It's a Beautiful Morning With You

[Brian]

<Brian> The scene is thus.  You have entered the lair of the most grim of all undead ... the sys-admin.
<Brian> "Anything exciting going on in town?" Victor asks, glancing up from his monitor as Nathan enters.
<Rez> "Um.  Some other people we know just showed up."
<Brian> Victor raises an eyebrow wordlessly.
<Rez> "I was about to say this is getting a little surreal, but I'm chatting to a vampire anyway."
<Rez> "Basically, Relm told us some potential allies had showed up, we went out to meet them, and lo and behold . . . we know some of them and shared a mutual friend with the rest."
<Brian> "Hmm," Victor muses.  "She said this would happen."  The eyebrow descends to its normal level.  "So, were you hoping to speak with her, or were you just looking for a quiet spot to read the news online?"
<Rez> "A little of column A and a little of column B, I think.  I'd like to get at least a -rough- idea of what's been going on since we skipped out on reality."
<Brian> "Help yourself to any computer," Victor says, shrugging.  He turns to his monitor, and then cocks his head to one side, and reaches under his desk.  After a moment of fumbling around, he produces Nathan's old laptop.  "Or," he says, turning to face Nathan again, "I could return this to you."
<Rez> "Huh!  Never expected to see this again."
Rez takes the laptop and pops it open.
<Brian> It boots up after a bit, and seems (more or less) unchanged from when it was dropped off.
<Rez> "Even still under warranty!"
Rez hunts around for a network cable to hook into the thing.
<Brian> One is located shortly, and in due course, network access is aquired.
<Brian> Ah, bliss.
<Rez> Rez promptly logs onto . . . oh . . . cnn.com, and starts browsing, while simultaneously poking through his programs menu to see if there's anything new he doesn't recognize.
<Brian> There's an application simply titled 'Relm'.  CNN.com doesn't have much more other than reports of men in black running around the south-eastern US have declined in recent weeks.
<Brian> Finding out what exactly that's supposed to mean would take a bit longer to investigate.  And the 'Relm' icon is right there.
Rez runs the 'Relm' application and starts browsing through archives to see what can be found.
<Brian> The archives suggest that apparently, for a few weeks, men in black trenchcoats -- people dressed like secret service agents or such -- would be sighted poking around in back alleys in various towns.  The men always left immediately upon being sighted, and there's a handful of pictures.
<Brian> The pictures have all of these men in identical clothes, for what that's worth.  There were an estimated fifty or sixty sightings, and the government has dissavowed all knowledge of investigations in any of the locations where they happened.
<Rez> Hmm.
<Brian> And then the Relm window opens up a chat client.
<Rez> >YOU!
<Brian> > Hewwo!
<Rez> >Well, that was interesting outside.
<Brian> > What, you want I should say, "ME!" instead?
<Rez> >No, no, I mean the new ally-people.
<Brian> > Pandora says they're friends of yours.  Good people, I'm hoping.
<Rez> >Mm, they are.  Almost surreal, this is getting.
<Rez> >Decent people, from what I know, although I don't know 'em all that well.
<Brian> > I'm hoping that's good.
<Brian> > But I'm guessing there's more!
<Brian> > Something troubling you?
<Rez> >A bit.  I'm a touch paranoid.
<Brian> > So spill!
<Rez> >We suddenly need a fifth person again.
<Rez> >They're decent people but . . .
<Brian> > But?
<Rez> > Well.
<Rez> > Eh.  I guess we don't have to decide anything right now.  I hope.
<Rez> > So, how's Everquest going for you?
<Brian> > I think Ayame's old scripts actually cyber for gold. <_<
<Brian> > I'm afraid to look. >_>
<Rez> > You have this knack for making me sorry I asked questions. :D
<Brian> > Thank you.
<Brian> > Next question?
<Rez> > Hmm.
<Rez> > Didja see the news items I was looking up?
<Brian> > Spooks invade southeast?
<Rez> > Yup!
<Rez> > Dare I ask?
<Brian> > Probably!
<Rez> > Of course!
<Rez> > So, any idea what that's all about?
<Brian> > I dunno!
<Rez> > Wow, I knew you were gonna say that.  Maybe you're rubbing off on me!
<Brian> > I think it's probably going to be either Pax or the Cabal.  One of those two is most likely using their elites to sniff for new places to set down a new base.  Probably a new Workshop....
<Rez> > Pertinent question, though . . . what's actually been happening here in the real - not here in Delphi, world events and all since we've been gone?
<Rez> > Anything major, interesting, etc?
<Brian> > Well, thankfully, not much has happened.  We've had the time we needed to build up to what we've gotten so far.
<Brian> > I think we could use more chariots, and oxen are good, too, but Lazarus wants to stick with oatmeal and the stationwagons.
<Brian> > Spoilsport.
<Rez> > Bwahahahaha
<Rez> > Mostly, though, I'm here and bugging you because I don't feel like being out there and chatty.
<Brian> > Oh?  Well, you want to help me put together a database, then?
<Rez> > And I had a question but I've ~forgotten~ it, dammit. ><
<Rez> > Hmmm.
<Rez> > What kind of database?
<Brian> > A Delphi database.  Victor's using the old version to put his notes in.  I've got the database covered ... but I need you to code something that will convert data from the old format to my new one.
<Brian> > Actually, I don't.  But if you'd like to keep yourself busy, it's what I'm working on. :)
<Rez> > Ha.
<Rez> > OK, sounds plannish.
<Rez> > I -loathe- that language, by the way.
<Brian> > I didn't even tell you which language it was.
<Rez> > Oh, I thoguht you meant the tools were in -nevermind!
<Rez> > Misread what you said.  :D
<Brian> > o_o
<Brian> > Terminal two.
<Brian> The monitor for the second computer from the entrance suddenly comes to life.
Rez promptly shifts over to said terminal and sits down to get some coding done.
<Brian> A few windows pop up and in short order, Nathan is able to assemble a comfortable working environment together with them.  There's a scrolling message bar that Relm occasionally comments into, and after about an hour and a half, the module is complete.
<Brian> Relm's message bar currently reads: Heads up!  More of your new followers are arriving.
<Rez> Was that message there before?
<Brian> Nope.
<Rez> > -More- people?
<Brian>  Indeed!  By aligning a faction of the dream behind yourself, people who identify with both it and you are drawn to you.  The timing is merely coincidental, I'm told.
<Rez> > Huh.
<Rez> > Well, that's kinda good to know.  More allies is helpful.
<Rez> > Wheresabouts are they?
<Brian> > Running into town, more or less.  Should be here in a few minutes.  You could probably meet them if you jogged a bit.
<Rez> > That sounds disturbingly like exercise.
<Brian> > It may be, but I'm not in a position to judge.
<Rez> > There is that.  OH.  Are our phones still good to use?
<Brian> > Better.  More on that later.  Now, flee!
<Rez> > Talk to you later, then.
Rez gets up and . . .
<Rez> "BAH."
<Brian> Victor looks up.  "Pardon?" he asks.
<Rez> "Now she like wants me to run out and meet -more- people."
<Rez> "Running."
<Rez> "Bah."
<Rez> "Back later, have fun."
Rez makes for the exit.

[Brian]

Nathan emerges from the mines and nearly collides with Ginrai.

Nathan now moves to My Village is Number One.