even with her formal outfit, she kept her mouth obscured... Possibly an injury? She was a non-caster, so he ruled out the possibility of it hiding a Brand. Hiding a scar, maybe...? Best not mention it.

[Yomojo]

@Patches
"As I said, prepared for anything... hopefully." she says, winking at Hueco.

Juniper puts her backpack back on, then puts her old clothes in a pocket in her suitcase before picking both it and the storage case back up. She turns to Hueco with a smile, again visible mainly from her eyes. "Well, we better not keep them waiting. Now that I'm changed, I'm as ready as I can be, unless you have any last-minute briefing."

[Patches]

@Yomojo
With that, Hueco lead her to the end of the hallway. Now came the hard part. It was easy to open a portal to his sanctum within Yim and easy to come out in the place he entered. But now he needed to go to a new location. It was a common rule among Casters traveling this way that you could only travel to locations you already visited. Other precautions needed to be taken, such as not opening it in a busy area or accidentally opening it high in the air.

But soon, thrusting his palm forward, he opened another portal, this one reaching all the way to the other side of the country. Phew... Think I got it right. I'll go first this time just in case I sent it to the wrong location. He said, stepping through, after a brief moment of hesitation.

[Yomojo]

@Patches
~Wrong location? I didn't even think about that until he mentioned it...~ Juniper watches him go through the portal, hesitating a bit longer than Hueco did. She mentally weighs the pros and cons of just sticking her head out to make sure nothing went wrong. Finally, she decides that the risk of looking stupid, and more importantly suspicious of her partner, was too great. Trusting the magic of the beastkin, she straightens her shoulders and strides confidently through the portal, smile in her eyes and hopefully mentally prepared for what would be on the other side this time.

[Patches]

@Yomojo
As the two would exit, they'd come out on the otherside to the sight of a small town. From the looks of it, they were at a train station, in a vacant part of the platform where people would get on and off. Hueco was already looking around and observing the area. This must be the place... Now to find the Radiance members... he said, talking to himself, as he looked around.

From where they were, the Town was rather small, but still up to date on the technologies being introduced to the country. Nothing compared to New Wickborough though.

[Yomojo]

@Patches
Juniper steps out of the portal behind Hueco, stumbling slightly due to the still unfamiliar feeling of crossing a rift. "Well Hueco, good job! It seems that we've both made it here without an issue."

Noticing that he's busy taking in the surroundings, June takes a moment to look around as well. ~Looks like a train station. Definitely a thematically appropriate place to travel to. Town looks quaint, rustic enough to be more relaxed than the big city, but not so rustic that it will be uncomfortable to stay there.~ Mental analysis complete, she re-adjusts the bags in her hands and looks to Hueco. "Quick recap, where exactly are we meeting them again? And how many are we expecting to be there?"