Memoirs of a Subpar Spy

    While for most, the honeymoon is a time for exotic trips to exploitation paradises, Elly and Tae have stayed at the castle. Truly there isn't a massive, outwardly visible change in behavior. But there are changes.

    First, the word fiancee is slowly removed from their vocabulary. The word wife has taken its place, and every time it is used it has a most magical warming affect. There are other changes in the language. No more talk of a wedding to come. Instead, memories of what was. Certain moments that are worth replaying again and again, to capture them deep in memory and to sort out details of the evening from two perspectives.

    Planning ahead is less important now. The mountain has been ascended. What remains now are some victory laps. Hopes and dreams for the orphanage and academy efforts are a common topic. Thoughts on who to ask for help, and what work can be done now to prepare for that wonderful then.

    There is of course a lot of play time. Specifics are unimportant. There is something different with this higher level of commitment. The two enjoy sharing each other's company.

    Some things must be done as part of this union that are essentially solo work, though. Elly has long been changing her approach to the world. This has led to fewer adventures, less risky combat, and a greater focus on making life in this world better for everyone. There remains a matter that she has been reluctant to get into, though.

    Elly has seen and done much in her time in ETO. She knows things that few others do. She has seen things that few others have. Considering how so many others present at these events have gone underground over the past few months, she is, in a way, the only remaining witness.

    And so she writes. She has books to fill with notes. And she has to do it all twice. One copy will be sent to Haru and the other to Uta.

    The first of these books covers what she knows of various heroes of the world. She's been exposed to considerable lore over the past, though most of it tends to only tease at deeper information. Honestly, who can say they know much about the likes of Schtemwolech Gima, anyway? Heroes that only appeared in the nick of time made an impression, yes, but specifics are far from clear.

    The books do not include speculation, but do indicate (where possible) what might be done to expand the lore. There are sketches where they are needed. Those are not made by Elly. She has to bother Tae to bring them to life.

    Beyond the lore, this work evolves into a full record of Elly's adventures. Quests, battles, encounters in the waves. The enemies she'd fought in those situations vary, but include warriors from other servers. It gives her pause, to consider how much she has done in her time here.

    "I suppose Tae is right. I have been hyperactive at times. But... that is over now."

    Elly turns to look at a stack of papers sitting on her desk. They are all waiting review and approval.

    "Well, I will not lack for things to do."

    Elly is occasionally distracted during the writing. It is not a fast effort, and she cannot simply put pen to paper. It requires thought and organization. She is assisted in laying out the manuscript to ensure this is done well. There is some editing to do, certainly, and additional scraps of memory to piece together.

    The achievement of Eas gets considerable attention. The seeking of it especially. Elly writes not only about where it is now, but what is used to be. It came from Elder Tale's original game and in this world, it is not perfectly the same. Certainly the look is the same, and its place on a massive waterfall in the mountains is as it was, but in the past it was on its own island, with a budding civilization around it. There were no orcs, no ruins.

    It is a strange feeling, to put her life on paper. Even hints and whispers of who Elly was before find their way into the pages. Shedding so many secrets makes for a poor spy, but at this stage of things, it is for the best. At least that is what Elly believes. She was the legendary spy and sneak, the assassin who took down dungeon bosses all on her own. Who had her own array of fangirls back in the day. The path away from that was brought on by a need to make a difference.

    Strangely, this lore book includes encouragement and urges the reader to think of their own stories and how they might change their own corners of the world. It is not in some specific section, but slips into the overarching narrative that emerges. Elly was the first to many things in her time in ETO. But there are horizons out there and they will be conquered by those that follow.

    "I wonder just what this is. I am uncertain if I am writing a book of lore, a memoir, a self-help book, or... something else entirely."

    "My wife is talking to herself again," murmurs Tae. She has been a regular fixture in this work. Her own devoted diary-keeping has served as a critical support for the things that Elly would otherwise have forgotten. That so much of Tae's writing is about her wife is fortuitous.

    "Hello, my love! My apologies, this takes more time than I thought, and I still am unsure what kind of book I am writing."

    Tae looks over Elly's shoulder, reading a few lines. "Songs, too?" she asks.

    "When they fit, yes. I blame the Tolkien influence I suppose. But surely Kauchemar's best music deserves its place here just as much as the Lander songs we know."

    Tae smirks, "June will be delighted. Did you write any of those pretend languages?"

    Elly laughs and shakes her head, "Only June knows Elvish. I remember a few scraps here and there. I was little more than an enthusiast."

    The conversation drifts to silence, though Tae settles into a chair nearby. She isn't writing, but instead basking in the sun, and soon drifting off to sleep.

    Elly keeps writing. The good thing about having to make two copies is that she can finish a page, then work on the copy of it. It prevents smearing wet ink.

A certain Spriggan in a nurse's uniform appears at the door.

Uta has been staying at Eas as a guest of the Baroness for a few days now, so it is not that unusual to see her around the premises. And more often than not, she just... appears in places. One moment she is not there, the next, there she is. A side effect of her racial Spriggan Sneaking skill; when questioned, she'll insist she isn't consciously sneaking. Seems like it's second nature to her.

"Lady Bombast?" A short pause. "...Other... Lady Bombast?", she attempts, uncertain, with a slight knitting of her eyebrows. She is not sure what Tae's official title is now. "Am I intruding?", she asks, peeking in, and holding some sort of wooden chest, roughly the size of a smaill suitcase, each hand grasping one of the metal handles at its side.

    Tae is, as Uta enters, silent. She's sleeping comfortably in a plush chair. Elly was just draping a warm blanket over her and kissing her forehead. One of the best parts of being is getting to pamper her wife.

    "Hello Nurse Uta," replies Elly. She laughs softly, "I think at this point, though, our Maid of Honor can drop the noble titles. Intruding? No, you are welcome here. I was just thinking of you. Progress is going well on the writing. The first book is ready. The second is well underway."

    These are no 400 page novels, of course. They are more portable with plenty of space for a reader to pen their own thoughts and observations.

    "What is the chest for? Do you need help with something?"

"What? What chest?", Uta asks, with a tilt of her head.

Blink. Look down. "Oh, oh! Right. This chest!" She returns to look ahead of herself, to Wake. "No, no, I am getting ready to leave for new, exciting adventures, so I thought I'd just be a good moment pack everything and return the things you've lent me. Dress, portable lectern, et cetera."

She lifts the chest, and deposits it on the table Wake is writing on, with the utmost care, of course. Good thing the chest's bottom has some sort of velvety fabric under its stubby legs, for minimal damage to the fancy furniture. A couple pats on the lid, and a tilt of her head. "Uh, interesting. You're writing?" She makes it a point to look away, and make it obvious that she is looking away, from Wake's work. "I suppose it's private memoirs I should not peek in, right?" A pause. "If not, uh, may I ask what it is that you are writing?"

    Elly will always enjoy Uta's unusual behavior. Like forgetting she is carrying around a heavy chest. Then again, Uta is used to lugging furniture around Eas, so it is understandable.

    "I am writing a memoir, I suppose. Part memoir, part lore book, and part... well, retirement, I suppose."

    She lifts a book and offers it to Uta. She holds it with both hands, and opens it to show a signature on the first page:

    To my dear friend Uta:
    You have been a continuous source of joy, wisdom, and encouragement. I hope this proves useful. Share it as you see fit.


    -Ellette

    "This is for you. It is the first book, with more to come. My journey is largely over. I feel like yours is only just beginning."

Haru is making his rounds. Rounds of what, one might ask, as the young man is more lean than round. Marbles, perhaps? Lost them and is looking for them? Hard to say. He has been getting more rest now that three major events have come to a close, but now he is spending his time between scouting the lake of Eas and developing Shibuya. One does not merely scout around Eas without stopping to say hi to Elly and Tae.

"Retirement," is the part where Haru steps in, looking up from a book in his hand to hear such slander. "Of the things I expected to hear, that was not likely. Its right below Mooncat and Slime Kaiju," the white haired man says as he closes his ledger, putting it back into his inventory.

Uta accepts the book, and begins to read.

When a ceratin line is encountered, she blushes the deepest of shades of red. "D'....d'aaw. I- glurb... glerp... mlupl... zlpul..."

Such a dedication has left Uta, if not speechless, at least severly speech impaired.

"Glll.. pfllg.... fffbbbpl...", is what she sputters next; that's Embarrassese for "I am so touched words fail me."

"No!", she finally says, looking up, pretty red in the face still. "You? Retiring?!", she exclaims, little droplets of sweat, surprise and embarrassment as it may be, sprinkled around. "I... I can't believe it! You're always so active in making things happen! How can you be retiring?"

"Slime Kaiju?!", Uta exclaims, turning to Haru. "WHERE?!"

"In our hearts, dear sister," Haru adds a dramatic flair to the mythical creature by putting a hand over his heart and a solemn tone of reverence for the great Slime Kaiju of legend.

    Uta's reaction earns a smile and gentle laughter. "You have touched my heart and taught me so much, Uta."

    She nods to the mention of retirement. "My days on the frontline are over. I spent time there in the world before this one. I was good at it, but it nearly destroyed me. I have done it again here. I have been thinking how to step away for quite some time. The war convinced me, though. The changing stakes that I long feared were made real before my eyes. It is a challenge I am not up to. Not anymore. I lack the courage and resolve. I feel like I've earned some rest."

    Elly looks to Haru, and then pointedly towards Tae. She smiles wistfully.

    "I don't want to fight anymore. I am a politician and a priestess. I devote myself now to the improvement of lives and will leave the more dangerous matters to those better suited to handling them. I will risk giving advice, to those who seek it, but I would prefer to leave the greater choices to others."

    She picks up the other copy of the first book and presents it to Haru. It, too, has a message inside.

    To my dear friend Haru:
    I have enjoyed and been honored to fight beside you. I know that what little these pages can offer will be made far more in your capable hands. Share anything and everything as you feel best.


    -Ellette

    "And your copy, Haru. I know you will make far more of this than I was ever able to do. I lacked the focus needed to pursue these threads to their full potential. I grew alarmed when it occured to me that I may be the only one who remembers some of these scraps."

    She will settle back in her seat. There is more writing to do, after all. She folds her hands and smiles. "There is one thing I still mean to pursue-as a priestess. I want to seek out the travelers and speak with them. All of them. This should not, I hope, prove dangerous."

"In our hearts, dear brother!", Uta states, solemn. Eyes closed, head tilted down slightly. Fist hovering close to her heart.

"Do... do we even know how many Travellers there are?", Uta blinks at Wake. "And as far as I know, they are a kind of secretive bunch." She flicks through the pages as she speaks. "The 'Do not call us, we will call you' kind."

Turn that page. "It will be hard not to take important decisions." Eyes roll up from the page, to Wake. "You are a Baroness. You have the responsibility of many lives in your hands."

A sigh. "And you are correct in that. My journey has merely begun. I have no idea of where it will take me."

    "We do not know the full number. At least, I do not think so. But I know where they are likely to be found and I have met Artemis before. I have heard about Hestia. To find them, I will go to Alne and use the Plant Hwyaden diving bell. I have questions that need answers."

    Elly considers some of her notes for a moment, then sets them aside. "They may have vital information. The question remains just how capable they are of sharing it. And how willing. I am unsure what they really are, whether they emerged from this universe, shall we say, or had some presence in the world before. Or perhaps a whole other 'world before' that was like ours, but different. Most importantly, I want to find out how dangerous they are to our world and to clarify some details I learned from someone who met Hestia."

"Why do you think it is important to meet the Travelers, as a Priestess?", Uta asks, with genuine curiosity. "Is it because they tend to inspect with a 'D'? And there's a mention of at least one 'Deus' in Lore. Artosh. Hm. I wonder if Travellers, or at least a subset of them, are 'Deus'...es?" Frown. "Well, 'Dei', if we go with the plural nominative, as befits the grammtical copula in that sentence, I guess...", she trails off, lost in thought as she looks up and away, tapping her lip. But then she shakes her head. "Although my impression is that these 'Deus'es, or 'Dei', are not... as... 'divine' as one would suspect. Just very powerful."

"I have met Hestia," Uta remarks after some silence. "I should re-read my notes about that encounter." She looks up between Wake and Haru, head held lower in a sort of conspiratory fashion. Her voice lowered, she continues, "I think they mentioned something about how they can travel between worlds. But here's the catch. What struck me most in that concersation, the bit that's still burned in my mind to this day, is when she said..." Inhale. Deep serious voice, and she quotes, "Normally, my people can only travel from one world to the next when a world is dying. Otherwise we'd just get yanked back"

Another pause. Silence. Lean further, shift eyes left and right. "Do you believe our world is dying?" Lean. "Or that someone is -working- towards making it die?" Lean forward. "Possibly... to -travel-?"

    Uta speaks quickly and covers the question, a conversation, and the answer to that question so easily that Elly barely has to do any work! She listens patiently, waiting for Uta to finish. The Loremaster knows the full idea from start to end.

    "I want to know if they have a divine nature, certainly. Based on experience with them, they do not seem to be divine like the Goddesses, nor as the divine was understood in the world before this one. Which of course brings us to the real point."

    A pause before Elly continues. "Which is of course the threat they may pose to this world and references to choices they have made before. They may wish to hide under rocks, but interactions with them give us reasonable cause to view them as a potential threat to our world. The things under the earth in this world seem to almost be horribly dangerous and powerful. The Kunie are a good example of this. Imagine, if you will, what might happen if a Traveler were crowned. I have lost sleep wondering what that might lead to. This group must be better understood to determine their dispositions towards our people, our Goddesses, and the world itself. I also would know what powers they have and use this to ensure we all stay safe. I have no reason to see them as a malevolent force yet. I seek to understand before leaping to conclusions."

Haru has been flipping through the book that Elly handed him. "I hope that your time in peace is longer lived than mine was," he offers, having gone down that path only to be drawn back in. "May we work together that such a day is never necessary and that those that are necessary come upon you few and far between, and always at your discretion." A page flips through. "We will still have plenty to discuss and build with Eas and Shibuya. Although the topics have shifted, I can't envision either of us sitting still for lengthy periods of time. Our service to society weighs on us too greatly, like gravity."

The topic of travelers is an interesting one. Haru knows what he knows and what he knows is not expansive on the topic. "Weed mentioned that they walk among us frequently. I believe Hestia was at the New Years celebration as well," he chuckles at the mention of a phrase. "Deus to me will always be Angelic Layer. Its what the players were called that operated the Angels." Of course it means god so its hardly a specific term.

On theories of a dying world. "No I think it is more that their world is dying. Like a balloon that is tethered to a rubber band that is anchored to the ground. If the balloon is unbreakable and the band uncuttable, then if you want to move it you have to remove the earth it is attached to," he motions a hand, "or, perhaps, if we view ourselves as travelers then the world we left is dying. Though we don't inspect as Travelers, so we could be something else entirely." Nothing like a little exstinential crisis for the day.

On the Crown Haru offers, "The nature of the Crown is abstract, though I did meet with Adventurer Helba, not to be confused with the Dark Goddess version, which was responsible for the Crown, Sonograph, and the like." He flips a page in the book, "I am not sure a Crown would work on them, but I would have applied that theory to Kunies too and been wrong."

Uta has been providing a quiet soundtrack with the sound of turning pages. She frowns heavily at something she's reading, then looks up and adds, "Well, uhm, based on what I'm reading here I think that... uh... the very, very first thing we should be working on is some sort of apology. Even before we -think- about getting answers. The way I see it, we're dealing with people, and... you know, we should start with some empathy, before all."

"...There are two Helbas?!",Uta blurts out at Haru. "That... that is completely new information, but... would explain a -lot-." Silence. "...Unless, somehow, there is a link between the two. Like... you know, someone having an administrator's account on an older game, and a de-privileged account in a more recent one. Or the same one, after leaving their duties... or falling out of grace with the administrative team."

Rustling of paper, pages being turned. "Still. There being two separate... entities, shall we say? Named Helba, explains... things."

    "I offered Artemis an apology already, and will do so again. I want to be clear, I have no militant views of the travelers. I want to know what they are doing and what happened that led them here. I obviously want to know if these are beings to be revered in the pantheon. I suspect not, but would like to know for certain. Back when I met Artemis I was not so interested in that matter. I did not understand."

    Elly smiles at Uta and at Haru as they flip through pages. "I see it is interesting, at least. I am very curious what new chapters both of you will write. I do mean to largely withdraw and focus on my work here and how I can find ways to contribute to the lives of people across Yamato. There is so much to do. And none of it needs a sword, nor me sneaking into danger, either. I am happy for that. But do not fear, I will of course make dramatic entrances with friends."

    She is not writing now. Her focus is on friends and who knows what would end up on the page if she was not completely focused? She realizes there is food in front of her and says, "Are either of you hungry? I need to eat something, if you can forgive me. Better yet if you can join. Tae never leaves me short of food."

"Helba, the Adventurer, whom helped out during the tenth floor Tower Clear," Haru balances one hand out with a book in it, "Helba, the Queen of Darkness, who created the Crown of Control in order to fight the Cursed Wave," his other hand is left empty. "Two Helbas. Most of the ones we have run across in lore is the Queen of Darkness. No relation. When I spoke to Helba, the Adventurer, she was clear to put a distinction between the two entities. Hel is from Norse mythos, so it doesn't surprise me that there are a few of them. Im sure Tolkien fans have more than one Driz or Lego around here too." Adventurers are a fun bunch.

"That was not the most interesting thing we discussed, however," Haru continues on as he closes the book and puts the new tome into his inventory, "which was connections to Old World phenomenons we lived through and the direct relation to people here, in this one." Subtext so thick it got its own book deal.

"Food! I like food," exclaims Uta, while wake gets ready to rest. "And yes, I'd love to see what chapters we'll write next. No idea myself, but-"

But wait! There's Lore!

The first part is straightforward enough. Two Helbas (or more) for the price of one. The last part, however, has Uta's full attention. Eyebrows slide upwards. Whole upper body leans forward. Punches hit table.

"I -knew- it! There -are- relations between Old World phenomena and this world! I didn't know it was to the -people- specifically, though." She rotates one hand, quickly, inviting Haru to continue. "Please go on!"

"Get your stress ball out for this one," Haru prompts, dropping so more foreshadowing on it that it merits another Dark raise.

The white haired Artificer doesn't mince words afterwards, "The Flash of Death was caused by an experimental mistake from an old fool. An event of similar magnitude could happen again if Cú Chulainn gathers too many Enigma Pieces." He stops there, letting that pellet of multivitamin lore settle first. Cloth to monocle. Clean monocle. Cloth to inventory.

"Since Helba is helping me with a System Arte, I have no reason to doubt her good nature nor the validity of her statements. Although a fragment of evidence, it lines up with giving a clearer goal to rectify the sins of our family. Beyond avenging those wronged in the past, it also is a reminder that history can repeat itself and stopping such a thing is as good a goal as any," Haru speaks in a distant, aloof fashion as if talking about someone else's life and not their own. "I would assume if it could happen again that it means this world is still connected to the Old World, as it was connected before as well to cause such an event to happen. Hardware received signals from software to do its deed. The signals came from here or a place like it, such as Fragment." He shakes his head, "Its been observed how against New World Alliance and Silver Sword's dogma is to 'change' the rules of this world. Still. Hacker System Artes is the way I have decided to unlocking the secrets those people have hidden away here, in this world, and to return back that which has been changed even if those changes were etched into the Laws of Alba." A hand gestures, "We will see if that means I lose my Commander title, but there is more at stake than pride and prestige. I've had enough of that in the last life to fill my appetite for the entirety of this one."

    While the lore is flying, Elly is eating. She finds it interesting, after a fashion. But eventually she gets to the point where is properly fed and then, well, a bit more than properly fed. Her eyelids feel a bit heavy and with all her sneakiness slips from her seat and into the larger, comfier spot where Tae is curled up.

    There is a little bit of a fuss from Tae as she's shifted about and then she winds herself back up in Elly's lap. While the conversation is heavy, it is the weight of it that inspires the Baroness to let better hands address it. When she is needed no doubt she will get an explanation tailored for her level of awareness.

    World threatening terror aside, Elly has a lap full of Tae. There is a wife in need of holding and snuggling. It is not hard to figure out that prioritization. In short order, Elly is dozing off as well. All is right with the world.

At Haru's prompt, Uta flicks through her menu. Inventory.

Cue ball.

Uta's red, squisy stress ball, that is: it is materialized in a shimmer of light. Hand in position, ready to engage in compression.

"Cu Chulainn! The Beast! That name again!", she exclaims. Uta's hand tightens into a fist, but that's it for now.

There's a frown of confusion at the beginning of Haru's speech, as if he just mentioned something that left her confused. But she seems to follow the rest. And yes, as predicted, the squeezing happens when the Flash of Death is mentioned. Hyperventilation. Breath. Release. Breath. Release. Torture stress ball accordingly.

When Uta's breathing has reached a point where it's effectively back to normal, if not more relaxed, she exhales one last time, deeply, with her eyes closed. But opens them immediately after. "The Flash of Death. So we are going to, hopefully, find out more about it."

Her gaze turns fixed, and, something the normally shy and distracted Uta rarely, if ever does, seeks a direct, laser-focused connection with Haru's pupils. Something in common.

Only to, immediately later, resume her frown of confusion from the beginning of Haru's speech. "...what's a System Arte?" And quieter. "And I'd like to learn more about this Laws of Alba. What it is. How things can be etched into it."

Haru shakes a noodly armed fist in solidarity. The Beast! It strikes again. Not only for the sake of it being a notable name but one that is directly connected as a foil to the narrative of World effecting events. "We have found out some 'Who' and 'What' that we did not have before. It is a lead and one we can focus our energies on instead of being pulled by the drift and current of worldly affairs," the Artificer says with locked gaze on Uta. Uta and Haru, saving the world, with the power of Darkness!

Speaking of Darkness. "A System Arte is," he thinks of how to put this in Uta terms, "your Loremaster ability, Elly's Legend, Kau's Oracle, Merek's Data Drain, or Proph's System Protect." His blue eye drifts up and to the left to get creative on how to explain, "It is actions that affect the rules of this world. Like if I could turn a dial on gravity or density of wood. To query records the system keeps on events and people or use predictive analytics. If we think of Elder Tales as still a game then these are commands issued to the underlying structure. If we think of Elder Tales as a world like our own, it is like being lesser gods such as Greco Roman ones over specific domains." With that in mind he taps the ground with his feet, "And what is 'normal' and 'should be' withing tampering? Those are the Laws of Alba. Theory. I haven't been corrected, but it stands to reason that if there are dials to change, they should have a 'default' setting and a desire to stay that way to remain in Law and 'Order'."

"So," begins Uta, "...being a System Arte User is like..." Concentration. Squeeze stress ball, but gently. As a sort of thinking aid. "...being the person who weilds the most power in an educational organization: the janitor." Another pause. "Well, one of them. Like when they try to avoid to give too much power to one person. Like giving one of them has the keys to the library and personnel archive files. One of them gets the keys to the PA system. One gets the key to the thermostat. One gets the keys to the gates. One of them gets access to the garden shed. Chainsaw and all."

"And the Laws of Alba is what the people with the 'nominal' power decide. The Headmaster, say. Or the Dean/council in a college. They get to lay down the law, but it is still within the realm of possibilities that the janitors can get up to shenanigans. If they don't get caught." Chintap.

Uta is too engrossed in the conversation at the moment, to notice anything going on from the Wake corner of the room. This Lore is thick, thicker than noble blood!

    There is, fortunately, no snoring in the room. Tae does, at some point, wake up enough to hear voices. That's odd. She was just dreaming of something odd. So it takes her a moment to get her bearings.

    She opens her eyes, but doesn't move. It's comfortable here.

    Ohhhh, and there is lore! That's fun. She is very curious about these things. Though Tae seems like a homebody, there are some rumors that she has snuck off for some adventures of her own. Being very curious, she doesn't let on that she's paying attention yet. They might stop!

    Tae does look at the table. Is there food left? Do Haru or Uta look hungry? Ugh! She cannot tell. It's a true dilemma for her. If she asks about food, they might stop sharing secrets! BUT! What.. what if they are... hungry?

"That is the theory," Haru makes an academic observation, "based on my understanding of Computer Science. Which I like to think my lineage and college education gives me enough credibility on until I can get evidence to support the theory." Its a Haru thing. Even when he is trying to provide supporting evidence it still comes off a little 'Im special and so good at these things and look at how awesome I am because I never received enough attention as a child'. "I think of them as power users in a computer structure. There is still a concept of least permission, but periodically we get granted roles of elevated permission. This authority comes at the cost of being aware that we are an abberation, like a virus," he snaps, able to use a Pharma term as well as a CompSci one, "and the immune system or antivirus functionality will want to see out and correct it. Or in this case version management. Both apply here."

"By all means, join us, Tae. I could use a good hot beverage and a protein like cluck cluck on a bowl of rice if you have it, but Im not too picky." Unless it is sweets. Haru loves his sweets. The loss of chocolate is almost too much to bear to the point where he spend most of his time in Kunie-Shibuyaland in the 109 Cafe.

"So my theory is short lived changes," Haru tells Uta, "for example consumables. If you alter the properties on an object that is deleted on use, the trace of said object and action is erased with it. In the 'murder mystery' scenario, its like when the killer uses an icicle to do the stabbing." A hand goes in a circle, "Or cases of arson when the evidence goes up with the act." He hums for a moment, "I don't know of many that Hack outside of Helba." Proteus, he thinks, but has had very limited interactions with in the past year here.

"Oh?" Uta turns to Tae. "Oh. Yes. Please do join us. Sorry, we got caught up in discussions."

Uta looks down, arms set apart, to rest on the table. "Hm. So... when I happily go around Loremastering things... I'm... actually exposing myself to... antibodies?" Pause. Shudder. "Yikes! I... I didn't think of that. I should cut down the usage. I thought... I didn't know it..."

Look up at Haru, with definite worry. "Welp! I don't want to end up phagocytosed!"

Uta sighs, slumps down, and holds her lowered head in her hands, between her arms. "ARGH! So it means... Enigma pieces will give people, and the Beast in particular, the power to alter the system to their whims!"

    Tae is so not good at sneaking. She's as bad at concealing herself as Elly is good at avoiding notice. She's not upset about it, though. She is needed! And she very carefully slips out of Elly's lap. It's a measure of how relaxed the baroness is that she doesn't react.

    "I will get right on that!"

    It should be no shock at all that she doesn't have to go to the kitchen. Instead, she uses a grill out on the patio. The fact that she constantly carries things to cook is probably expected.

    That in progress, she focuses on getting some tea ready as well. That she can do at the table. "Oh, and please, continue your discussion. I'm very curious about it. I don't hear much about these things. But, sorry, antibodies?"

Haru does not want to be erased either! However the way Haru conveys emotion is either through a nuanced mask or through unadulterated Chuuni-ness. It goes to 11 or it goes to 1. Right now it is in 'push up glasses' mode: 1. Half glasses. A monocle. "That is a working theory as well: They are a means to generate the authority needed to elevate another identity," he says in a way that is more cryptic than intended.

Antibodies. Haru looks to Tae and nods once, "To the system, it would look like our actions are that of an infection or a virus. The system's antibodies would want to address it. I liken it to erasure instead of death. If we are nothing more than a combination of our information, our anima, then it is the deletion of that anima." It rolls into another theory he walks back, "The part of us that stays when we die in battle and come back at a church into a reconstructed physical form. It would be the death of that consiousness as /that/ is what holds the authority. If it was just our bodies then we would lose it when we suffer a physical death. That has largely been disproven." At least someone with a System Arte has perished and returned capable of using them afterwards.

    Tae has many questions, but she has tea to prepare. And a desire to avoid interrupting others. She is using the leaves common to Eas. A particularly potent green tea is cultivated here. This is prepared in classic fashion. Certainly Tae is no Soujiro, but she is able to provide her guests with an enjoyable tea.

    A cup is provided to Haru and then to Uta. Tae then slips off to start cooking. She has cluck-cluck to prepare! In no time at all, the scent of it cooking wafts into the room.

    She does poke her head in after a time and asks, "Haru, have you heard much about Tri-Edge? It sounds like you are talking about it. I.. I know I don't do a lot of adventuring, but I heard that Tri-Edge tried to kill adventurers for using enigma shards. I believe Proteus is the best person to learn more. I haven't seen her in a long time, though."

"It does seem that a Power Path needs some sort of... 'Permission', or 'Bond'. Rumored to be tied to the Goddesses," Uta confirms. "But it also seems that there are objects that can do the same." She looks between Wake and Haru. "As part of my power path, I learned a sentence. It contains my name, the name of the item that grants it..." She unclips her fountain pen from her uniform, and places it on the table, "and a word between them. Hagalaz." Dubious expression, "It's the name of a rune. A connective of sorts?" Some silence. "I've been wondering if this means that I am 'bound to', or... receiving 'authority' from this pen." Fingers tap on the woden tabletop, rhythmic. Rat-tat-tat. Tat. Rat-tat-tat. Tat. "Is this pen receiving permision from someone else? Like... in a chain of authority? That ends with the Goddesses?" Rat-tat-tat. Lower voice. "Or perhaps goes even further?"

( OOC: +codex/learn VWBWWnFAYFpbb1ljV1ltVkw4Ljo2NUFZa1hgVg== )