DiscoDude: ---BEGIN SESSION---
DiscoDude: Session logging commenced
Ryusui: So!
Ryusui: It's been a few days since the little shindig at the Flanagan mansion.
Ryusui: Am I correct in assuming your apartment will continue to be the gang's base of operations, <@!Selene>? Or does the team have other accommodations in mind?
Selene: Unless There are better accommodations (which i doubt since Flanagan's building got raided), then no, we are gonna keep using the apartment.
Ryusui: In that case, Heather's still around, still shaken after almost getting shot, still adjusting to life among the plebeians. And don't get me wrong - it's a nice apartment, but there are some things Heather is still having to get used to. Like making her own coffee.
Casper: Casper, in the meantime, will be on everyone else's ass about figuring out who was behind the military-ass raid so he can be ready to preemptively kick their ass.
Selene: Well, if you want to do anything, its always best to do it yourself
Casper: Well he ain't slouching himself either.
Ryusui: Esther is, somehow, also hanging around. She doesn't seem to be actually living or sleeping at the apartment, but she does have an odd habit of making her presence known at inconvenient times.
Casper: (Nani the fuck? XD)
Ryusui: For whatever it's worth, she's brought a plate of fresh cookies every morning. Despite their uncertain provenance, and repeated testing by both Casper and Eli, they are completely untampered and uncursed, and testing by the rest of the party proves they are damn good.
Casper: I think Casper would be more freaked out about the fact that she found them.
Selene: Selene will be reading the news with her own small cup of espresso and some of said cookies, one of the few things with fancy designs she has kept around, probably reading articles about the recent raid and...well, hoping her newspaper luck occurs yet again.
Ryusui: So what exactly are <@!Sanchez> and Eli doing, given they're the ones with the actual skills to determine the gang's next move?
Sanchez: Sanchez is face down in a couch, catching a couple Zs. He needs the rest, being a spider is hard work.
Reality Glitch: I willingly respond to Casper's .... rather aggressive inquiry regarding the trap; "Rika Tendragon. Someone I've come into contact with in the previous timeline who was somehow effected by page-scattering, and now has it out for me."
Ryusui: (Tendragon)
Casper: "Do you think she'd be able to muster this sort of force. Personally, this looks like the work of either The New Science Party or The Board."
Ryusui: (I'm going to take this moment to suggest that of the four main characters, Casper is the only one to have an idea about all the major players operating in the shadows - of the century XD)
Ryusui: (Selene probably knows about the Gentleman's Agreement as a fact and the Board as a rumor; Eli's free to decide how much he knows)
Reality Glitch: "Not familiar with who those are, but Tendragon had magical abilities similar to my own. Wouldn't put it past them to join one of those mentioned organizations, though."
Casper: "... Is she with the Kroll'X. They've been known to subtly aid the other factions before... If she's just a regular mage though... Where does that put her?"
Reality Glitch: "Again: really out of the loop regarding 1980's politics."
Casper: (Would it make sense for Eli to know about the Kroll'X?)
Ryusui: Heather stands nearby, watching the whole conversation as if the two of you are speaking a foreign language. Esther stands right next to her, smiling and nodding along obliviously.
Casper: (Ah, right.)
Ryusui: (In a vague, ominous, threatening sense, I think. Rika talked a lot about a "smell"; whatever Eli's equivalent sense might be, he may be aware of your proverbial "disturbance in the force" but only as far as an ominous background noise)
Reality Glitch: ((i.e. "I can sense that Casper now has a gonzo stunt."?))
Casper: "... You all are really out of the loop, aren't you." He turns Esther around and starts gently pushing her out of the apartment. "You don't need to hear what I'm about to say; spoilers. Also, you shouldn't even be here to begin with... How did you even find this place."
Casper: (Which is a really good question; we drove off, and it's not like we're right around the corner! XD)
Ryusui: (@RG: i'm gonna say yes, you can totes detect that)
Casper: (Casper's not gonna like that.)
Selene: Selene looks at Heather, maybe its time to check up on her, so she draws her attention, also to draw her out of Eli's nerd talk. "Hey, Flaggy, is everything fine?"
Ryusui: (you might wanna fix that "Flaggy" ^_^; )
Selene: (THANKS KEYBOARD.)
Casper: (Waiting for a response from Esther before I shut the door on her.)
Ryusui: Esther doesn't resist as you gently usher her out the door. "Do enjoy the cookies, dears; it's the least I can do for such nice peo-" -SLAM, CLICK-
Reality Glitch: "That was rude."
Casper: (Of course she doesn't answer the question. XD)
Casper: "That was a security risk. Speaking of, we need to find a new place; as is, someone can use her to connect us to the incident, assuming she herself isn't a spy."
Ryusui: <@!Selene>: Heather's hand shakes as she lifts a mug to her muzzle, though it's not because it's her third cup she's had so far. "A-as f-f-fine as I g-g-guess I c-can be," she says.
Reality Glitch: "Good (+3) point."
Casper: "But right now, I think I need to amend the gross ignorance surrounding this team regarding what the fighters of tomorrow are facing."
Casper: "First, what do all of you know about the Spirits and Shadows of the Century."
Ryusui: (you all should probably know something of the Spirits, if only in terms of urban legend and possibly public scandal)
Reality Glitch: "Weren't the Spirits basically superheros? I can't remember much of what I learned about them (thanks Modern Public Education System), but what do remember peaked my interest."
Casper: (<@!Selene>? <@!Sanchez>?)
Reality Glitch: "As for the Shadows, I might know of them, but if so, I've never heard them referred to as such. I am from a future where Malthusila was defeated for Good (+3)."
Selene: "...Are you sure? You might spill that coffee and trust me, you don't want to see my wardrobe." She offers her a seat conveniently near hers'. "Come on, let's talk, I bet you have plenty of stories to share with me."
Casper: "That... makes no sense. Merlin's Notes are shards of Methuselah. If he was defeated for good, they would cease to have ever existed, so how did you get thrown through time."
Casper: He turns towards Selene. "Hey, come back here, I'm trying to educate."
Reality Glitch: I'm slightly confused, but have a postulate to propose nonetheless. "I did say 'defeat', not 'destroy'. Plus, that's just my understanding of the history that produced me (i.e. no evil overlord of time and space)."
Reality Glitch: I give a pensive side-glance into the distance. "Speaking of which: my mother was born in '69, so I better be careful not to create a paradox."
Casper: "Well, anyone who says he's defeated 'for good' is wrong. He has a reputation for playing the long game - the really long game - and has been known to win gambits from beyond the grave, several times. Even shattered and scattered across time, we can't be sure this isn't all still according to plan." He writes down "Shards of Methuselah" on a note card and tacks it onto a nearby corkboard with a combat knife. "This is the first of the six factions you should know about, by the way; shards of Methuselah can take the form of anachronistic items, magic artifacts, and even people."
Casper: He turns back to the group with a grim expression. "And some of those people can remember the time when they were whole."
Reality Glitch: My eyes widen and mouth gapes, "Holly...."
Casper: "Perhaps. If she was, she's not one of the ones who remembered; not enough to make her an enemy, anyways. If there's a rogue sorcerer causing trouble, they're probably a shard, and if not, a shard is likely involved."
Casper: (<@!Sanchez> you there?)
Reality Glitch: "No; I mean that she could have 'survived' in a similar manner." I put air quote around "survived".
Casper: He shrugs. "Possibly. But natural mages didn't really happen until after his 'final confrontation' with the Spirits."
Selene: Selene perks up "HEY! Use a damn pins!" she points to the box of multicolored pins she bought the other day, explicitly for that purpose
Reality Glitch: "Interesting you should bring that up, my fine feathered friend, because the tie shift might have placed similar power in yourself."
Casper: "Stop talking nonsense. Now, you may be aware of how the Spirits fought the Shadows up to a certain point. That point being when they were targeted in McCarthy's red scare era; branded as communists, among other scandals." He gets out a second card and writes "NEW SCIENCE PARTY" before sticking it with a second knife. "That's thanks to the New Science Party. You've probably heard of these guys, maybe some good, maybe some bad. What those in the know can tell you is that the Shadows funded them into existence, and used them to defame the Spirits and drive them all into hiding. Essentially, this is how they stopped playing fair."
Reality Glitch: "You definitely stand out from the background levels of magic, is all I'm saying."
Casper: "Whatever. If we ever encounter a corrupt official working against us, regardless of what level of the government they're on, odds are better than half that the New Science Party is playing accomplice to it. The puppetmasters fighting for control of the government."
Selene: This angers Selene even more "Did you not listen the first time? THE PINS." This time she actually leaves her espresso on the table and puts the box of pins on Casper's side, then quickly returns to listen to Heather.
Ryusui: "This sounds like social sciences class," Heather says.
Casper: "It's not your board I'm using," he points to the much nicer board to the left. "That's your board. This is mine. Anyways, I think you in particular should be familiar with the Gentleman's Agreement." He writes down "GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT" on the third card and does as the others. "I don't know what their predecessors were called, but this is essentially what controls all the world's organized crime."
Reality Glitch: "It is their wall, though; attacking the board could damage the wall."
Selene: She huffs as she looks away, considerably pissed that purchase went to waste. "Anyways, What happened all this time, Heather? Like, did I miss anything?" at least talking to her friend will be better than the savage that uses knives to pin things.
Casper: "For the record, I'm doing it on purpose; these groups need to be taken seriously. Odds are good we'll need to burn this place at some point once it becomes compromised anyway; with this group, that shouldn't take long." Casper huffs, clearly incredulous and almost giving a silent dare to the group to prove him wrong.
Reality Glitch: "Why does everyone assume a lack of a reaction means I'm not taking this seriously? I don't like having outburts and I overcompensated; O.K.?"
Casper: "Wasn't referring to you."
Reality Glitch: "Sorry."
Casper: "Selene, I was expecting you to tell the group more about the Gentleman's Agreement. I don't know much beyond what I said, honestly. Sanchez, have you been sleeping through all this?"
Ryusui: <@!Selene>: Heather looks at you, as if surprised by the question. "N-not much...just the usual...parties, drinks, business...dad getting sick was a curve..."
Casper: "<@!Sanchez>, don't sleep when I'm trying to purge your ignorance." Casper is poking Sanchez's cheek.
Selene: "Ah, I see, I'm glad my absence didn't... distress you much... " The she turns to Casper
"...Oh, Excuse me a moment, it seems the pin-hater finally needs my help." She approaches the table.
Selene: "Frankly...I don't know much about them, Father told me to stay in their good graces, but that was when I was little, seems he changed his mind along the way and got me into this trouble" She tries to make sure heather doesn't hear her say that, she 'Accidentally' omitted that detail from her catch-up with her, and would rather not reveal it.
Sanchez: Sanchez grumbles and looks up, "Yea yea...whatever." He slowly gets up and looks around, "So..." He says, scratching his chin. "What is this ignorance purging info?"
Reality Glitch: I quickly sidestep to let Sanchez get a look....
....And so that I don't have to.
Sanchez: He squints at the table, rubbing his eyes a bit. "What am I looking at here, exactly?"
Casper: "Once upon a time the Spirits of the Century fought the Shadows until the Shadows secretly backed the start-up of The New Science Party (you've probably heard of them)," he points at the "NEW SCIENCE PARTY" card, "and used them to brand the Spirits as commies and whatnot other scandals and such and if there's a corrupt official then they're probably backing them." He points to the "SHARDS OF METHUSELAH" card. "Methuselah was also a Shadow until he exploded but not really because he gets a hard-on for playing games from the beyond the grave and basically if you see a piece of future tech or magical artifact or unexplained natural mage or even just a weirdly knowledgeable person they're likely one of the shards of him that scattered through time." He points to "GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT." "The Gentleman's Agreement controls all the world's organized crime, founded by a guy literally called The Gentleman when he succeeded at consolidating the power vacuum that was left after whatever came before it collapsed. Any questions before I continue, or are you all caught up?"
Sanchez: He blinks a couple times, "Yea, uh, continue. I'll get this info in my head eventually."
Casper: "Good." He writes up "THE BOARD" on a fourth card, and sticks it. "The Board is what it sounds like; a secret board of directors that controls a lot of the world's major and minor companies. They're considered malicious unless you aren't getting in the way of them making money. Not sure when or how they formed. It was likely not a single event that brought them together."
Casper: Then he writes "KROLL'X" and sticks that on the board. "Then there's the Kroll'X. Far as we can tell, they're aliens from another dimension trying to infiltrate ours for unknown reasons. If there's something otherworldly going on, and a Shard of Methuselah isn't involved, it's most assuredly them that's behind it. Be wary, as doppelgangers are quite adept at passing for people."
Ryusui: Heather looks sidelong at you, <@!Selene>, and whispers: "now this is sounding less like social sciences and more like Jimmy Spangle when he got high on shrooms."
Sanchez: Sanchez nods along slowly: "Okay...so these guys are just factions for...the pieces of paper?"
Selene: Selene looks at Heather and whispers back. "It's like he's doing a presentation AND enjoying it, I frankly hope he stops soon..."
Reality Glitch: Remembering there's a guest in the room with this group, I sit down near them. "This is all probably a lot to take in, huh?"
Casper: "They're actual factions opperating in the shadows today, Private Sanchez..." He writes down "THE GOLDEN SEEDS" on a final sixth card and tacks it on with a normal pin. "The Golden Seed Letter is a manifesto of sorts penned by the Spirit of the Century Mack Silver a year before his death. The Golden Seeds, then, are those who were moved to action by it. Unlike the others, the Golden Seeds aren't a single cohesive organization; for instance, I as a free agent consider myself to be a Golden Seed, but I don't answer to any of the other agents and organizations that rose to this call of action. Frankly, we tend to disagree a lot regarding just how far one can swing their influence for The Greater Good before it's considered too far."
Casper: He glances up at the group. "For the record, no, I'm not trying to recruit you. You don't need to be a Golden Seed to be a new-age hero, and many consider us to be a bit too cold in our methods anyway, regardless of which sect you're dealing with."
Selene: "...Does he never stop talking?" The mouse lady says, ambiguously directed at Heather and Eli, but just low enough to avoid Casper noticing.
Ryusui: "If I hadn't just nearly been shot to death in my own home a few nights ago, I'd think it was all crazy nonsense. I'm still not sure it isn't..."
Casper: He turns to <@!Sanchez>. "So; this is generally the starting point for anyone trying to understand the 'truth' of this world, if you were wondering. The details can be tackled when you get to them, but remember that wherever you might encounter anything untoward, if you follow the chain of command, it will almost certainly be traced back to one or more of these groups."
Reality Glitch: I decide to show a little bit of the firework show I made for Sanchez, a small shower of sparks of assorted colors from my upturned palm.
Casper: (Don't worry, he's said his piece. He's mostly trying to correct the gross amount of world-lore blindness in this party. He'll probably never talk this much ever again. XD)
Casper: "Any questions, <@!Sanchez>. <@!Selene>. Eli." He turns to Heather. "... And Heather, I guess. Not that you look like someone who needs to know all this."
Ryusui: (I can't help but picture a little "drill sergeant" slipping into his voice)
Ryusui: "I-I'm not so sure about that," Heather says. "If...one of these organizations is trying to kill me for some reason...I-I should know who's after me."
Reality Glitch: "I agree."
Selene: "She is right." The same applied to her, after all.
Casper: "The motivation was almost certainly this." He stops shy of touching the page from last night. "This is one of Merlin's Notes, which is a subsection of the Carthage Manuscript, which collectively is one giant Shard of Methuselah. However, the perpetrators, judging by the methods used..." He seems to stop and think.
Ryusui: "I-If they wanted the page, they could've just taken it," Heather said. "I would've given it to them if they were going to shoot me over it..." She shudders, the memory still fresh.
Ryusui: (Is <@!Selene> gonna mention Heather's party trick?)
Selene: "...You did show me the "party trick", That page had an unused watermark, right? The page itself had all sorts of mathematical shit too. "
Casper: "They seemed like black-ops; killing someone like you who knew its secret was likely one of their objectives just as much as obtaining the page itself. The nature of those military goons narrows it down to two likely factions. If it were the New Science Party, there likely would have been more warrants and red tape, so this raid was carried out by a private military; therefore, the Board. It lines up if this rogue mage of Eli's was also hired. They do a lot of hiring and subcontracting, if you couldn't tell; they rarely get their own hands dirty."
Reality Glitch: "Your friend's right; even the slightest misuse can be catastrophic."
Casper: "... Now the only question is who, specifically, we're dealing with. It would look bad if we went after the wrong 'shareholder.'"
Reality Glitch: "Weird math?"
Sanchez: Sanchez looks at Casper, "Nah...no questions."
Ryusui: "Y-yeah," Heather says. "I mean...nobody in a hundred years could figure out the equations scribbled on that page, but it had a Flanagan watermark on it, like it was made by my family's company. But...it's not a usual Flanagan watermark? Just the letters FPC."
Ryusui: <@Reality Glitch>, that sounds like the Flanagan Paper watermark they used when you come from.
Casper: Casper glances over at Sanchez's delayed reaction. "You know, if you've got all the basics down, you can get your rest now. You clearly need it."
Ryusui: You know it changed sometime back in the late '90s - or over a decade from now, from your current perspective.
Sanchez: Sanchez goes back to placing his face in the coach and catches more Zs.
Reality Glitch: "That sounds like the logo used in my time."
Ryusui: Heather gives Eli an odd look, but chooses not to press the statement further.
Reality Glitch: "Can I take a look at the page? I'm not a mathematician, but I might be able to at least tell you what the equations are for."
Ryusui: (Who's got the page for safekeeping?)
Casper: (Casper just gestured to it, so it's likely out until we're done investigating it, then Casper and Eli will work together to lock it up tight like the last page.)
Ryusui: (then I think Casper owes Eli a response XD)
Casper: "Don't use it before you figure out what it does. Once you do; don't use it."
Ryusui: (XD)
Reality Glitch: I give them a look that reads "You truly believe me stupid, don't you?"
Reality Glitch: "I didn't with the previous one."
Casper: "We got to see the previous one's effects first-hand. I'm just asking if you can do this without direct experimentation."
Ryusui: (I'm gonna call this a Knowledge roll, just for kicks :3)
Reality Glitch: !f 5 (Overcome with Knowledge)
DiscoDude: <@Reality Glitch> rolled 4dF+5 for 7 [4dF = [ ][ ][+][+]]
Selene: (oh dear)
Ryusui: Eli, you take one look at the equations on the sheet...
Ryusui: ...the next thing everyone knows, you're sprawled on the floor.
Ryusui: From your own perspective, however...
Ryusui: ...you're surrounded by swirling, glowing currents. Darkness behind you, a strange not-quite-light ahead.
Reality Glitch: My reaction is unamused; my facial expression: that of a handless version of a facepalm done out of exasperation.
Ryusui: "You seem unsurprised to be drawn outside of time," a voice passes through your skull.
Reality Glitch: "More dissapointment in my spurprise; this happens to more than you think."
Ryusui: "Ha. A meddler through and through. Were your fox friend's words not ample warning? You've chosen to become the eye of the storm."
Reality Glitch: I take on a look of offence. "How can you accuse me a meddling when my actions aren't the direct cause of my current state of non-being?"
Ryusui: "I meant no offense. You and your friends are unlikely champions, but in your blind, fumbling fashion, you have already achieved a great deal of...I hesitate to say 'good,' but you have at least delayed the worst from coming to pass."
Ryusui: (as an aside, is anyone else gonna react to Eli apparently dropping dead after looking at the page? <@&562022105017876480>? XD)
Reality Glitch: My lips purse to a point, before speaking; “And why should I trust what you have to say on that matter? If you’re aware of all that, then you are certainly aware of your own origins.
Casper: Casper rolls his eyes. If this is normal, then whatever, and if Eli's gonna die, there's not much Casper can do about it. His fault for sticking his nose in magic all day every day.
Selene: Selene is trying to find her med-kit, stashed somewhere in the wardrobe, she drags Heather along, despite her insistence on not seeing it earlier.
Ryusui: "Yes, it's quite a puzzle, isn't it? So many conflicting motives and desires all arising from one man, filling scars in the time stream like...spackle." The last word is followed with a chuckle, and it makes your brain tickle. "It's as you say. The pages are a collection of my - his - thoughts. And I cannot say for certain what will be dominant should they all be gathered once more. Perhaps it is for the best that the people who made the attempt on Heather's life succeed in their attempt to wipe the pages from history altogether."
Ryusui: "But can you truly put your faith in the results if such are their methods?"
Reality Glitch: I return to an unamused stance, then, a smirk. "S. C. P."
Casper: (I think the page was trying to say you might be in the right.)
Ryusui: The voice chuckles again. "If you agree the pages are a threat enough that no method is too extreme, no chance too slim to eradicate them...then remember you have an opportunity within arm's reach. If not...then you have a powerful enemy lurking in the world, and if you stand in the way of their goal, you had best be prepared to fight for your very existence. Good luck."
Ryusui: And you wake, with the knowledge that the page you just looked at has the power to rewrite documents retroactively.
Reality Glitch: I shoot up like waking suddening from a nightmare.
Casper: (Definitely feels like there was miscommunication in both directions here.)
Casper: "Back from your vision quest?"
Reality Glitch: "In-ter-es-ting; I just had a conversation with the Carthage manuscript themself."
Casper: "A talk with Methuselah then, in a way... assuming it's true that there really is a piece of his literal conscience in each and every shard."
Reality Glitch: I turn to Casper. "The specific part I conversed with seemed neutral in terms of whether they'd tak our side or their progenitors."
Selene: Selene finally gets out with the Medical Kit. "Oh, is he fine? Should I still check on him?"
Selene's wardrobe is somewhat fancy, but one can tell she never really used half of the clothes in that thing.
Casper: "With Methuselah, you never know; even if the shard itself is benign, we could still be playing along with his ultimate endgame. Still, what did you learn that can actually tell us anything?"
Reality Glitch: "My scales are tough enough that I can't stub my toes; I doubt falling less than three feet did anything."
Casper: "That's... not how stubbing toes works."
Selene: "Oh, I was just gonna stab you with a Morphine needle, if you were gonna die, I would rather have you die outside my apartment."
She really hopes Heather didn't hear that, Selene was meant to be a Mafia boss after all.
Reality Glitch: "They said that we've been able to postpone the worst of....whatever's coming." I look at the page again. "The document's own power is the literary revisionist history."
Casper: "... Explain those words to me."
Reality Glitch: I look up at Selene with a variant of the "you think I'm stupid" look. "Not funny." Half holding back the Monty Python accent.
Casper: (For the record, I know what you mean by "literary revisionist history," but Casper has no context for this confusing wording. XD)
Reality Glitch: "If I wanted to, I could change those note cards to list the U.S. presidents instead of the Shadows of the Century."
Casper: "Pretty sure there's more than six of those, but I think I get it."
Reality Glitch: "And they will have always been that way."
Casper: "Pretty sure there's more than six of those, but I think I get it."
Selene: "Well, I'm not the one who drops to the floor after reading a paper! Why do you think I asked Casper NOT to use knives?"
Reality Glitch: I give a huff; "For being 'pulled out of time' they didn't do a Good (+3) of putting me back."
Casper: "So what does this function tell us. Come to think of it, is this a time loop at all. How do we know that Heather didn't inadvertently use the page and subconsciously put the watermark there herself."
Reality Glitch: "Pretty sure the user is immune to the retroactivity."
Casper: He turns to Heather. "What are your first memories of handling the page. Did you discover this 'trick' for yourself." He turns to Eli. "If that's the case, then she doesn't need to be affected by it, if she's the first to discover it either way."
Ryusui: "I-it was my ancestor who first spotted the watermark! H-he thought it was just a piece of weird garbage till he noticed it! Then he...he kinda kept it around like a good luck charm. It wasn't till my great-grandfather got his hands on it that he thought to have someone look at it and he told us it was valuable..."
Ryusui: "B-but...no one's ever breathed a word around me that it has...time powers or whatever."
Casper: "And you're sure about the user being immune to the historical rewrite, Eli. Absolutely sure?"
Reality Glitch: "I won't be able to tell, given I/myself use it, since I'm already resistant to such changes."
Casper: "So what you're saying is we don't actually know if we're dealing with an actual time loop or just a retroactive rewrite."
Ryusui: Heather looks like she's starting to hyperventilate. "That thing rewrites documents? Like...title deeds? Contracts? Bills of sale?" She stares at the page with a mix of disgust and horror.
Reality Glitch: I give Casper a snarky grin; "We can always find out."
Ryusui: (for whatever it's worth, you've never found any evidence the page was used by the Flanagan family)
Casper: "Do not even dare."
Reality Glitch: I turn to Heather. "When you put it like that, it does sound terrifying."
Casper: (I'm referring to whether Heather subconsciously altered the page itself, GM.)
Selene: Selene is there to try and calm Heather down. "Hey, its not like anyone else used it! ...except for Eli reading it and contacting who-knows-who."
Reality Glitch: "Besides, we're trying to keep these from being used in the first place. Secure. Contain. Protect."
Ryusui: "Y-you don't know that for sure!" Heather sobs. "F-for all I know...my whole family could be built on dirty money...everything I thought we'd worked hard for, stolen with that...that piece of paper!"
Casper: "Selene; do you remember Heather from the original timeline."
Reality Glitch: I look at it again, then back to Heather. "Then do something about. Build your own fortune from the ground up, the way you want it to be."
Selene: "I-" Selene gives Casper a killer look. "Why would you ask that?!"
Casper: "If you do remember her mostly the same as she is now, then that's proof her family didn't use it."
Reality Glitch: "When I got shunted into another time-period, I jumped at the chance to start my life over and mold it to be in line with my preferences."
Casper: (<@!Selene>?)
Reality Glitch: ((<@Ryusui>; Heather?))
Ryusui: (Selene, whether you remember her is your call 😉 )
Ryusui: (I'll leave her response till after Selene says something l) )
Selene: "I..." She looks to the side. "I Think I remember her...Memories are fuzzy since the...cat girl broke time...I think." Selene is actively avoiding eye contact.
Ryusui: "I-it's fine." Heather looks absolutely broken at this point. "Time...time changes, right? With that page...and all the others...it keeps changing, doesn't it? I could be someone else entirely tomorrow...I might not even exist..."
Reality Glitch: "Not if we have anything to say about it."
Casper: "... Why do I even ask. It doesn't even matter; it's legal, even if it only is retroactively. Trying to undo it will mess things up further, and what she's going to do from here on out won't even matter until we deal with the real problem." He turns to Selene. "We need to find out who exactly was behind the military attack. We have it narrowed to the faction, but that's still a broad category. Let's start local, scan the news, and expand our search from there; as far as I'm concerned, this page isn't secure until the one trying to kill to get or change it is in the ground."
Selene: "Don't you dare say that, Heather! I wish I didn't exist right now, and I'm here fixing time, so its clear time doesn't want us dead!"
She then looks at Casper. "Yeah, I was doing something like that until you started using knives on your fancy board."
Casper: "I was making sure you all knew at least the bare minimum before we began this undertaking in earnest."
Reality Glitch: I throw my head back with an exaserbated groan. "I so wish we had 21st-century internet to work with."
Ryusui: (Last lines, folks? <@&562022105017876480>?)
Casper: "We find the company, we follow the money, we find our guy, we close the book."
Selene: Selene actually thinks to herself "Should I tell her? Maybe I should....W-was she even my friend before the time-jump thing?"
Ryusui: (anyone else before i close this out?)
Casper: (Sanchez is still snoozing, at the very least IC.)
Ryusui: (in that case...)
Ryusui: ( <@Reality Glitch> were you gonna say something? )
Reality Glitch: ((I was going to say that I had nothing to say.))
Ryusui: "Well said!" Esther chirps, holding up a piping hot kettle. "Tea, anyone?"
Ryusui: !end
