BlasTech

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Dear diary

Today was ... interesting.

"Interesting". I hate that word sometimes. It's such a filler. People always use it when they can't contribute anything useful to a conversation (The number of times alone that I've heard some white-haired exec use it in response to a presentation ...). Just a way to show they're paying attention, while subtly reminding about their no-doubt deep and extensive experience. A blank space where they can't think of something better to say.

Maybe it would be better to say that today was Eventful, and that I am hoping I wasn't too aggressive (again) in my approach. An opportunity came up at the fashion show to do something that would impress Adriana, so I took it up like a good Lozano should. While it carries some risk, pretty much everything does lately. Getting her attention requires bold plays - playing it safe only guarantees failure.

Still, the idea of combining the fashion lines identified has potential, if Mdme Toldeo's reaction was anything to go by. Hopefully she can turn the concept into something tangible in short order, particularly when combined with Asil's technology. I mean, I thought I was imagining it when I watched the drones' flight patterns, but she confirmed it afterwards - the NM interfacing between them is genuine - oh what I'd give to be able to understand the coding (I've technically answered that since I bought the things). She must have found some way to streamline the mechanical/neural feedback from a distributed array. I can't wait to review it in more detail! It was really impressive, particularly for someone as young as me she is. I'm glad we can spend more time together that she agreed to sign on with the engineering team. I mean, she clearly also has a flare for fashion, if her outfit today was anything to go by. It was really cute.

I'd love to see more of

I'd bet she'd look even better without

I'm sure that the direction of this patronage will be ... interesting.

Isabelle clicked the entry shut, cheeks vaguely pink and glad that nobody was present in her office to watch her momentary indulgence of her "rebellious side".

Sighing, she locked the diary and spun up the encryption. Her fifteen minutes was up now and there was alot of other paperwork to cover before her first reminder for bedtime would sound. Starting up her playlist, she moved her chair across the long table to the first pile of papers - financial and management reports for Akkanis. She needed to clear at least three tonight, most pressing of which were the files on Ada Smith and the Unseen Goose, collected by her family's network of information sources that were, while still legal, at least morally questionable at times.

Biographical notes, psychological profiles, mechanical readouts and technical after action reports. Anything and everything that might become relevant for her next match. Anything to get her that edge.

She started her first coffee for the night and settled down for work.

Huntresses of Hybrasil

For reasons that she would struggle to articulate for some time, Isabelle found herself leaning forward to place a hand over Asil's.

"I have no doubt you could." she says, meaning every word. "Zaldarian nanotech is a great frontier yet to be cracked, and it can do much more than just fashion. You could be the one to make that happen."

After a moment, her brain catches up with her and she withdraws the hand, sitting back into the chair. Raising the champaigne flute between them like a shield.

"And don't worry about buyers remorse." she continues, casting a glance to where the next fashion lines are being displayed and taking the time to compose her next words.

"The galaxy needs more visionaries. People who can not only come up with new ideas, but see them through. Take a look at these dresses, for example. Ms Serpaws is an artist and her line is a statement - no, an assertion - of individuality, of respect for people being who they are - helping them to stand proud when others would try to hide them away. And while I don't know about the practicality of dresses that take years to make, Linterna doesn't have a manifesto anything like that."

"Linterna also doesn't have a parallel NM-integrated command array. And while I can't claim to be an artist, I can tell the difference between good engineering and a basic interface with special effects. I agree with you: One idea has potential, the other is a gimmick."

"I asked about what brought you here because I want to know more about the woman I will be sponsoring and how best to employ you. And I will be sponsoring you, to be clear. The only question in my mind is whether you want to focus solely on the fashion side of things with Madame Toldeo, combining your tech with the neural imaging of Prime Couture's, or if you would be open to work on the engineering and Zaldarian angle with me and my mech staff."

"So tell me - what would you rather do with those ideas of yours?"

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Ba-dump

Yes, you have to watch out for the nerdy ones - you really really do.

Isabelle smiles, somewhat awkwardly, at the barely concealed want in the other woman's glances. Taking a reflexive gulp of her champagne to moisten a suddenly dry mouth, she tries not to let her imagination run away with exactly what it might be like to be tied at Asil's mercy.

Would there be a blindfold? Or a gag? It would be nice at first, or for part of it ...

Did I mention that Isabelle has two masters degrees in engineering and physics? For all the fact that she's here at a fashion show, making political plays and rubbing elbows with journalists, she'd much rather be surrounded by technical documentation and schematics, planning the next upgrades or adjustments to Emberlight. Or at home with a cup of tea and a nice book.

Ropes chafe though, silk bindings would be nicer. And the feel of the sheets, that's important ...

Not that there's much time for that. After all, once she's done here she has to return to the Compound for her daily hour of fencing training, and then she needs to review the quarterly financials for Akanis before the Board meeting on Monday. And after that, it's time to meet with her social media advisors to debrief on the initial feedback from tonight's articles.

Giving herself a mental shake, Isabelle resolves to limit this diversion to a ... circumspect entry in the allotted fifteen minutes she has to journal her thoughts.

Maybe once I've got to know her a bit better.

It's always nice to leave a little bit of hope out there. After all, for Isabelle to put herself entirely at her mercy, it'd only be once she trusted Asil. Trusted her to value her as more than as Isabelle Lozano the prize. To value her as Isabelle the woman.

Still, there's plenty of room to play with between here and there. And cute engineers are worth investigating further, if only to figure out where those boundaries should be set. She can take a little bit of time with this - particularly when she's setting the pace.

"So, tell me." she continues, reclining back in the seat. "What made you risk coming here? Why put yourself out in front of the likes of Linterna as opposed to a more regional event?"

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

"I told you - I didn't. I haven't" replies Kalaya, tiredly, letting herself be dragged around by the other knight. Even if she could've mustered the strength to fight her off, to resist somehow, she didn't want to. Petony has a right to it after all. As a mentor, a more senior knight and just as someone who hasn't completely fucked things up.

"It wasn't me." she says, hoping that the knight might take this time to believe her.

She glances at the snake, watching its eyes reflect the firelight from the nearby camp. Is it one of Ven's? Or just an innocent observer?

"The Kingdoms are my home. I will defend it to my dying breath." she continues, every word needing effort to get past a sluggish toungue. "I will respect the weak and defend them ... I will give mercy to those who ask it I ... shall not recoil before my enemy..."

She glances up at the night sky, wishing against wish. While her hand brushes the empty scabbard by her side.

"I won't be broken by this. I won't ... I won't."

I can't be beaten this way. she thinks After all, I have a date tomorrow.

"Where are we going now?"

Huntresses of Hybrasil

It is her right to make the first move, but that doesn't mean she must be rushed in doing it. After all, there is a benefit to waiting in the negotiation, rushing in makes you seem eager. Puts you at a disadvantage. There is strength in patience, and in the ability to school your features to a careful blankness.

The young woman sitting across from her is anything but composed. And who can blame her? She's a neophyte designer, probably lucked into her first big show and now she's seated across from the Isabelle Losano. The woman whose face has been on six of the last year's productions for Terenius Now and People of Power. The woman who is one of the youngest Managing Executives a major TC exploratory mining company has ever had - a woman whose family controls enough wealth to purchase a small moon, run it into a bigger moon, and still have plenty left over to cover the lawsuits.

[Roll to entice. 5 + 6 + 0 = 11]

Not to mention, she's pretty good looking. Even, or especially, when she's not trying to be.

Marina shifts in her seat, eyes glancing at Isabelle, the ground, the displays on her wrist. She smiles, uncertainly, before looking away again and - is that a hint of a blush? Embarassment, probably, more than anything else. Either way it's cute somewhat endearing.

Anyway.

She watches her closely - from a purely professional view, of course - to understand her new client. It's always good to get the transactional objectives out of the way when starting a new relationship.

A business relationship.

I swear, Isabelle, what is it with you and the nerdy ones?

She ignores how much that voice sounds like her little sister.

Allowing a small smile to take its place on her face, she leans forward and starts to talk.

[Roll to read a person 4 + 3 + 0 = 7 - What do you hope to get from me? What are your feelings towards me? Marina can ask one in return]

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Kalaya

"wha- what? I ... I don't. I didn't." you sputter, blinking water out of eyes that struggle to focus.

But you did.

It hurts, doesn't it Kalaya? And I don't mean just the stinging in your face from Petony's gauntlet. This hurts deeper down, beneath your armour, beneath skin and bone. Peel away the layers and follow the hurt down to your very soul. You know that feeling don't you? That oily sickness. The bitter taint. It's betrayal. And this time, the first betrayal is yours ...

"I-I didn't mean to! It ... It ... it wasn't me!" you cry and some small part of you calls out the lie.

You did mean it. You were the one who struck home and you can't deny how right it felt. To take direct action against the very thing that is poisoning the Kingdoms - to strike down that hatred. To protect your home. Your love. This is the second betrayal - You know your body, your heart. Some small part of you wanted this, otherwise you wouldn't have done it at all - whatever affected your senses just now, it can't create that want from nothing. It had to have a seed to work with.

"I-it was some kind of ... spell."

Your eyes fall on your sword. You don't know what it was exactly but you're not completely inexperienced in the ways of magic. You recognise some kind of charm struck you the moment your hand grasped its hilt. Something ensnared your senses, tangled you inside, fogged things up. Where or who from you can't know. You might never know. All you do know is that, right now? That sword is poison.

What does a sword mean to its knight? You know what it's meant to be - it's meant to be your loyal companion. The one thing that will always be at your side; come rain, snow or drought. Against beast, monster or man, it's meant to be the one thing you can count on when all others around you fail. 'As long as you have your sword and hope in your heart, you can do anything.' Who was it who said that? Malee of the Golden Hills? Those words ring bitter now, don't they?

Reflexively, you kick it away from you - sending the old jian spinning across the rain-slicked deck, spraying water. Did a scream escape your lips as you did it? Or a whimper? You can't tell. You don't care. Just get it away, get it away, far away, not. here.

As if simple distance can make this third betrayal any less real.

Your eyes track its path across the ground as you cling to the Tiger Knight like one whose legs have stopped working. Truth told, they have - you couldn't run if you wanted to.

Your eyes track up from your sword, a pair of feet, robes and a familiar face.

Giriel. You spot the witch and your breath catches. She's upset and ... pointing? Did she do this? What is she doing now? Something boiling and black is coming from Ushua and she's ... sending it at you?

Why, Giriel. Why?

I thought we were friends. I thought we had trust?

I'm sorry Kalaya, in the end - whatever the two of you had - it wasn't enough to stop this.

I'm also sorry, because you won't have time to properly process this fourth betrayal. You have to focus on the curse now bearing down on you. You can't know this either, but this may well be the fifth betrayal for you tonight.

The curse is old, it draws deep on the magic of the kingdoms. A time before people, a time before Knights. It is as primal a piece of the land as life itself. It's your home, Kalaya. One of only two things you hold closest to your heart. And its anger, its wrath, is now bearing down on you in a nightmare tide.

Will the land reject you too?

Will you be truly alone?

I'm sure it will be okay, little Knight. You've been alone before - for almost all your life. It's always been just you against the world. The people. The Gods. Why should things be any different now?

Huntresses of Hybrasil

The plan? The plan is what it always has been - catch Adriana's attention and hold it.

Okay, fine. I know, I'm just being difficult. You're really asking about her plans with the fashion lines, aren't you? Yes, it's plans. With an S. A girl can have more than one on the boil at once can't she?

At the surface level, purchasing two fashion lines will definitely grab Adriana's attention - of course, that attention is useless if all it does is get her judged as lacking performance. Adriana needs to be impressed after all, and one of the prerequisites for her heir will no doubt be the ability to innovate. Not just in their own field of specialty, but across multiple fields. Using their own knowledge as well as that of other specialists.

Isabelle would be the first to admit (privately only, of course) that she will be out of her depth when it comes to specific trends in fashion - her degrees are in engineering and physics and she has other people to make sure her wardrobe is up to date after all. That said, she knows what she likes, and she has ideas. It will then fall to others to execute them. All she needs to do is galvanise them to action and give them the goal.

Prime Couture's work with neural mesh and integrated imagery fabrics will be part of this. The ability to translate visuals to fabric with fidelity, to let the wearer's sights and inspirations shine through. The ultimate translation of artistic vision to reality. The other piece will be the drone technology provided by the other up-coming designer (she never did get that woman's name). Combine the two, miniaturise it if possible. Scale up the number of drones ...

You could have dresses that trail mist, walk as if through a nebulae, conjure a flame around one's shoulders. In smaller applications, you could make an accessory that would at least give the visual impression of anything you want. And that's before you get to the potential wider applications.

We all know that body modifications are possible with current technology, but sometimes you want to see what it will look like before you commit to the change. And virtual renderings always lack that real-life dimension. Taken far enough, one could make previews of any body part and change that they could imagine. Want to see yourself with a tail? A blue one? Or a purple? Have a try of this first.

So, what do you say Madame Toldeo? Does this sound ... enticing? Would you like to be a part of making this idea manifest?

[Roll to entice Toldeo's physical sensibilities - 4+6+0 = 10]

With all that said though ... if Isabelle were to be truly honest ... there is a second plan here. Hidden within the first, kept close.

She very much wants that technology to experiment with Emberlight. Becoming a patron of both lines will afford her certain rights to use their innovations. To combine them. To see what they can do to make her mech even more formidable and difficult for opponents to track. It is this, maybe more even than her confidence in her fashion sense, that tips her to making such a bold play.

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Duty. Diligence. Determination.

Isabelle turns her champagne flute around in her hand, watching the bubbles refract the various spotlights as they play over the models. Her mind racing down two parallel pathways.

"You are unique. And your importance to this family cannot be understated." Her mother proclaims, hands clasped behind her back as she paces behind her husband's desk. Isabelle watches, counting the steps. She knows better than to stop paying attention to her mother's words, but some part of her brain latches on to the rhythm of her footfalls and refuses to let it go. One two three four five six. Turn. One. One two three four five six. Turn ...

In the present, she finds herself counting once more, watching the models on the runway. The way they hold themselves erect, heads high, backs straight. Not so much walking as gliding. One two three four five six. Turn. One. Turn again. One two three four five six ...

"While otherwise an impressive candidate, your brother lacks your affinity with the neural interfaces necessary to be a pilot. It's unfortunate. Adriana is a competitive woman, a proud one. She will not entertain a protege who cannot follow at least in her footsteps in the arena." Stop. Turn. One two three ...

... four five six. Those projections, the way they can show things through another's eyes. Couple that with the designer from earlier, with the drones ... The possible applications ...

"... are worth the risk." Her mother says, now staring at her directly. "Our family has come far, but we are destined for more. We will have more. And it is imperative that you impress Adriana with your debut tonight." she leans forwards, spitting Isabelle with her glare and the young woman finds herself reflexively sitting straighter in the chair. "We will ensure that appropriate recommendations are made to pave the way into her 'Young Leader's Program', but you must make an effort to be seen and heard by her. Anything to catch her attention and hold it. Do that, and our family will be one step closer to realising our destiny. Your destiny. You must make this happen Isabelle."

"Lo que quiero, debo hacerlo realidad."

"I beg your pardon, miss?" says a voice by her side, snapping her back to the present.

She turns and favours the reporter with a smile. He wants a story? She'll give him one.

"I was just saying that you will want to record this moment, my dear Signor Emido." she says, before gesturing to one of her attendants to go and fetch Madame Toledo.

"I won't be sponsoring a line of fashion tonight." she declares, casting her eyes out over the models gracing the runway.

"I'll be sponsoring two."

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

"Wait!" replied Kalaya, but she's too late.

She grabs Petony by the arm, hoping to stop the other knight before she can run off.

"She doesn't know! There's a prophecy going on here - a War Fate - those two fighting: it's only going to doom the Kingdoms!"

No time to explain further. There's never enough time.

Kalaya runs after them. Sword out, but shouting more than threatening. Throwing herself, once again, into the mix in the hopes of avoiding disaster.

"Stop it! Both of you! For the love of Flowers stop fighting!!"

[Roll to defy disaster. 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 ... uh oh]

Huntresses of Hybrasil

"Of course." Isabelle replies. "I wouldn't be here if we weren't considering an investment, now would I?"

It was, unfortunately, only a half-truth. Isabelle Lozano was here to be seen, not to fritter away family money on fashion lines and dresses. However, there was always the opportunity to find something far more important than a lead on what next month's boutiques will be stocking; inspiration and creative minds. The kind that can help find solutions to more practical problems.

It did mean, though, that any such expenditure would have to come out of Akanis' accounts, or her own.

"That said, it will depend on the designers as to whether anything further happens."

[Roll to defy disaster, risking unfavourable attention on her real motives. 5 + 6 + 2 = 13]

She turns to Emidio, taking in his appearance in a quick glance and offering the obvious journalist a smile.

"I see you have the advantage on me, mister ...?"

The pause afterwards is just as calculated as the smile, even if it doesn't come across as such. This dance is a well worn one, politeness and formal manners - all used as tools to get a specific outcome. In this case, to defuse the journalist's attention and obtain his name. The chatter that follows is similarly used to pry out his intentions and, more importantly, how he can be used.

[Roll to figure out a person 4 + 4 + 0 = 8. Asking a question - how can I get you to write an article that will improve my standing with Adriana Teresio. Holding one.]

As she talks, she finds her eyes drawn back to the runway. Her mind can't help but overlay the fabric with designs of her own - yes, the neural mesh in a dress is obviously bulky and a prototype - but if you changed the way the fibers ran just so, and distributed the load bearing smart materials in a different way ...

Her hand unconsciously goes to the crystals woven through her hair as she thinks of possibilities.