World Tree MUSH

    "Anyway, my Benefactors, Madam Yukong instructed me to reserve the best rooms at the inn, and have all your expenses covered for the duration of your stay with us. She wished to extend the full courtesy of the Xianzhou Luofu, so that you may enjoy your stay to the fullest." She turns and performs a shallow bow, bending fractionally at the waist with her hands clasped in front of her. "Be it food or otherwise you wish to purchase, let the Innkeeper know, and the Commission will cover the cost."

    Stelle and March look lightened. Welt adjusts his glasses as the two young women chatter.

    "We should focus on our objective first. Seeing as Helm Master Yukong was extremely reluctant to get us involvewd, am I right to speculate that the Sky-Faring Commission has some leads on the whereabouts of Kafka?" he asks, fixing Tingyun with a close look.

    "Exactly correct, benefactor. The suspect is extremely cunning. She encrypted her transmission and timed her communication -- meaning we couldn't pinpoint her exact location." she pulls out a device that looks very much like a phone, and taps on it, bringing up the familiar hologram of Kafka, the same one from the Express. "But, as cunning as she is, the Divination Commission has managed to find something."

    The hologram repeats the last part of its message. "Here's the coordinates. What you do with this information is up to you." she says, then gives a little half-bow. "Our destinations may differ, but the orbits of the stars will eventually converge. See you later~."

    This message, played in a quiet location without the background hum of the Express, allows a faint sound to be heard behind the woman's words, mechanisms moving in the background.

    Jessica's eyes go wide. "... free... snacks?"

    Oh dear. The Commission may be dealing with bankruptcy very soon. Some mistakes can be fatal.

    Her ears twitch a few times, but she doesn't react to the far less important things being said. Something about coordinates and concerts with the obituaries of stars. Who cares?

    "Careful. She might be considering it." Talia muses dryly in response to Jessica.

    She seems to be considering it to. "It's a very generous offer, and I'd be remiss to refuse it given our circumstances."

    Bi De waits until they have left before remarking on the statement. "Here is the location, do what you will..." He clicks, his feathers lifting in an annoyed ruffle. "I am beginning to be annoyed at statements like that. It is as if they enjoy placing things that appear as choices, but are truly not. Is that not how we ended up here?"

    "Jessica no... Don't... That's..."
    Oh god Jessica getting unlimited snacks would be akin to the feline committing a war crime, and Clara is begging and pleading, hugging Jess's arm to her chest in hopes that the cat will take it easy on the snacking.
    Oh no, Clara has tears in her eyes, that's how scary the thought of Jessica turning into a snack demon is.
    "We should find out what the Divination Commission has to say." Svarog says awkwardly.

    Stelle comes suddenly alert as the message plays once again.

    Tingyun chides Bi De gently. "Do not let her words distract you." she says, then smiles primly. "I see our other benefactor has heard something."

    Stelle nods. "There's a sound in the background." she replies, with Tingyun smiling a bit more broadly. "Precisely~. That's the sound of a device. And before you suggest that this is a ship and there are many devices aboard... while true, the Artisanship Commission have determined its origin... each mechanism aboard has its own voice, that is unique to the trained ears of the craftsmen at the Artisanship Commission." she explains, cutting off March as she takes a breath to deny. "They concluded that the sound came from the shipyard facilities at Stargazer Navalia." she bows again then. "I suggest you get some rest, and prepare for the operation ahead. I look forward to seeing you in action~."

    The foxian then primly strides away, disappearing quicker than one may anticipate someone moving at a casual pace might be able to.

    "Do you feel a yoke upon your neck too, Bi De?" Talia asks the chicken man. THe question is more rhetorical, but it's clear they're not being given all the cards here. There's a game being played, but who the players are and who are pawns isn't quite clear yet.

    Jessica stares at Clara. "But they SAID all the snacks we needed..." Her own eyes huge, ears perked, and tail swaying. "Are you saying I can't have snacks? But... am I supposed to starve? Do you not feed your cats?"

    Such damning statements. But Jessica finally starts to pay attention now. "So... even if we don't have a lot of choice, doesn't that mean we should just be extra careful?"

    "Something of the sort," the chicken agrees. Bi De hears Jessica though, and clucks softly. "Although when one only has one path, one can only choose how to walk it, not the direction to walk. Let us look for places to step off the path, just in case."

    "... I've never had a cat before, but Jessica you're on another level!" Clara pleads. This isn't going well! If Jessica eats all the snacks what will Clara have?
    The broccoli?
    Noooooooooo!

    Welt looks to Bi De and Talia. "Unfortunately, it is a game we must play for now... come on, lets get some rest at least. I'll order something to eat, go take a nap or meditate. Refresh yourselves for, lets say a couple of hours. We'll reconvene then, eat then begin our search. Sound good?" he asks.

    Stelle frowns, and shoots off a message on her phone, it pings back immediately. "Failed to send? But why?"

    "Maybe the Stellaron is interfering with the signal." suggests Welt.

    March shakes her head, bringing up a local network page. "It can't be that, everything else is working fine." she says, showing the page. It has a cute looking dog-like creature prancing about on it.

    "Then perhaps its that Stellaron Hunter hacker girl's handiwork." grouses Welt sourly.

    Talia agrees. There's no point waiting around. They can only go through the doorway.

    "At this rate I'm worried if I sleep I'll never wake up. This has been exhausting." She murmurs. Constant micro-naps in between long stretches of time are taking their toll on her. She muffles a yawn. "Good chance of that." She murmurs softly. "We're on our own."

    At least the network issues distract Jessica, though not before reassuring Clara, "It'll be fine! I won't eat all of them at once!"

    Then to the internet, "What were you trying to send? Maybe it's just a temporary failure. Or maybe it's just because they give priority to the stuff March looks up!"

    Clara puts on a shellshocked look... A thousand yard stare.
    She won't... Eat them all at once...
    "A-ah..."
    The poor girl falls to her knees and seems to turn to stone.
    Svarog on the other hand... If he had a mouth to frown with, he would be doing so right now.
    "I do not like the fact that we cannot communicate with the outside."

    The mini-drama to the side has Bi De staring. Really? Well, Svarog seems to be thinking straight. The rooster nods solemnly, then states, "A communications blackout can mean only one thing."

    He turns to look at Talia, who seems to be tracking all these matters.

    Talia's response is direct. "Invasion." THere's no denying it, they're waist-deep in trouble now.

    "Invasion? A Stellaron Burst can often mean invasion by outside monsters... I don't think we're quite that far into the muck as that just yet." reassures Welt.

    "I was trying to contact Dan Heng..." adds in Stelle, frowning again at her phone like it betrayed her.

    TWO HOURS LATER.

    Welt is sipping a cup of tea. Food has been ordered, and several containers grace one of the tables set up outside of the inn.

    Tingyun has returned, and in tow, she has one of those colourful dog-like things with her. She waits for everyone to eat and refresh themselves, or simply arrive from within the inn before speaking.

    "Benefactors." she begins, bowing shallowly. "Stargazer Navalia is goverend by the Artisanship Commission, it has taken some time to sort out the paperwork. Just as in Cloudford, where you alighted and we met, Navalia's Meridian Pin has malfunctioned, and the checkpoint is abandoned. The garrison is currently spread thing. This makes the shipyard the perfect place to hide." she explains, then gestures to the dog-construct, since it is a very advanced artificial creation. "However, what is a hunt without a hound? Kafka is at large, the Sky-Faring Commission wants the problem solved. I made a few calls, and pulled a few favours to procure this from the Artisanship Commission. It is called Diting, and is a self-mobile scout and tracking Ingenium."

    The automaton dog gives a synthetic yip, blinking and tracing its optical units across the gathered... one can almost sense the intelligence behind those eyes.

    Talia will just have to put that thought aside for now. They're not exactly in a position to do much about it right now.

    When they're at the inn, Talia is slurping down noodles furiously, not to mention bits of fried rice, veggies, egg, and pork cutlets. It's delicious and filling, just what a girl needs.

    THe automaton dog gets some headpats. If he were a flesh and blood pupper Talia would feel bad about all this food he's not allowed to eat. Poor boy.

    "Charming little thing, isn't he?" She smiles, giving Diting more pats on the head. She's encountered enough droids that were similarly cute she doesn't think twice about giving this little guy some affection.

    Clara is currently probably battling Jessica for snacks.
    Svarog at least pays attention. It's kind of his job.
    "Do we have a trail to go off, or will we be starting the hunt entirely on our own?" He asks Tingyun.

    "I'm still not sure why this Kafka person is such a threat," Jessica points out as she sits down to eat as well. A WHOLE PILE of snacks is in front of her, which she's methodically going through to try out every one. On the upside this means there's plenty for Clara to try because surely there's more than one of each!

    "I guess her name does remind me of bugs for some reason," Jessica muses while she chews. "Is it because the Stelleron is dangerous and she wants one? I mean, we saw how bad they could get on the ice planet..."

    Tingyun looks to Svarog. "Diting has all the senses of a Foxian, and takes them to the next level. So long as we can uncover a trace, be it tracks or scent, this little cutie can hunt down any target. It is the latest creation of the Artisanship Commission for the task after all. Before we head out to Stargazer Navalia and put him to work, lets run him through a test case so we can figure out his settings and get him ready for duty... We'll use myself as the target for this instance... I will go hide somewhere in this area, you shall use Diting to track me down." she says, kneeling to pet the bionic doggo, then turning to leave. "Set him to scent-detecting mode... and have him track my perfume~." she says over her shoulder, before she vanishes into the crowd.

    He is so kriffing adorable, Talia can't stop herself from smiling at the little guy. Giving him a pat on the head, Talia will get to setting Diting to scent-tracking mode. With that, she gently nudges the robo-dog to send him on his way, so he can get to sniffing for Tingyun's scent. "On you go, little one."

    Svarog remains oddly silent. As though wordlessly asking 'are we really going through a tutorial?'
    CLARA though has peeled off from battling Jess for food,
    "Oh how cute. Okay little guy, can you find Miss Tingyun for us?"

    Bi De just... stares for a long moment. He sighs, his tailfeathers drooping. "I will never understand this world." He pauses and scratches at the ground. "Very well, I suppose we can follow. Perhaps there is no danger of this dog becoming a Spirit Animal, at least."

    * MEANWHILE, IN AN ALTERNATE TIMELINE *

    Bi De eyes the robot dog. "It would appear you have mastered a technique unknown to me. Come, let us test which of our cultivations is stronger!"

    Wide eyes. Staring wide eyes. Ears twitch a little as Jessica watches the robotic dog there, getting pet and told to track by perfume. "But... but..." She droops, tail lowering. "Did you have to make it cute? Is that so nobody will accidentally shoot him?"

    Stelle shrugs over at Svarog... 'new planet, new mechanics my man, that's how these games go.' is what that shrug wordlessly conveys... it's a very nuanced gesture.

    Diting yips at being set off, and scampers off into the crowd... but it doesn't vanish, it pauses if the group doesn't keep up and turns to check regularly, like a faithful hound leading its master on the hunt. As the group close in again, the world shifts subtly. The ground takes on a purplish hue, and a sparkling line wafts along the path Tingyun took before she vanished into the crowd and left sight.

    March frowns a bit. "So, we need to follow these sparkly traces to find Miss Tingyun, right?" she asks... which earns an affirmative YIP, from Diting. "She's not in any hurry though is she? Playing hide and seek while Kafka's still at large..."

    The path leads back toward the dock, across the open plaza in front of the Palace of Astrum, and over toward a market street... but then the trace vanishes on a landing before the street begins... how does a scent trace just vanish completely like that?

    Annnnd there goes Diting.
    "Um. We should follow him so we don't lose him too." Clara suggests.
    Svarog just... Brings a hand up to cradle his head like he's suffering a headache through all this as Clara starts following the robot dog and the sparklies.
    "Um. ... I think she lost us."

    Talia shrugs at Svarog too, helpless. She goes to follow through the crowd was she tracks the sparkling line. "More or less. Let's get going." Something about this feels off though, do they REALLY want to chase Tingyun while a criminal's at large?

    "Well, she must have gone... I don't know. Up?" Jessica presumes this because she likes to climb and jump, right? It's a reasonable guess. So she quickly lifts her head, looking around for any place that Tingyun could have jumped or climbed or otherwise-

    "Actually she could have done that any way along this trail," she thinks. "By doubling back."

    Bi De clucks, "It would seem that our mechanical companion is baffled by the deception, whatever it may be." He fluffs, "Though it is also quite... colorful? PErhaps I will take to above." He's perfectly fine leaping up to a rooftop or awning or something, if one is nearby, to get a better look. "Although I am reminded it has been far too long since I could sing in the morning."

    "Woof!"
    That's Diting, looking up at the gathered humans and other.
    "Got it. He says the wind here is too strong, so it's not easy to follow the scent."

    Stelle blinks, looking from Diting to March. "You got all that from one bark?"
    "It's just the bond between cute girls and cute puppies!" replies March.

    "This is a good test of the tracking hound, using the environment to hide her tracks... our friend from the Sky-Faring Commission sure knows how to put up a challenge... lets see if we can find any clues nearby." comes Welt, adjusting his glasses and leaning on his cane a little.

    There's a few people nearby to ask if they've seen Tingyun pass by... she is fairly distinct as far as Foxians go on a ship that has a good percentage of them as residents. A Xianzhou Resident, and a Vidyadhara are near the curtain rail, having an animated discussion with each oither it seems.

    A Foxian stall owner looking a bit worried about something near the bottom of the stairs leading to the market street, and several other stall owners, some Vidyadhara, some Foxian, and some Natives along the street.

    Talia begins asking around, and as she peers through the crowd she spies a crumpled up package of tea. Immortal's Delight, Tingyun's favorite. "Hmmm. Odd you'd throw this out when the receptical's right there." She muses, eyeing the bin. Kneeling down, Talia gives Diting the tea package to sniff. "Can you follow this?"

    Svarog... you know what. No.
    Svarog isn't helping.
    He's being obstinate about this.
    This earns a pout from Clara. ... And March earns a pout too.
    "But I'm a cute girl... Why don't I have a bond with cute puppies?"
    Huff.
    "Oh what did you find, Talia?"
    Pause.
    "W-wait now Talia has a bond with the puppy too?!"
    This is unfair.

    Well, there's something. As an agitated cat herself, Jessica notices the stall owner and, while Talia is figuring out what to do, Jessica walks over to the Foxian. Rubbing at an ear she smiles, "Is everything okay?" Her tail lashes uncertainly, just giving one glance to the stairs that the owner is looking at.

    She hesitates, then bites her lip. "I don't suppose you've seen an odd-looking Foxian wandering through have you?"

    Qingyue looks over at Jessica as the catgirl approaches. "Ah... apologies, you've come at a bad time. Our shop is closing earlier than usual today..." she says, bowing at the waist. Fox ears twitch at the question. "A foxian girl? Well, our bracelets and pendants are extremely popular among foxian customers... and I'm sure a pretty young lady won't want to miss out on our Verdant Luna selection. Please, try anything you like..." she adds, shifting into salesperson mode smoothly.

    Stelle and March, meanwhile, head over to the two men nearby. "Excuse me, did you happen to see a foxian lady pass by?" asks March of the Native.

    The native turns, "Well that's a heck of a question, miss! I'd say nearly one in every two people passing through Starskiff Haven is foxian. We might have seen the lady you're looking for, but we wouldn't have batted an eyelid!"
    The Vidyadhara next to him chimes in. "He's not lying. Still, if you describe her a little, maybe it'll jog our memory."

    "She's... pretty? And Foxian." remarks Stelle dumbly, rubbing the back of her head.

    The Native gestures frantically. "Write that down, write that down!" The Vidyadhara adds. "Pretty? That's a bit too generic for a foxian. Even if you discount the ladies, there are plenty of gents who fit that descriptor."

    This goes back and forth for a little while, until Stelle frowns. "Ah, apologies, my associate and I do double-act comedy at the Sleepless Earl, the teahouse just 'round the corner. With all the curfews and lockdowns we've not had much audience lately... we figured we'd pick a spot on the street and do some rehersal... and then you came alone so we thought we'd do some improv, free of charge!" the native bows, "But I did see the lady you ask about, she took the turn onto Starwatcher Avenue." The two introduce themselves as Back'n(Vidyadhara) and Forth(Native).

    Talia offering the scrap makes Diting yip, but it can't seem to localize the scent properly just yet. Welt brings a scrap of a white card with Whispering Flames Merchant Guild livery and Tingyun's name on it to the dog as well.

    Talia makes a face. They're looking for a needle in a stack of needles, looks like. But they're getting closer and closer. "The teahouse, then." She says, before approaching the two Foxians. "Good sirs, can you direct us toward the teahouse?" After they get directions, Talia promptly spins on her heel and heads thataways.

    Clara looks at Back'n and Forth staring owlishly after Stelle's attempt at describing Tingyun.
    "I'm just going to go that way."
    She's gonna go down Starwatcher Avenue, tug on a random person's sleeve.
    "Do you know Miss Tingyun?" ... "Did you see were she went?"

    Hmm. Jessica considers, then nods to Talia, "I'll stay with Clara!" She thanks the shop owner, with a smilee, "Ah, no thank you! I can't eat or shoot it!"

    Priorities.

    Though Clara has Svarog, Jessica wouldn't feel right letting smol bean wander off on her own. So she hurries after, and tries to provide a better description. "Let us know if you find anything!" she calls to Stelle and March and all.

    Bi De considers, squawking once before bobbing his head. "A good idea. I will follow Talia, then. Shall we meet back up once we have determined the right way?"

    He clucks a good luck to Jessica, then the rooster flaps wings, bounding after Talia to join her in her investigation. "Pardon me..." introducing himself politely as he too asks for directions.

    Stelle and March bid farewell to the comedy duo. Qingyue looks a bit crestfallen as Jessica wanders off again. "I heard your friends mention Miss Tingyun. Since you're clearly outworlders and are likely guests of hers, she often takes them on tours of Starskiff Haven. I saw her head down the street." the foxian points, the same way as Starwatcher Avenue.

    Everyone eventually reconvenes, and with the info, Diting yips and scampers off, straight to Tingyun's feet.

    "Ah, you found me~ Diting is quite useful, isn't he?" she says, kneeling to pet the robodoggo. "Now, if you manage to find anything at Stargazer Navalia, switch him on and he'll lead you straight to Kafka. Don't let her escape."

    "He's a lovely little thing." Talia says with a surprisingly bright smile, giving Diting a pat. "Such a useful little sniffer. I wish I had a droid like him as a child." She'll scoop Diting up and giving plenty of love, before holding him for Clara and others to pet if they wish.

    Cute girls and cute puppies, it's a mighty bond.

    "Oh, we intend to keep her around!" Jessica nods! "I mean... not let her get away? How am I supposed to say that?" Jessica huffs, "It's really kind of amazing to have a robot dog though. One that can actually smell?"

    "Fear not, we will do our duty," Bi De says quietly. He still questions what that duty IS, but it's a reasonable statement. "It is strange, Fa Ram never had a canine guardian. Perhaps that is why I was forced to take on the role for so long."