It's Time For The Opening Act!!

[Ada Wong]

It is wonderful to meet the three of you, as well, the Peregrine Mendicant says, affixing her grey headscarf more securely around her face. You may indeed call me PM, Autumn Ellise Rose! It is a name that I have gone by before, not to worry. As for your other question, I am a carapacian. I originally hail from the planet Prospit, although I cannot say whether its hallowed halls still exist in any universe.

Her black eyes blink owlishly at the green-haired human. An odd, scratchy feedback jitters across the mental link like monochrome fuzz or radio static— an unpleasant sound for both sides of their conversation, she presumes. PM is sure to speak softly so as to smooth down any unwanted interference that might be jamming its way into their exchange. I apologize, Lubbock, although it is still good to meet you. I had not realized that there would be any disagreeable intrusion. This is most unusual.

All the same, she will do her best not to pry.

PM’s attention shifts over to whatever the armored fellow is doing. The multicolored glow of an Omnilium summoning gleams before him for a long moment or two, and she finds herself listening intently to what he has to say of his past. His story seems remarkable, despite the many terms and titles that she does not know.

The roles that he describes in particular remind her of her own species, and his aspirations to be a Kell sound like a far cry from her unwanted ascension from a simple Pawn to a Queen. Nevertheless, she decides that she quite likes him, as well as the kind Autumn and the curious Lubbock.

The peculiar mechanical orb that Khlas fashions out of the Omnilium is even more interesting, however.

I suppose it would not be a fair situation, depending on how you look at it, although I personally wouldn't question the order of things if they are truly occurring in the way they were predestined to. But, say— that is a very lovely machine, she remarks, tilting her head to the side as she looks upon it, carefully pantomiming the words with her chitin-encrusted hands. I have never seen anything like it.

PM wonders if she could make something of her own out of this Omnilium, just like that. She will no doubt need a weapon in her travels through this strange land— and, perhaps her cap and satchel for delivering mail. Her claws prick together in excited anticipation as she ponders this. Yes, to once again carry out her duty as a Parcel Mistress, bettering the world one letter at a time, spreading confidential messages with her faithful mailbag slung over her shoulder…

The carapacian draws herself out of her blissful reverie, squinting once more in the bright light of the Nexus. It would be a good idea to find a settlement that is home to some form of life before setting out to carry on her good work. The object that Khlas has just leaped upon also seems like some kind of spherical vessel for …transportation, she assumes. It is purplish and glows with a frankly fascinating internal light. He must be headed somewhere.

Where are you off to? she asks. He seems like a soldier of a reasonable, well-meaning sort— surely he has a decent grasp on the implications of the Omniverse if he is already making use of one of its core constructs. Maybe he will even let her tag along.

[Amber Veritz]

Autumn observed the item that Khlas had summoned. A flying vehicle of some sort it seems. "That is fascinating! Your world must be amazing. Though from your past it doesn't seem like things are exactly going well." She kept observing the floating sphere that Khlas stood on. Maybe I could make something like this to ride on. This world looks big and there's no way I'm walking such far distances everywhere. Although, I'm not sure what I could summon...Wait! I know what! She turned to Lubbock and smiled. "I'm gonna summon something cool like that too, to ride on I mean. That way I wont have to walk." She sat down at the fountain and begin to focus on summoning her omnilium mount.

[Lubbock]

Lubbock planted his chin lightly into the heel of his right hand, his elbow held upright by his left. His ears listened intently to Khlas's story of raging war and a desire to climb up the ladder of evolution to become something more. The Vandal's story left less and less suspicion of the creature in Lubbock's mind, but as an assassin, he was mandated to be skeptical, if only a small amount. 'Undead soldiers' was a term that, however confusing, stuck with Lubbock the most. Back in his world... there was absolutely no way for one to be brought back to life, nor created immortal for that matter, so undeath was a mystifying notion to the thread user.

Khlas's last statement hit Lubbock like a freight wagon. The four-armed creature was right; those who made less of an effort to preserve their lives were gifted with riches and power untold, while the 'outcasts' whom fought for their lives and to preserve the lives of others received nothing... that was why he became an assassin; to save those weaker than himself and fight for the rights of the oppressed. He raised a crimson gloves hand to his forehead and furiously entangled his fingers into his verdant hair in a fit of rage.

"Lubbock, calm yourself!" Syura boomed the command and Lubbock's hand left his face, his one visible green glove staring blankly at the equally mundane floor. Sorry, Syura... Khlas kinda just brought back some memories, Lubbock clarified, but Syura remained as silent as the atmosphere around the newly formed band of exotic Primes; the assassin took that as a sign of grave acknowledgement. His eye traveled to the four-armed warrior. "I feel your pain, Khlas." Lubbock empathised. "Back in my world, I fought for those who didn't get what they deserved... I'm not even sure if our team has succeeded in freeing the citizens..." He pondered, mulling over the things the doppelgänger Esdeath and Najenda had injected into his head.

The machine that Khlas summoned with his Omnillium was rather miraculous, and seemed almost like an Imperial Arms... the way it tangibly worked was a mixture of machine and organic matter... it somewhat flummoxed Lubbock. His dwindling attention was soon brought back to Earth as the light screeching filled his ears once more... he made out that she was greeting the trio gleefully, and giving Rose permission to refer to her as 'PM', something surely more simple to say. The species she indulged Rose that she was mystified Lubbock equally as much as Khlas's ride.

PM was quick to apologize for the unpleasant interruption in the mental link, to which he gave a wave and shake of his smooth, green locks. "It's all good, PM. I... guess I'm not all that good with telepathy, huh?" He lied, a guilty smile crossing his lips as he idly plucked at the band of his goggles. The carapacian shared the awe that Lubbock felt for the machine Khlas fashioned; it was quite obviously a hit. Khlas seemed to be quite the popular guy, with all the comments about his ride and another on his history from Rose. Expect her to sympathise, Lubbock mused with a soft smile. Rose may have given him a nasty mark with her guitar... but he did kind of deserve that. Apart from said incident, Rose was well and truly kind to everyone she met... but every Rose had their thorn, and Lubbock doubted this one was any different.

With a grin of raw admiration of Rose's enthusiasm, he followed her lead in forming a ride. Considering PM, in case she didn't desire to go through the effort of summoning a mount, he altered his build accordingly. He gave his unwavering focus to the structure, slowly materializing a large, four-legged animal, with a bulky, rustic mass at the rear. It took quite some time to begin taking shape, but surely enough the rainbow mess became recognisable as a horse and carriage, but a few more minutes would be required to finalize the detail.

[Khlas, the Brave]

Khlas sniffs the air, oh yes he could sense it. He had a rather good knack for smelling the backwater filth of glorious cities. A single drop of that substance could be even smelled by a Human, but a Fallen? Khlas easily remembered the scent, burning his nostrils like a skunk if he wasn't introduced to Ether. The substance always gave a pleasant taste to his lips, lining his nostrils so that no foul scent would be to foul to bare. Khlas said, "Stink, I go where the stink is. Waste, scrap, Ether. Or to you... Food. Will learn of the world in time, always time." Khlas sighed before rubbing the Servitor gently almost like a animal would be petted. The orb reared back for a second before exploding like a puffer fish, unleashing large and tiny spines able to be held onto. Khlas gave off a clicking purring sound of satisfaction at this development, before focusing all four of his eyes on Lubbock.

The alien simply snickered at what Lubbock said. He knew his pain? Khlas spoke, "Undead Soldiers, limitless in number. Kill them dead, but they live. Tiny light glows, holds light. Formed from Great Machine in it's death. We can fix, we can revive Great Machine, but they? They are you, her. Both same now, attack attack attack. No breath, no relent, no life. Only shadow, all are Undead Soldiers under Great Machine. Awoken, Humans, Exos. Kill by the thousands with hands, then fires their guns. You are friend to Khlas, no anger between. Undead Soldiers in your tongue? Guardian, Hero, Savior, Hope of Light." Khlas attached himself to the orb, moving with all his arms and legs in sync like a spider.

Khlas stood up from his sideways perch to get close to Lubbock, mere inches away from his face. The smell of Ether was sweet yet hollow like the last drips of a good hot chocolate before realizing it was gone. Khlas spoke softly, yet his words seemed to fly forward, "The Cabal, machines of living war, living industrialization. Reinforcements, endless hordes. The Hive, ancient monsters from beyond stars. Gods, dimensions and law they have. They own much, take much, leave little. Vex, Machines of Hate, controls time and space. None they do not see, none they deny. All are their game, simulated and asleep. Awoken, Humans transformed, whisper to stars, to Jovian. They hear, they always hear the song of the Dark. Guardians, Humans transformed, get blessing of the Great Machine. Were were once Guardians, fearless, full of light! Crowned and strode streets by love and light. Fallen, no strength, no god, no blessing, no light, no song, no war, no reinforcements. None here but I, lets me carve House. Make Fallen strong, make Eliksni again. You fight in filth, Khlas smells it on you. Rot of fruit and rope and oil. I want to make place of life, but you? Carves place of life tell bones of filth show. Takes the rotting light out, makes flesh rebel to live. Always a wound with you Undead Soldiers. Always"

Khlas started to ride away, floating a few inches above the white ground. He headed towards the general direction of Corusant. He was heading towards Tier 7, though would only know that when he got there. He still could be stopped mid way, but he in silence otherwise.

[Ada Wong]

Oh, no, I would say that you are quite good at it, the carapacian reassures Lubbock, her head bobbing eagerly in a nod and the frayed ends of her wrappings whispering over her pale carapace. Any level of telepathic communications are admirable, the way I see it.

PM observes Lubbock’s summoning of a carriage and four-legged beast with interest, the amorphous glow of the Omnilium reflected in her carapace and black eyes. That is a neat trick. I will have to do that, sometime.

The carapacian startles as Khlas’s machine discharges a series of spikes, taking a short step backwards and canting her head to the side at it.
How strange! she exclaims, leaning in just a tiny bit for a closer look, for this surpasses the carriage and buggy by a long shot in the remarkable department. She taps her carapace in excitement, shifting from foot to foot. This Omniverse is extraordinary, indeed!

Hm, the Peregrine Mendicant muses to herself, watching as Khlas begins to drift away on his new mount. She bids him farewell, albeit a bit unhappily. Well, goodbye then! Safe travels and what have you. I hope you are able to find what you are looking for.

But what shall she look for, herself? Mail, of course. Mail, and a good, well-established place to distribute it in. Yes, these are the things that the Prospitian most desires.

I suppose that I should depart, as well, she informs her human companions, pricking her claws against one another guiltily. I am very interested in seeing if there are any mail services in this place! I’m sure that there must be, but it doesn’t hurt to check. You know how it is.

She takes a few steps away, hesitates, and then amends her statement. Not that I haven't been enjoying our discourse. Far from it! I merely have other aspirations that need attending to. She glances this way and that, trying to ascertain in which direction to proceed. Finally, she settles on a path.

I think that I shall head northwest, she informs them, kindly, fiddling with her claws. It was awfully nice to speak to you three!

[Amber Veritz]

Autumn finished creating her mount within 5 minutes. The entity she had created gave Lubbock a weird expression. She had summoned a character from a television show in her world, Rainbow Dash. Oddly, Rainbow Dash was unable to speak, or fly. She stood just waiting for command. "I didn't think it would actually allow me to summon Rainbow Dash! This is so awesome." Autumn was elated with joy over her new friend. "We really can have anything we want in this world."

Their new friends were leaving now, although she felt it inside, Autumn didn't show her disaointment to the fact. In fact, she waved them off. "Good bye! I hope our paths cross again! Take godd care, and I wish you good fortune!" She smiled until the were in the distance and turnedto Lubbock. "Whelp, just you and me. Looks like you wont be need that carriage." She giggled to herself and looked off into the distance. "Well, were not getting anywhere just sittin' here. Where are we gonna go? You should lead since you have better experience here in the Omniverse. Maybe you could show me some tricks or something." She sat with her legs crossed and her elbow to her knee, which she was using to hold her head up. "Like my mom used to say, 'You don't get anywhere in life until you take the first step.'" Her enthusiasim quickly deminished when she mentioned her mother. Her eyes sank and her voice got quiet. "I miss my mother."

[Ada Wong]

The carapacian wanders in the general direction of her chosen destination, the digits of her porcelain feet clacking audibly against the ground. Her step is measured and precise, like the drilling of a sharp-billed woodpecker accompanied by the rustling of her clothing. Memories of a few good friends swirl in her mind, soft and feather-light.

Occasionally, the Peregrine Mendicant believes that she has caught sight of some other living being in the distance, but they are fleeting apparitions and are quick to fade away into empty space in shimmering swells of light. It is almost as if they are all traveling across the open surface of an endless, opaque ocean, which threatens to swallow them up if they remain stationary for long. When she glances towards from whence she came, she sees the forms of Autumn and Lubbock gradually winding down until there is nothing left to be seen.

It is certainly regrettable that she has had to leave her new friends behind, for she was endlessly curious about their origins and intricately woven stories, but standing around and babbling at one another all day simply isn’t her style. She is a carapace of action! There are letters to be delivered, quests to be carried out, objects to fetch… there are just too many things to describe that any Parcel Mistress worth her salt would do.

PM considers herself to be worth quite a few grains of salt— an entire ocean’s contents, possibly. This isn’t arrogance, not at all; she merely holds herself to a standard that most would consider a tad excessive. This is the honest truth. Soon enough, once she has reached that exciting little speck in the distance, she will prance over the proverbial sunset and be the best darn mailwoman that she can be.

If the Omniverse even has a mail service, that is.

Peregrine stumbles a bit, internal and external balance thrown clumsily off-kilter. Now this might be a problem that would put a hitch in her plans! What if where she is destined to go does not have proper mail couriers, or has private messaging that is confined to some abstract or technological sphere that she cannot access? That could certainly devastate all of her current aspirations.

But no! PM is resolute. She will find a way, or die trying. Well, maybe she isn’t going to go that far to deliver a silly old letter— not that conveying mail is silly, oh no, it is very serious work, but she would like to think that she is rather dedicated to her trade.

Or— well, what used to be her trade. She isn’t so sure about what she is now. Perhaps she could attend to her Prospitian Monarch duties on the side as well as her mail carrier ones? It would be a difficult undertaking, for sure, without the light of Skaia guiding her or any golden towers in immediate sight, but she lives for challenges.

With that determined thought in mind, PM balls up her fists and marches with her head held high for about twenty-two minutes before once again slowing to a more sedentary pace. Being hard-boiled and professional takes a lot out of you, and she has already been walking for at least an hour. She will have to conserve her energy for the long journey that is undoubtedly impending.

Speaking of undoubtedly impending things, she is almost right in front of the speck that she had set her sights upon earlier. Only, this speck isn’t much of a speck anymore— it is a swirling portal, tinged with strange energies that PM finds indescribable and which causes her shell to tremble most peculiarly. Metaphysical. Magnificent.

The Peregrine Mendicant takes a few steps backwards to further assess this portal. The stark blankness of the Nexus, seemingly inescapable for that long time that she had been walking, is interrupted by a nice stone crest rising up from the ground. It is terribly dilapidated, its poor state manifested in sandy rock and crumbling grit. She scratches idly at one doll-like wrist, a slight grating noise marking the impulsive act.

Hm, the carapacian remarks to herself, scrutinizing the portal with narrowed eyes which glint like shiny black beetles. Does she really want to enter a strange portal, in a strange new universe with a strange new rulebook, possibly at the cost of her life?

The answer, of course, is a resounding yes. While PM might be… apprehensive about venturing into this portal, hardly no one ever finds a precious pearl in an oyster that has been delivered to them on a silver platter. She will have to dive for one.

Taking a running leap, PM barrels headlong into an enormous sandbox.

FINALLY.

[Lubbock]

This Khlas... he was just about as terribly confused as Lubbock had been upon his own rude arrival. The world certainly was more vast and mystifying than one would initially imagine, and even the assassin himself, whom had resided within the jigsaw wuniverse for quite some time, still was struggling to wrap his head around Omni's intentions, or even his own purpose within his new somewhat temporary home. The Scrap that Khlas spoke of could easily be obtained through Omnillium, but Lubbock left that clue for the Vandal to pick up.

A satisfied grin crossed Lubbock's lips as he lent a closer ear to the four-armed being's story. He honestly understood a slim amount of the terms used, but nonetheless received a glance of the general idea. His kind kept fighting beings who constantly returned from the grave, while Night Raid slayed hundreds of demons in human clothing, with more and more rising to take their place. The explanation soon following was much appreciated, and a nod from Lubbock followed every detail given... but a frown quickly took hold of the assassin's visage when Khlas's broken English seemed to formulate a blaming comment, but in a wish to avoid hostility with the Vandal, Lubbock shrugged it off.

Lubbock courteously waved the curious creature off as he drifted onto his first adventure, as Lubbock had once done. His vision turned back to the white-bound woman still stuck with Rose and himself, before she, too, stated her leave. "It was a pleasure meeting you, PM." He replied courteously. "I hope we meet again." Lubbock gave PM a wave, coupled with a friendly smile, as she went on her unknown journey.

Lubbock dropped his face into his palm and, with a groan, shifted his eyes to the carriage he had so delicately crafted. "Damnit..." He cursed, his hope of escorting the woman flattened like a pancake. "Well... guess I'll just extract the carriage." He complained, raising a hand to the rickety, black vehicle and beginning to absorb the Omnillium within it, forming an orb of flowing colours that gradually compressed the object into nothingness.

At Rose's request for Lubbock to show her the ropes, he obliged and pulled out his Dataverse device - an object he hadn't used in quite some time. He flicked through the details affiliated with the different Verses... none exactly piqued his interest, apart from one 'Camelot', a land that sounded scarily similar to his own world. His eyes magnetized to Rose as her once bubbly attitude quickly depleted to something more... somber. Slipping his device into his coat pocket, he crouched beside the musician and placed a comforting hand to her back, attracting her eyes to his own.

"I'm sure you do." He sympathized. "I miss all my friends too... I wonder every day what they're doing without me." He released an amused chuckle as he pondered over how much Mine must have been beating the crap out of Tatsumi... how much Leone must have been getting wasted... he only wished he could have been there with them. He stood up and extended a hand to Rose, who gratefully took it. Lubbock pulled the girl back up to her feet and looked to the gate that supposedly led to Camelot. "So... I'm planning on going to somewhere called 'Camelot'... apparently heaps of magical creatures and stuff. Could be fun." He suggested, but Rose's expression dropped somewhat, followed by one of concern from the assassin.

"Well... I think it might be better if I went and found my own adventure." She stated, before looking up with a guilty grin. "I don't wanna be relyin' on you all the time, you know?" She giggled with a light blush at her silly reason, but Lubbock smiled back nonetheless.

"Sure, if that's what you wanna do." He accepted, before stepping back, motioning to the girl's winged horse. "I guess this is where we part ways. Seeya later, Rose." He gave his farewell, mounting his own steed. He flashed one final grin to Rose before cantering off towards his destination.

Rose and Lubbock leave the thread