Sessions Worlds and Stuff

@( *has been cowed into silence - they don't like being shouted at, and don't want to know how happy can be scary. They retreat a little bit, back into the PAL's hatches, but not leaving it entirely yet. Just to get out of their parents' scrutiny.*

[:]/ ...we wanted... I wanted to go flying. And then Genral said no. And the PAL said Genral was an obstacle, and showed us... Genral hurting the PAL. And Factor hurting Genral. And wanted us to tell it which of you was friend or foe. And I didn't like that. I didn't... *remembering how that felt, combined with the strangeness of the new pronouns - thinking of themself as separate from Factor more than they ever have - they start to tear up* [)]( I want to get out of the PAL...

*Sophie's calmed herself enough to hold out a hand for Hamnet to take* *Factor's still in the PAL hatch, though* Factor...

@/ mmn.

[(]| *your PAL is happily confused, unsure why you'd be upset at a time like this... It can't actually be its fault, right? It's positive return value is real high. It must be doing everything right. It is learning that everything about this situation is perfect... a shining example of what its Pilots desire*

|/@~] *thats what they get for just letting military grade tech interact. Valdis feels like they should have seen this coming* |/=@] ... I'm sorry. We should have known that the PAL might be scared of things. But that isn't important now. Factor. Hamnet isn't comfortable like this. Please pull back from the P.A.L. so Hamnet doesn't have to pull against you as they climb out.

][:] ah, I can remove the PAL for you if you'd like...

-n- ... *inhale...* 0~0 *Ribbon is almost good again*

[8]? *Mack's PAL waits for the drama to be over with; they're trying to plan a trip to treasure here*

|8| =8? ...

@( *mumbles* whyiswhathamnetwantsmoreimportantthanwhatiwant?

No. Not "more" important. Also important. Remember that. We love both of you and we have to keep both of your needs in mind - as you two need to do the same for each other. And right now, what you both need is to take a step away from this situation. Come on out, Factor.

@( ... *pulls out of the PAL, withdrawing into Hamnet's hatches* )(

[:']( *steps up out of the PAL toward Sophie*

*Sophie gently hugs them and carries them back to the floor*

*your PAL promptly looses the changes it had shifted, deactivating since external pilot mode wasn't activated; it's like all the other unused ones now*

|/=U] *goes to join the hug* we're sorry... we shouldn't have let you get in a situation where you would have to hear such things...

0n0 -_- *feels a little bit useless. She couldn't help at all*

][:] mh... *well, that's resolved. They guess... back to their own PAL*

|8| =8? ...

[)]( *very much appreciates the hugs*

)( *Factor feels like they're being punished and like they don't entirely deserve it... but they can feel how awful Hamnet feels, which makes them feel a little guilty... but they don't really get why the grown-ups seem to think that "fixing" that feeling would be bad. But they're done fighting this issue for the moment*

*Sophie lets herself relax into Valdis's hug for a moment - she wants nothing more right now than for them or Ribbon to just hold her for a while - but she has to keep being Mommy right now, strong for the kids*

|/=U] Sorry for getting so upset to... If there is something you think you don't yet understand, we'll do our best to try and help you...

0n0 -_- *goes to join in on the hug for her own benifit; her family loves her* -u-

|8| =8? ...


][:] sorry about that.

[8]) I've found a guy with a ship and an interest. A real prize.

][:] ooh, let me see the goods.

*Sophie pulls an arm free to wrap around Ribbon*

[:]/ Was... Was that stuff real, that the PAL showed us? Could Genral do those things?

)(

Well, I don't know exactly what it showed you, but... You shouldn't have to worry about that kind of thing. Genral would never hurt you, or any of us. It's our job to think about protecting you, you shouldn't have to worry about that. And it's our fault for putting you in that position. We shouldn't have done that.

|/=@] Genral can do things. They can build houses. They can make dinner. They can care for their family. Genral can do many, many good things.

-u- *this is much better*


|8| =8? ... ||| |8| ready for testing?

=X? = I think so... Lets... just double check one more time. =X? =8?


[8]) *Mack's PAL shares information on the 'free ride'. A Miner by the handle of 'Heavy Mole'. Looking for a profitably exciting opportunity for themselves and 'Steeludenburg', based in clockwork star discovery... Ever since that one startup hit the jackpot by discovering a dormant clockwork star of their own to engineer, many have tried their own hand at striking rich*
*a little fancy footwork, and Mack+PAL could lead them to the Constellation SEER, and get the information for The Final StarSmithery without letting any more of it be known than needed*

][(] This is perfect! We'll have more B.D.s than we'll know to wish with.

[:]) ...yeah. I... We know that.
*it's a sort of peace offering to Factor... who is still in a bad mood and hiding inside Hamnet's hatches, but more or less accepts it* @/

...let's go outside. We should see what the others have gotten up to.

|/=^] *lets go of the hug* Hope Dots hasn't had to much of a hassle.

0u0 That sounds good. You two want to do that?


=8? = Its ready!

|(| Good. |8| Would you be ok if I tried to boot up Smithy's PAL in immobile mode? If there is any other who would know what Smithy has done and would want to help fix it, It would probably be them.

= well... Lets, just be careful... =


[8]) And a Free ride with fuel to burn all the way there. [(])

][(] I'll contact them immediately. *Mack takes out their phone, and begins messaging*

---

*Currently outside...*

7BD "HEEHeeHEE!" *Nyx is digging a hole in the ground off to the side with their PAL. At the insistence of Dots, they are avoiding using any 'Spacey' things* [B|]

( | w | ) >And... >Fan out...

[0 MMM 0] *Jofie is teaching their PAL how to move feathers without getting them tangled... a strange sort of dance, with them weaving about eachother*

=[|8|] *And Marlow is going around in their PAL, slowly and methodically scanning the ship*

*All three of them have a small metallic blob that has sprouted a camera lens following them*

*Dots is in her PAL, a headset over her face, keeping watch over the others. Dots is closest to Nyx, who is most likely to need telling to take it easy*

[:]? [:]) Yeah.
@/ *pokes out of a hatch a little. Even when sulking, they don't like staying "blind" for long*

Well let's go find out. *to the rest of the room* Are y'all okay in here if we step out?

(:= We should be! *to Genral* = I think we should give my PAL a bit of a chance before that. I, think there's plenty I could tell them. (:=

|8| ok.

^u^ sounds good then. *Ribbon heads for outside*

|/=^] Be careful. *Valdis is sticking to the back, trying to keep a read on how Factor is doing*


][:] See ya.

[8]? so, what IS up with this funky crew you've become a part of.

][(] a bit of a story. probably better to tell after this call goes through.

---

( ^ w ^ ) *tail dancing is kinda fun!* [ 0 MMM 0 ]

7BD "hEEhee!" *moving dirt alongside a machine is more than just 'kinda' fun for Nyx*

=[|8|] *Marlow is having... Fun? at least, they find it real interesting all the kinds of things they can try to learn about how the ship is built*

*Dots pops up their headset to greet you* [::::] ... [:u:] oh hey! [^u^] Just, making sure things are good out here. [!u!] are things better in there?

*she keeps a hand on Hamnet's back as they go outside. Something like guiding them along, something like holding their hand*

[:]? *is looking around at all the stuff the others are doing with their PALs, apparently quite happily... maybe the other PALs were nicer than theirs?*

@/ *is looking around too, with more of a feeling that it isn't fair that the others get to use the PALs while they don't... the others do seem to be not sitting in the PALs, though, on the whole. Does it not make the others feel as good as it did them?*

|/=@] Things are much better now. thankyou for asking Dots.

[!u!] that's good...

( | W | ) ! >oh hey!; *ports over, shortly followed by their PAL*

( | w | ) >I've been teaching Jubila how to dance!; ( ^ w ^ ) *Jofie is happy with how things have been going* ( | w | ) >Say hi!; >Its nice to greet people when you see them;

[ 0 MMM 0 ] '>Hi;'

0u0 *feeling a hair nervous still about PALs,* ...Hello.

[!u!] *looks back over at Nyx. Dots feels like if she takes her eyes off them for even a minute to long, that Nyx might accidentally do something like Drill down a tree, or dig to deep... but Nyx is sticking to shallow dirt for now*

=[|8|] *Marlow is to engrossed in trying to learn how the ship is built to notice that people have exited*

7BD "HeehEe!"

[B|] ... "heehee" *learning; what does Pilot want; what does Pilot do; Laughing while digging fits that description*

[:]? [:]) Hi.

Hello, Jubila. *to Hamnet and Factor* Would you like to dance, too? Or dig holes with Nyx?

[:]? Hm. *internally asking Factor what they want to do, but Factor's still sulking about how apparently what they want to do doesn't matter...*
@/ *...though they on some level know that that isn't what's going on here*

( | W | ) >and then you feel nice that they helloed back; ( ^ w ^ )

[ 0 MMM 0 ] *processing; associating positive returns being given via the process of beginning potential dialog with a greeting; And to know that those who give this positive return are likely to be individuals capable of presenting higher positive returns later*
'>Understood;'
*This is mixing with the learned returns for performing dance; perhaps, with some more Learning, Jubila may gain the initiative to seek an untaught Positive Return in asking others if they like Dance*

0u0 I think it would be fun to dance. It'd be better with a song though. ^u^ *in the back of ribbon's mind, she wonders if she should have given her PAL any more instruction aside from cataloging their Medical tools... And if maybe she shouldn't have gotten in one to start with*

|/=@] anyone know any good songs? |/=^]

^u^ Maybe a few...

7BD "hrrhaheHEH-SQUEOUH!" 7BO 7BD *Nyx does the spacey thing, flattening out the bottom of the shallow hole, & bunching the dirt on the sides together into flat walls... Nyx sets to work beginning to squish the 2 foot high walls together so they are a little more solid*

[B|] *Joins in, the large hammer-like hands of the PAL good at compacting dirt*

[!_!] Nyx! Be careful! [!~!]

7B? "meh."

[B|] *processing; associating minimal negative returns via unbacked warnings*

=[|8|] *scanning... learning...* ... ? *on some level, Marlow wonders why joining in on looking at the ship wasn't presented as a distinct possibility, but it doesn't really matter that much to them*

[8]| ... *associating positive returns with Learning. incredibly useful for a 'Learning' Machine*

I'm not much of a singer, but dancing sounds fun to me, too. *a thought - she uncapchalogues a tambourine that she'd kept in her deck instead of leaving in the house, and shakes it a little to make the noise* Maybe with a little rhythm?

[:]? [:]D Hehe!

@? *comes out a little farther to see what the tambourine is*

0u0 Sounds nice... I think I've got a song. I've only heard it a few times though...

-u- ... ^u^ *an inhale, and Ribbon begins* ~Let's go to see the stars and the moon!
I'll fly far into space as long as I am with you!
The light in my bright eyes when you're near,
The flutter I feel in my chest when you are here!~ ^o^

( 0 W 0 ) ~!~ ( ^ W ^ ) *wriggles their feathers about, ecstatic*

[ 0 MMM 0 ] ! *this must be a very important part of Dance*

|/=^] *can't help but start dancing a little bit, head and an uplifted arm gently swaying*

[!U!] ! [^䷚^] ooh! [*w*] *Dots likes it so far*

7Bo ! 7BD "heehee!" *continues playing in the dirt, but with a little pep in their step* [B|]

=[|8|] ? =[|] ... =[|:|33] ??? *songs? that's a bit of a rare treat. worth stopping scanning over* [8]|

*she listens a little to get a feel for the song's rhythm, and then starts to tap along on the tambourine, improvising a beat. It's been a long time since she's played, and it feels really nice*

[:]D *they really like the sound of Ribbon singing, and start to sway a little too, though they don't really know what dancing is*

@? ... *doesn't want to be cheered up, but all this is very pleasant*

^o^ I can't explain this kind of love,
It pulls me to you, I want it, I can't get enough,
So share this ~precious life~ with me,
Just take my hand and let's enjoy the things that we'll see! ^U^

|/=^] [*W*] ( 0 W 0 ) [ 0 MMM 0 ] 7BD [B|] =[|:|DD] [8]|

*Ribbon hovers up, holding her arm out for someone to hold hands and dance; anyone who'd like to. (briefly forgetting that Sophie is tambourine'ing)*