Suzume, go wash the dishes!

[Sierra]

<El-Cideon> The survivors spend a fitful night in their shabby (though now slightly less crowded) Moscow apartment. No interruptions along the lines of state police breaking down the door, thankfully--if anyone's noticed the night's mess yet, they haven't tied this group of foreigners to it yet. It's overcast the next day, a dingy grey morning in a dingy grey city.
<Erin> They aren't all that suspicious, after all, as long as nobody realises what sort of weaponry they're carting around. Erin finds some secluded spot from which she can contact Grace via their ever-useful communications orb.
<El-Cideon> It's a long moment before Erin gets a response. Grace seems tired when she answers. "Yes?"
<Erin> "Grace... we're finished, here," says Erin, suddenly uncomfortable. "We were able to stop Masha, but... Nadia didn't make it."
<El-Cideon> "I'm...sorry to hear that, Erin." A pause. "I don't know what to say. One always feels as though they should say something useful at times like this, but no words could truly change things, could they? It's done." She sighs.
<Erin> Unless they were forbidden words of magic! "It is. We all had a good cry, so don't you worry about us," she replies, blustering along. "We're about to make a return trip. I wanted to know if there was any update on the Poland situation? To be honest, we all just want to go home right now, so..."
<El-Cideon> "I've heard nothing of note since you left, no. I had someone pay a quiet visit to the acolytes' flat, but it was merely empty, as though they'd only stepped out for tea."
<Erin> "Alright. We'll be catching a plane back to London today, then. I'll see you there."
<El-Cideon> "Of course. Take care, Erin."
<El-Cideon> The weary travelers arrive at London in the evening. Splitting to their separate homes to drop off luggage, Yomi and Rena find the front door to their house unlocked. Erin's house seems mercifully uninvaded, though there is a large gray cat napping next to her front stoop.
<Yomi> "I'll go first," Yomi says, stepping into the foyer. They hardly have anything to steal, but that had never stopped foolish people from trying.
<Erin> Erin lets herself in, though she soon reappears with a bowl of milk that she leaves out the front. "What're you doing here, puss?" she asks, as she sets it down, and she glances at the vines that are starting to grow over her fence. "Well, you sure help with the witchy look."
<El-Cideon> There's a lamp on in Yomi's living room, and two people residing therein. One of them is Sayuri, who casually looks up from flipping through a book as though it were perfectly normally for people to break into their friends' houses. The other is a stranger to you.
* Yomi waves Rena inside, frowning. "Please lock up after yourself when you break into our home," she tells Sayuri.
<El-Cideon> The cat *mews* in thanks and starts lapping at the milk. You can see when it sits up that it has two tails. Suzume stops and looks at it, frowning a little.
<Brunilda> The stranger is a woman looking a bit older than Erin, with greying brown hair pulled into a severe bun on the back of her head and a shapeless dark blue dress worn that lends an altogether frumpy appearance. "Are these your witches and demonslayers, Sayuri-san?" she asks in Japanese, looking suspiciously at Yomi and Rena. A large luggage case sits on the floor next to the seat she's claimed.
<Erin> "Very witchy," mutters Erin, kneeling down next to the creature and checking to see if it has a collar, not to mention any magical traces. "But there have been cats like this before, you know, it's a birth quirk. Very rare, though."
<El-Cideon> "That isn't usually part of an assassin's etiquette, Yomi. I will endeavor to remember, though." She looks to the other woman. "Ah, yes. I thought I'd make a search while in Japan for the woman who alerted Fukui to your survival, Yomi, since I was never clear on what happened to her and she obviously bore quite a grudge. I didn't find her, but I did find someone else trapped in one of Fukui's labs. She seemed a suitable addition to your collection of misfits."
* Brunilda sniffs. "Brunilda Kingston. Charmed," she offers drolly. "I was just curious to see if there was any truth to Sayuri's fanciful tales... didn't seem polite to outright call her delusional when she helped get me out of that ghastly situation, but one has to wonder."
<El-Cideon> "Yes," Suzume says. "We have legends about them in Japan, though. He looks a little familiar..." The cat looks up at you, innocently. It has no collar. There's nothing actively magical in Erin's vicinity that she can detect.
<Yomi> "I guess we should have looked into that project after all," Yomi remarks. "I'm Isayama Yomi, indeed formerly a demonslayer of a modest reputation. If you need a place to stay after your captivity, feel free to make use of the guest room."
<Erin> "I'll get Yomi to have a look," replies Erin, reaching for her trusty telecomm orb. "Yomi? Would you mind coming over? I have an unusual guest that requires your, er, inspection."
<Brunilda> "Oh." Brunilda seems surprised at this generosity, "Thank you, that's very nice of you. My lease lapsed while I was in the Orient... I do hope my things weren't all thrown out," she frets for a moment before refocusing. "But really? Demons? Can you prove it?"
* Yomi retrieves the orb that suddenly feels warm in her pocket, and glances at Erin's image in it. "An unusual guest? I'll bring my own. See you in a few." Placing it back, she smiles at Brunilda. "That can indeed be arranged. Let's go meet with our witch, Sayuri?"
<El-Cideon> "Very well." Sayuri looks around, frowns. "Where's Nadia? Staying at Erin's now?"
<Yomi> "Died saving Moscow from destruction."
* Brunilda flinches at the talk of someone dying, not having a clue how to respond since she has no idea who this person is.
<El-Cideon> Sayuri's expression cracks, momentarily, before she continues in her usual tone. "She's...she's dead? How? What happened?"
<Yomi> "The Nazis tried to destroy Moscow. We disagreed."
<El-Cideon> "I'm...sorry. And disappointed," she rallies with more of her regular diffidence. "This was not how I wished to prove my skills superior."
<Yomi> "Erin's waiting, so let's be about it?"
<El-Cideon> She nods, and follows you out the door. Soon enough, Erin has more visitors. Two expected, one perhaps not, one unknown to her.
<Erin> "Ah, hello, Sayuri, and... a friend? I'm Erin, Erin Callahan, and this is Suzume Akiyama," greets Erin, walking towards Brunilda and offering her a hand. "Ah, the cat, Yomi, can you check it?"
<El-Cideon> Suzume bows politely to the newcomer.
* Yomi takes the cat from Erin's hands, petting it as she opens her senses to its true nature.
<Brunilda> "Brunilda Kingston," the frumpy older woman takes Erin's hand. "Sayuri and Yomi say you're a witch?" she peers at the Irishwoman with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. "Magic and demons are real?"
<Erin> "Oh, yes, certainly are," replies Erin, with a nod. "Why, let me show you! I just developed this wonderful new spell."
<Yomi> "The second tail is not natural," Yomi affirms, keeping the cat in her arms.
<El-Cideon> "Perhaps you should demonstrate it indoors?" Sayuri suggests. "Unless your neighbors are used to displays of the arcane on your front lawn."
<El-Cideon> The cat purrs.
<Erin> "It's not a very flashy spell, and they don't spend all their time gawking at me, you know," replies Erin. "Ok, abracadabra!" She abruptly vanishes! From inside the house, there is a sudden crash.
<Yomi> "There are times magic works without the crashes," Yomi says, sighing.
<Brunilda> "Goodness!" Brunilda jumps and steps back, a hand on her chest. She quickly refocuses and leans forward, poking through where Erin was, ignoring the crash in favour of this mystery.
<El-Cideon> "Do they spend time complaining about the noise, then?" Sayuri wonders to those remaining outside.
<El-Cideon> Brunilda finds the air quite empty!
<Yomi> "I wouldn't know. Sayuri, are you staying around this time?"
<El-Cideon> Rena pushes the front door opens and looks inside. "Are you still in one piece, Erin?"
<Brunilda> "How did she vanish? I was looking right at her! I held her hand so it wasn't a mirror projection or anything like that..." Brunilda leans over and pokes the ground where Erin stood.
<El-Cideon> The ground is firm and solid. No trapdoors or anything!
<Erin> "Yes! Yes," calls Erin. A few moments later, she appears in the front door, somewhat dishevelled. "Would you all like to come in? I'll just clean the kitchen, and get some dinner started."
<Yomi> "Let's go inside so I can demonstrate a more impressive demon than a two-tailed cat, in any case," Yomi suggests, accepting Erin's invitation.
<El-Cideon> "I may, if you wish it," Sayuri says with a shrug. "I've a mind to travel."
<Brunilda> "How... where did you come from?" Brunilda badgers Erin, lugging her case with her inside. "How did you do that?"
<El-Cideon> "Magic," Rena observes as she files in and settles on the sofa. "It seems as though it worked this time."
<Yomi> "Erin, I think this cat was looking for me," Yomi tells their mage. "I saw it follow me around in a dream before. Let's keep it for now?"
<El-Cideon> Sayuri finds a lone chair and sits down. Suzume dutifully busies herself preparing tea for the group.
<Brunilda> "You can't just say 'magic'," Brunilda protests. "Imagine if Orville Wright had told everyone his flyer worked by magic! We wouldn't have any aircraft today!"
<El-Cideon> Rena offers another verbal shrug. "Erin says strange things and then strange things happen. It doesn't really matter to me what you call it."
<Erin> "Well, it's complicated, but the basic idea is that you can sort of 'fold space' to create a kind of wormhole," replies Erin, before glancing at Yomi. "As long as you don't think it's dangerous, I'm happy. You'll keep it at your place, then?" she asks, looking ever-so-slightly sad.
<Yomi> "I don't think it matters where it is staying, as long as it both receives proper care and is watched."
<Brunilda> "But surely you'd need a massive power source and control apparatus for such a feat! I don't see anything of the sort on you," Brunilda continues trying to wrap her head around this magic. "Just imagine, you could render cars and trains and boats and planes obsolete overnight!"
<Yomi> Unable to contribute much to the discussion of the inner workings of magic, Yomi opts to just make herself useful and help Suzume with the tea preparations.
<Erin> "I rather suspect it can take care of itself. But I left some milk out front, and we can see about some cat food later," suggests Erin, before turning back to Brunilda. "Well, the power is drawn from another world," she explains, frowning. "Our souls and bodies are like conduits and batteries, but the actual source is much harder to pin down. Some say it's the power of a God or Devil-"
<El-Cideon> "You said you saw it in a dream, Yomi?" Suzume says, setting out porcelain cups on a platter.
<Erin> "-but I believe it lacks any real moral substance. Imagine there's a massive generator. I connect myself to it through a certain type of meditation, and store it within myself. Then, when I need it, I can use the power in certain ways."
<Yomi> "Yes. The dream where I confronted Elgin over being weak and compromising his ideals. I guess the joke's on me, now?"
<Brunilda> "Cosmic rays!" Brunilda announces triumphantly as Erin's explanation sinks in. "Of course! My Gamma Pulse Wave Modulator works the same way, absorbing radiation from the cosmos to be discharged at will. But... that sort of power can be lethal when concentrated. How can your body survive it? Some hereditary mutation? Artificial implants?"
<El-Cideon> "Don't talk like that, Yomi! They didn't give us much of a choice..."
<Yomi> "I didn't give you much of a choice, either. I don't like the person I was, that time."
<Erin> "It takes a lot of practice and a strong will," replies Erin. "It's not dissimilar to, say, the exercise of an athlete, except it deals with the soul, not the body. At first, you can only perform small tricks, but as you get more experience and really put yourself through the wringer, you're able to perform more advanced spells. We have a theory running that indicates mages tend to develop-
<Erin> "-quickly when placed into extraordinarily stressful situations, far more quickly that mundane study and practice... but, you need to start somewhere! It's not for everyone, though."
<El-Cideon> "But I'm glad you took me with you all, Yomi. Otherwise I would've just kept being his slave. I...don't think there was another way to reach me."
* Yomi smiles at Suzume. "I'm glad for that as well."
<Brunilda> "I wish I had my instruments, then I could really get to grips with this... say what you will about those Japanese warmongers, but they know how to equip a lab," Brunilda mutters. "So if that explains magic, what about demons?"
<El-Cideon> She smiles, picks up the tray. "And as for you--" she says, looking at the cat, "--I know I've seen you somewhere. I'm going to be watching you!" The cat deems this a proper time to begin bathing itself. Suzume walks back out into the living room, sets the tray down on the table and pours for everyone.
<Erin> "Well, demons is a big of a negative term. There are demons that are like, well, classical demons from hell, but it's a catch-all we use for all sorts of supernatural beings, not all of which are so baneful," replies Erin. "Ah, thank you, Suzume. Yomi is the real professional, there."
<El-Cideon> "Erin could summon one if you need a demonstration," Rena suggests. "If it doesn't cooperate, Yomi can just kill it."
<Erin> "I am not summoning any demons," replies Erin, firmly.
* Brunilda accepts some tea, making sure it has milk in it - she's had enough of that nasty oriental stuff to last a lifetime. "Another wormhole to summon it? But where from?"
<Yomi> "It does refer to everything not natural to this world," Yomi agrees. "Most of it is malevolent, but certainly not all. I suppose I could summon Ranguren here, but we would need to move the couch first."
<Erin> "You really don't want to know that, dear," replies Erin. "Oh, you can use the back garden," she adds, gesturing to the door. "It should be big enough. Just don't let him roar, would you?"
<El-Cideon> Suzume nods. "It's true, some of them are just...different from people, but they can make problems anyway because it's hard for them to live with people."
<Yomi> "Well, if you insist," Yomi mutters, but nevertheless heads for the door in question. She grips her sword and unsheathes it in one smooth motion, calling out, "Ranguren, come forth!"
<Brunilda> "I'd like to see," Brunilda nods and follows Yomi.
<Yomi> An enormous beast vaguely resembling a tiger materializes in the back garden with a flash, facing towards the house. It lowers its head as Yomi approaches, and she pats it obligingly. "This is my friend Ranguren."
<Brunilda> "Oh!" Brunilda gasps, approaching as the beast appears docile. "It looks like a Liger, somewhat... where was he before you, er, summoned him?"
<Yomi> "Ranguren is nominally sealed within the sacred blade, Shishio," Yomi responds, holding up the now-glowing sword. "The seal doesn't allow him to come out for long, I'm afraid, but maybe I'll be able to do something about it one day."
* Brunilda furrows her brow and looks between the small edge of metal and the giant cat... "This is going to take a lot of study, but if it exists then there must be a scientific explanation, and it must be reproducible," she declares. "I'll have to experiment..."
<Erin> "It's rather difficult," notes Erin, sadly. "There are certain parts of magical processes that are difficult to isolate and study properly. Ah, so you're a scientist, then? What's your field? Physics?"
<Yomi> "I'll call you back when we're home, alright?" Yomi tells Ranguren, before the beast returns to the sword.
<Brunilda> "Physics, chemistry, archaeology, astronomy, engineering, pharmacy, geology, biology..." Brunilda rattles off as she goes back inside. "Those Japanese brutes had me building some ridiculous mechanical armoured fighting suit for them, but the buffoons could hardly wrap their heads around the most simple concepts! I doubt they'll have much luck replicating even the dumbed down version I
<Brunilda> made after the prototype kept causing accidents in the test chamber."
<Erin> "How dreadful!" exclaims Erin, furious. "They forced you to make weapons for them? I certainly hope they can't replicate them! What a pack of devils..."
* Yomi coughs politely.
<Brunilda> "My bad luck to be in China during an invasion. I shan't be going back there in a hurry, I can tell you!" Brunilda blusters. "At least now that I'm finished there I can get back to working on real science - I had a mind to test some theories I had on quantum echoing, but this magic business seems in rare demand for rigorous empirical study!"
<El-Cideon> "We can be very unpleasant, can't we?" Sayuri notes.
<Yomi> "Especially when you rescue someone," Yomi agrees with Sayuri.
<Erin> "Oh, I didn't mean it like that," insists Erin, flushing. "You know I didn't, please stop teasing me."
<Brunilda> "Please, don't take it personally," Brunilda tells Sayuri and Yomi. "I had just as much trouble with the imbeciles in Whitehall a couple of years ago after that incident with the prototype proton burst projector and the admiralty board. Politicians and military types, they're the same in every country! No respect for pure science!"
<Yomi> "It sounds like an interesting incident. Did it contribute in any way to you being in China during the invasion?"
<Brunilda> "Not directly, but it did make finding tenure or even funding immeasurably more difficult," Brunilda sighs and goes back to her seat. "I warned them to stay behind the screen..." she mutters despairingly.
<El-Cideon> "Er, what exactly happens if you don't stay behind the screen?" Suzume wonders.
<Brunilda> "Total photonic reversal," Brunilda shakes her head sadly.
<Erin> "Oh, gods above! Those poor men..."
<Yomi> "Their beautiful uniforms were ruined?" Yomi guesses.
<Brunilda> "Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light," Brunilda elaborates helpfully for the non-scientifically gifted.
<El-Cideon> "I'm still not sure I know what that means," Suzume says. "I'm going to stop trying to imagine it now."
<Yomi> "Let's go stop imagining it over there," Yomi suggests to Suzume, conspicuously stepping away from Brunilda.
<Erin> "It's fortunate we're all here today..." mutters Erin, shaking her head. "Er, anyway! If you want to study magic, I'd be happy to give you the opportunity. We don't have much in the way of equipment, though, and honestly I'm not really sure what sort of things you'd want to use..."
<Brunilda> "I'll have to find my feet again and try to get a proper lab set up... I hope that fellow with the wild hair isn't still working at the patent office, I swear he kept stealing all my ideas," Brunilda glowers at nothing in particular for a moment. "But Sayuri tells me you lot have to deal with hostile demons and the like all the time. I can certainly put my skills to use in helping deal
<Brunilda> with that while studying them at the same time!" she brightens.
<Yomi> "I could afford to fund a proper lab for you, if you will explain all the proper precautions to us," Yomi suggests, although she physically keeps back.
<El-Cideon> "Your, um, your newer inventions don't make people die in unimaginable ways, do they?" Suzume asks.
<Erin> "We have a room you could use at our library," adds Erin. "I can see that it's set aside for you, and all our reference books will be within easy reach."
<Brunilda> "Well, the Gamma Wave Pulse Modulator simply burns through organic tissue with focused radiation - it's like having all the sun's light focused onto one point for about ten minutes, then channelling all that energy at once to a single point," Brunilda explains for Suzume. "Quite easy to imagine the result, I daresay! And if you really can fund a lab for me, Yomi-san, I'd be happy to
<Brunilda> put some scientific perspective on the issue of unsealing your friend on a longer term basis."
<El-Cideon> Suzume nods slowly.
<Erin> "Wouldn't that be dangerous for the user, too?" asks Erin, frowning.
<Yomi> "I'll need to do a survey to arrange for things," Yomi muses. "Shouldn't be too difficult, though, all things considered. Are there any requirements for the building itself?"
<Brunilda> "Oh, no," the greying woman shakes her head, "I solved that issue a few iterations ago. It's well shielded on the interior, and the discharge is focused solely on the target - in fact, you could even hit a person in the middle of a crowd without harming anyone around them! Physically, at least..."
<Erin> "Maybe a seperate building is best, after all. What about out in the countryside? Plenty of space! And it's cheaper!"
<Yomi> "Money's not an issue-- ah, but space might be important. I can look there, sure."
<Brunilda> "A good power connection is necessary, although it's probably better to have its own seperate water supply and sewage containment to avoid runoff contaminating anything. Far away from the city is nice for astronomy without light pollution, too," Brunilda agrees.
<Erin> "Just so you know, we weren't actually going to be hunting demons for a while, strictly speaking. I'm actually taking a trip back to Ireland soon," explains Erin, glancing at Yomi. "And you were buying a zeppelin?"
* Brunilda coughs a little. "Well, no need to doubt your ability to fund a lab, then."
<Yomi> "They should practically be giving them away after that one exploded," Yomi responds. "I'm sure mine wouldn't do anything so unseemly, however."
<El-Cideon> "Exploded?" Suzume repeats with wide eyes. "Does this happen a lot? Are you sure you want to travel in one?"
* Yomi points at Sayuri all of a sudden. "You're coming too! You wanted to travel, so here's your chance."
<Erin> "It's okay! I know a spell that assures a safe landing from any height! We just need to not be in it when it explodes... I mean, if it explodes," she adds, hastily.
* Yomi nods firmly at Erin and Suzume. "In the unlikely event that it does explode, I will have Ranguren save you." She pauses. "Well, Erin can save herself now, with her magic."
<El-Cideon> Sayuri nods. "As my choices are Yes and Yes, I believe I will choose Yes."
<Yomi> "Excellent!"
<El-Cideon> "Who's going to save me?" Rena wonders. "I would rather not be set on fire again."
<Erin> "I can save you, Rena," replies Erin, assuring the German girl. "You don't need to worry."
<Yomi> "Ranguren is enough to save everyone," Yomi adds. "I'm sorry it wasn't clear."
<El-Cideon> Rena nods. "Not burning alive will be satisfactory."
<Brunilda> "Why do you even need a zeppelin? Can't you just get Erin to create a wormhole to anywhere you want to go?" Brunilda asks.
<Yomi> "That's not nearly as fun, is it?"
<Erin> "It's a short-range wormhole," replies Erin, shaking her head. "But I read about this long-range variant that works through telephones. You sort of transmit yourself as analog data."
<Brunilda> "Now I know you're just pulling my leg..." Brunilda shakes her head in response to Erin. "I think you'll be disappointed with a zeppelin, though, Yomi. They're not nearly as much fun to fly as proper aeroplanes."
<El-Cideon> Suzume shakes her head. "Brunilda, now you're just provoking Erin to make another demonstration. And who knows where she'll wind up this time?"
<Yomi> "Well, if it's boring then I'll sell it, I guess," Yomi allows. "But I flew in airplanes already and they're a bit cramped and not really all that exciting."
<Erin> "Can't you put attach one of those small planes to a zeppelin? Get the best of both worlds, you know?"
<Yomi> "No, that's just silly."
<Erin> "Oh..."
<Yomi> "If you really want one, I guess I could....?"
<Erin> "Well, I don't mind either way," asserts Erin.
<Yomi> "I'll also need a crew," Yomi muses. "The pilot, obviously, but maybe others, too? A navigator and someone on the radio? Rena, you can be the captain."
<El-Cideon> "I admit I'm not entirely sure where all your money comes from," Sayuri says. "Was I giving Nadia far too little credit after all."
<Yomi> "Yes."
<Erin> "I'm not, either..."
<El-Cideon> "What does being captain involve?" Rena wonders. "Just telling everyone else what to do?"
<Yomi> "Pretty much. I can't think of anyone who would do it better."
<Brunilda> "I can fly most things, and a zeppelin is really hard to make mistakes with considering how slow they are," Brunilda offers, since Yomi is so nice about funding her lab.
* Yomi snaps her fingers. "That's terrific! It only leaves a navigator and a radio officer, then?"
<El-Cideon> Rena nods. "I will have to practice some then, as I am accustomed to simply following you. ...Suzume! I am done with my tea. Wash the dishes."
<El-Cideon> Suzume complies!
* Yomi shakes with suppressed laughter.
<Erin> "She has a knack for it, I see."
<Brunilda> "Sounds like a natural," Brunilda agrees with the overriding sentiment.
<Yomi> roll 1d20+6
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+6 and gets 21."12 [1d20=15]
<El-Cideon> With the Hindenburg crash still a recent memory, it's not hard to get some news on developments in the ailing field of airship production. A few casual conversations point you towards some relevant news articles, which get you enough names to track down a possible seller. (more)
<El-Cideon> Oh, there are some private owners of small airships scattered around the islands, but mostly single-passenger dirigibles used for scientific research. But if you're going to be hauling a gang of friends all around the world, well, you want something bigger, sturdier, right? (more)
<El-Cideon> Turns out a local industrialist named Sir Walter Murray was preparing to step into the field to challenge the German monopoly on commercial airship operation. After the bottom recently fell out, however, he's stuck with a completed ship and nothing to do with it, reportedly desperate for some means of recouping his investment. He keeps an office in London for his various business dealings.
* Yomi certainly wants to support the ingenuity of her adoptive country, and as such decides to visit said office along with Suzume.
<El-Cideon> Sir Walter is quite willing to meet with someone who could potentially turn his fortunes around, and you soon find yourselves ushered into his office. The atmosphere is subdued--leather chairs, portraits of relatives on the wall behind his desk. The man himself is perhaps in his sixties, trim white hair and bushy mustache.
<Yomi> "Good day," Yomi greets the industrialist as she enters his office, offering him her hand. "I'm Yomi Isayama, and I believe we could end up helping one another?"
<El-Cideon> He looks somewhat surprised that it's a band of women come to bail out his investment--and foreign ones at that!--but is obviously willing to listen. He shakes Yomi's hand firmly. "Is Japan trying to pick up the airship game, then?"
* Yomi shrugs slightly. "As far as I know, it has no such designs." She gestures at her companions. "This is a private venture. What better way is there for you to travel around the globe, after all?"
* Brunilda harrumphs but keeps her opinion to herself.
<El-Cideon> He raises an eyebrow, looks over the others. "Indeed? Well, few private citizens can afford such a luxury. I had personally expected to scrap our one finished ship and sell the materials to make up costs in whatever small way I could, but it seems as though you want the ship intact? Simpler for both of us, if so."
<Yomi> "Indeed. We might require the interior to be refurbished according to our specifications, but truly, this should be a minor matter. Would it be possible for us to examine the airship?"
<El-Cideon> "Of course. It's in storage at the edge of the city. Truthfully, I never expected it to fly again--we'd only made a few test flights when the market dried up. If you'll follow me? My driver can convey us to the hangar."
<Yomi> "Certainly," Yomi agrees. "What sort of crew requirements does it have, at the absolute minimum?"
<El-Cideon> It's a short drive to the warehouse where the airship is stored, it seems. Along the way, in the back of a spacious Rolls-Royce: "At minimum? Well, we did what we could to allow for automation, in case of emergency, and it could likely cruise for several hours without input in calm weather. Not that I would advise relying solely upon that. No machine can match the instincts of a trained airman, after all. (more)
<El-Cideon> "We did what we could to streamline things based on the German zeppelin designs, though there was precious little to improve upon there, truthfully--they worked damn well, despite the recent disaster. All of the essential control operations can be conducted by a single helmsman if need be, though at least one other should be on hand to monitor and assist with navigation. You will likely wish to have a radioman on hand as well. And a competent engineer is a must. (more)
<El-Cideon> "That's bare minimum, though for safety I advise having relief crewmen on hand to operate in shifts if you plan to be in the air for multiple consecutive days."
<Yomi> "I expected all that," Yomi admits, "though not the engineer. Well, I suppose it shouldn't be too difficult to find a crew fitting my criteria."
<El-Cideon> "You will want to have someone capable of maintaining the ship's engines, obviously. I am sure you will not have great difficulty finding competent officers given the ongoing collapse of the German airlines. Ah, here we here." The car stops in front of a warehouse. The driver goes out ahead, unlocks a small door in front, and Sir Walter leads you inside.
<Yomi> They would need to be sufficiently eccentric, of course, but Yomi has hope that this requirement would be fulfilled. For now, she's ready to look upon the ship she wishes to own!
<El-Cideon> It looms, filling the hangar almost from wall to wall, floor to ceiling. A cigar-shaped mass several hundred feet long and almost that in diameter. At the far end you can make out engines positioned around the fins; passenger and crew areas on the underside look to be accessible from ground level.
* Yomi glances towards Brunilda for guidance on which area to inspect first.
<Brunilda> "Lets go inside and look at the controls and maintenance sections, then," the scientist suggests to the blimp-loving demonslayer.
* Yomi nods curtly. "Of course. Shall we?"
<Brunilda> roll 1d20+19
* Hatbot --> "Brunilda rolls 1d20+19 and gets 22."12 [1d20=3]
<El-Cideon> "Right this way, then." He walks to the forward compartment, takes a short flight of movable steps to a side door, opens it and steps inside, into a short passageway between compartments. "Behind us is the lounge and sleeping quarters. Forward..." He walks to the right, past a couple small rooms. "Radio room. Navigation room. And control compartment. Please feel free to examine the instruments if you wish."
* Yomi leaves such technical matters to the experts, which frees her to admire the decor, as well as check whether the sleeping quarters and the lounge are large enough to release Ranguren safely.
* Brunilda hums and haws a bit as she looks around and pokes here and there. "Yes, this is quite good construction. Doesn't look like they skimped on the details... probably the best sort of blimp you're likely to find," she reports to Yomi.
<Yomi> "This makes me quite happy," Yomi responds. "There is still the matter of a suitable name. How does Magpie suit a zeppelin?"
<El-Cideon> The furniture is as lightweight as possible, but obviously had comfort and luxury factored into its design as well. Bolted to the floor to prevent shifting during flight, well-cushioned. Smooth wood interiors give it all a pleasant, homey feel. The sleeping chambers are individually rather small--open space is at a premium in a vehicle of this sort. Ranguren could probably just move around a little in the lounge, though it'd be cramped.
<Brunilda> "I'd be just as happy with Z-01. Names aren't my forte," Brunilda shrugs unconcerned as she resumes poking and prodding.
<Yomi> "Magpie it is," Yomi decides. She gives Sir Walter a dazzling smile. "I believe this zeppelin would quite suit me, yes!"
<El-Cideon> Brunilda finds maps and charts about as well, all of them perfectly up to date. It really looks like the ship was ready to take off with a load of awestruck (and well-paying) passengers, if only the market hadn't collapsed around it.
<El-Cideon> He smiles in turn. "Excellent. Unless you have your own facility to store the ship, shall we include the hangar in the sale? It was designed specifically to house it, after all, and is stocked with supplies of both gas and fuel."
<Yomi> "That would be lovely," Yomi responds, offering him her hand.
<El-Cideon> He shakes on it, officially transferring 1x zeppelin into your ownership!
<El-Cideon> ~