I slip into front, startling at the words and the implication. 

Obviously, this is quite the opportunity but well... 

A cruise doesn't seem to be the most natural route for an empowerment or a journey into a magical realm, and it's unclear if they have anything to offer beyond vacation amenities from this alone, but that hardly precludes this from being worth investigating, considering.

She did bother with the courtesy of leaving an address to contact, so...

I'm unsure if it's wise to consult further? If nothing else, this seems like the sort of set up where the thing of importance in their mind would be our choice alone, and it seems unlikely that there's much to discuss, without the truth effect they are using. If we go, perhaps we might be able to ask to make use of it ourselves.

...There's no harm in asking? 

I'd feel more comfortable if we did the hypothetical discussion, I think, anyways.

- shoot off a general summary question, ask if this is time sensitive, then get on with it? 

I breathe deeply. 

Okay.

The webpage loads instantly once I type in the domain - a simple screen showing the finely tailored representative, her dress something reminiscent of a classical flight attendent's uniform. The microphone and camera prompts pop up, glaring insistently at us as I try not to flinch.

I take a deep breath, formulate the questions, and hand over front again with a sigh. 

I snicker faintly as I load the context - it's a bit blazé, but that could fit, here.

I toggle the microphone permissions and say my bit. 

"Hello. Just wanted to check in about the invite you sent over - could you tell me how soon you need a response to get the go ahead?"

"We at Thallasa Cruises are happy to give you as much time as you need to make sure your affairs are in order. I'll be here to answer any questions you have once and if you decide to embark on this journey as our primary guest of honor."
Her voice is smooth and silky, but somewhat statically enthusiastic and smiling. 

The conversation goes well - it's... honestly if anything a bit eerily smooth. 

The kisses to the cheek are nice, the hugs are always really satisfying, and the affirmation that I should remember that they adults who can take care of themselves and that I should remember to take care of myself are if anything too real but it's all so fast that it feels hard to believe. 

Just like always

I shake my head. 

Iron...?

I queue up the page again, and stare into her eyes. 

They're bright and warm, but perhaps a bit unnervingly unblinking, all things considered.

No matter. 

"I'd appreciate if you could detail the options for the stays, now that I've gotten a preliminary go ahead from my family."

"Of course!" 

She details each of the options in the first season, as well as explaining the tradeoff available for the collection of souvenirs as part of your complete, all expenses paid journey through the multiverse.

Yeah uh...

Wat wow.

Is a keeper, keep it cool, gals. 

I roll my eyes a little at Ruby, thankful for the distraction from the option for what is presumptively actually quite a lot of cosmic power. 

"That sounds quite interesting, but a little overly artistically phrased and relying on some terms of yours I'm not familiar with? For one, you could do to clarify a bit what a 'Luminiferous Fracture' is, and I'd appreciate if you could give more clarity about what that power does a bit more prosaically." 

Oh there's a chat-log feature? That'll be useful. 

I pull it up as she does her customer-service cute smile and starts up her explanation. 

Glad I don't have to always run the ears...

"A luminferous fracture is a rare phenomenon within the star ocean. They are singularities that issues out primordial truth into reality, altering the ontological make up of the regional around the fracture, causing the creation of 'angels' - entities embodying the messages of emanated truth into the comprehended concepts and material world. The messages they send vary widely, and are often to insubstantial to be recognized as anything discrete, but the insights into the Light it grants is reliable for those of your affinity, granting the ability to uplift things with the power of the ideal object they represent, become untouchable to all the obstacles in the world to the level of bending fate as you desire, and creating energies derived from the light for any application that metaphysical light or manipulation of the electromagnetic spectrum is of use. At the beginning, you'll likely be limited to simple workings of illusions, a personal defensive effect and the ability to subtly enhance the performance of objects that you use consistently, though that will quickly grow with time and any additional augmentations you pick up along your journey!"

She also details some of the scope of what a master could accomplish with sufficient Knowledge.

She offers a handful of benchmarks, but notes that as a guest of honor, she expects your remarkable affinity to allow you to progress quite differently then otherwise expected, even aside considerations about how the ontomediation makes timelines a bit more fuzzy.

"Cool cool." 

I hum for a mmoent. 

"What's the deal w/ ontomediation? 's the mythos shit a passive aug aside the epic feats empowerment stuff and do you have some examples of what kinda stuff you get from it? What does the reality venom actually do?"

"Ontomediation is the process through different metaphysical and temporal systems are allowed to interact with each other - as a transmultiversal vessel, the Galaxia naturally accomodates a wide variety of metaphysics and experiences of time to ensure that our passengers have the most satisfying, impactful and experientially correct engagement with the activities and opportunities they partake in. Through this we can accomodate your understanding of time, ensuring a relatively synchronized experience for you and those in this world as well." 

"A mythos augments all actions, turning the ordinary into a thing of legend. The effect is especially pronounced when one accomplishes impressive feats and take part in turning points in their lives, but the ability will continuously enhance the beneficiary of the effect based off of their conception of the story of their life!" 

She goes on to show a wide variety of examples - showing how it tends to develop synergetic powers and interactions with the basis of accomplishments, alongside heightening the proficiency of the skills emphasized in the journey of the augmentee's life. The results vary widely, but it always results in a very substantial enhancement of what the user values most alongside incidental improvements across a wide swath of activities in an entirely safe and agency preserving way, alongside detailing the way that reality venom's effects tend to increase the conceptual superiority of the workings and existence of the user, often manifesting as resistance to exotic effects, enhanced charisma and luck. 

Alright that's... quite the thing, and rather does preclude most if not all plans about running around trying to get as many of these as you can. 

That being said, it seems far from impossible that we could simply come back and get some of these, if they don't object - it seems like many of these are reliant on specific potential interactions and are otherwise reasonably available, so we'll keep that in mind. 

"Summer then?"

"You can travel to the Three Circles - where they study the three arts of transmutation of material and immaterial things, the invoking of Theurgy to commune and interact with spirits, and Astrology, to understand and manipulate space and time. They can offer a vial of Perfecting Elixir to optimize the body and mind to an ideal form and the creation of a homuculus spirit to stand by your side alongside the personal tutelage of the First Master. There's also the option of the Shining City, who can grant an easily-graspable ideal guide for the creation of an grand, infinite and utopian empire in the model of the Summer Empire of which the Shining City is the capital, a blessing of approval from the Summer Emperor protecting you from all ills coming from natural forces and good hearted entities and an blessing of truly unlimited potential through their ministry of possibility."

"The Great Gate is the remaining option, offering an inviolable ward against divination, the opportunity to climb the parapets of the High Tower to let you comprehend the geography and climatology of the whole of the Star Sea, and the negotiating services of a least Avatar of the Demon of Law, who will work to ensure all agreements you sign upon their contract will be mutually satisfactory and enforced with their power." 

I raise an eyebrow, and let the skepticism flow out in my voice. 

" - The Demon of Law?"

"Apologies if the translation is unsatisfactory. The entity previously referred to as "The Demon of Law" is not an inherently malevolent being, and the exact type of being that that entity is a matter of some debate, though most sources agree that the power he wields is an effectively divine source, given the nature of the incarnations they possess. They are more than capable of a wide variety of feats traditionally ascribed to demons, however, and are occasionally described metaphorically using the same sort of language that is ascribed to infernal beings to their power and skill at negotiations." 

"Okay. Sure, he may or may not be a demon, but whatever, it's fine, he's cool, apparently?"

"Thallasa Cruises makes every effort to ensure the safety and comfort of our passengers, and we of course wouldn't invite a guest of honor to a place where they would feel uncomfortable or be treated poorly. The Demon of Law has been a partner of ours from our perspective over ten thousand years, and we believe that you would have no issue with making your own business relationship with them, if you had the information we do. You'll have the opportunity to read up further on this or virtually any other topic you desire on your trip, if you desire, due to the vast library in the Galaxia's computer."

That's not an affirmation about the actual quality of the demon's character, is it.

Of course not. 

Still, the truth effect is still on for even this, and going here would be the sort of buisness relationship she's describing but...

Regardless. 

Presumably going to go for the Perfecting Elixir, and the classic - it seems like on the longer term it can offer all the benefits of the options granted there, I would think, and quite a lot more, but that's more incidental 'til we see more.

Onwards. 

"Fall and Winter, if you'd please?"

"Of course!"

She rattles off the descriptions of each of the places, activities and items on offer swiftly and surely. 

- The super skill, spirit talking and artifact upgrade seem like that makes Sunsleep a sho-in, and getting a home that has the sort of guarantees that a place that fortified has seems right, especially if we can finagle 'renovations' and do a bunch of things that aught to be very possible with any number of the tricks we'd get through this so... 

Alright let's type the 'build' out... 

No point in hesitating, though asking after clarification would be wise enough.  

Spring: Feast of Myth + Visit Creation's Keyhole 
Summer: Perfecting Elixir + The Classic
Autumn: Sunsleep's spirit-talking, superskill (Knowledge of the Light), Supercraftsman augmentation (The Classic)
Winter: Black City (All)

"This would work, right? Our... ontological experience is a little weird from our plurality, and it seems like we might end up shapeshifting and such, so I'm not sure how that would work with the Immortal Steel option?"

"We take pride in our capability to ensure compatibility. The quality of the craftwork and the adaptation systems of the mage-smith's creation are more then adequate to allow the enhancements to persist through any form that you take that notionally possess something that may be treated as the same arm, and that's a perfectly satisfactory itinerary! Once you feel satisfied that you've answered all of the questions you need addressed before embarking, please mentally designate any possessions you wish to take with you and communicate your desire to begin your trip."

...Don't super have much? 

There's a handful of nice dresses - they'll need to be retailored, at the very least, but oh well. Some nice t-shirts of fandoms I've appreciated, and two pillows and a blanket I still love, after everything. 

I'll take the laptop too, for some notes and logs, especially if I can get that exported and all. 

As for questions...

"...Our medical needs will be covered on the trip, right?"

I stim a bit, and take a moment to avoid cowering, and only mostly succeed.

"We take the health and wellness of our guests and crew extremely seriously. You'll have all the access you need to our extensive medical facilities." 

"...Okay."

Crying won't hurt, probably? 

It... doesn't feel real, even in my head. 

Still.

"Beam me up~"

A smile springs unbidden to our face at the chance to get. this. happening!

There's a transition of grey light and a moment ended then begun, and a seemingly endless hall of clean chrome and smooth lights, flanked with countless doors and pathways. The Attendant is right there, ready to answer any and all questions.

"Could you please point us towards the medbay?"

I flinch, a little, shoulders hunching as my hands fidget behind my back. I don't naturally cower too much, but I'm shy and this is new and this is big.

"There's no need! Feel free to walk in whichever direction you desire, and you'll end up where you intend. You can also request a screen and interact with the ship's systems anywhere on the Galaxia, if you wish to look at the list of facilities on offer. I'm going to be your primary contact if you wish to discuss anything with a person about the arrangements of your stay, but there's a wide variety of staff available at through the communications system. Please don't be worried about imposing or interrupting - the serendipity matrix is more then capable of ensuring that you'll be able to recieve the services you require without disruption."

I nod, acknowledging, and take my leave. 

Sure steel bends beneath my feet, neon lights streaking down like falling stars around me, each step placing us on a new contortion of the structure of gleaming metal and enfolding lights. 

It's natural, in a way that only a thing made by sapient hands could be.

And then it ends, a doorway of star white parting before us into the medbay. 

The room is clean and white - so pure and clear that it's closer to an abstract void then a place that intuitively feels like a room. The ventilation is especially excellent, and a field of soft tingling orange light slides along her skin for a moment before stopping. With a bit of attention, she can feel the positive pressure keeping the air flowing out of the space, and see the thin glass panes around each of the surgical beds, and the slots in the ceiling that presumably contain more elaborate instrumentation then the simple items attached to the surgical beds themselves. 

A single woman watches her arrive, and strides over. 

"Hello. I'm Senra, and I will be your Physician today. You must be the Guest of Honor?" 

"I - we are, yes."

"Come sit. I imagine you and your system have a good number of questions." 

I walk over, and then hop lightly onto the bed. It's plush and soft, in a way that feels more like a sinfully soft couch then a medbed, but it's still reassuring, keeping my eyes on her all the while.

"Would you like me to cover the standard questions now? I know that many guests from outside contacted civilizations have a number of standard questions about the practicalities, and rightly so." 

I nod, not really trusting myself to speak. 

"Firstly, regardless of the details, the Galaxia is warded against illness and diseases to a level of quality high enough to ensure that there will be no issues aboard, or persisting between trips. including any issues about infecting others." 

She strolls around the table, and palms a projected pad, scrolling through pages of documentation. 

"I'm not personally familiar with the implementation here, but I have enough background in the principles that I'm confident answering the questions I expect you'll have on the topic." 

She inclines her head, and looks forward, straightening her spine a little. 

"Secondly, any injury you experience can be fixed swiftly and easily, and any spiritual exertion you partake in will be non-invasively monitored for signs of over-exertion and addressed with the Galaxia's communication and analysis systems. Following any warnings that you recieve should be more then sufficient to ensure you don't sustain anything more then the normal strain associated with healthy exertion, and even in the case that you partake in some training method or get assailed outside the ship itself, nearly anything can be remedied through the surgical suite, including brain damage, genetic diseases and exotic effects incurred through specialized tools designed to be difficult to heal and overtraining through the occult practices available at the locations provided.

Thirdly, you shouldn't experience any diseases due to the nanotechnological vaccination system that's automatically administered to all aboard. Please feel free to request fertility control or any maintenance product you would like - finding superior options or fabricating equivalent formulations is simple for us."

She tuts slightly. 

"But I figure you aren't especially here for that speech?"

"No." 

I breathe out. 

"I'm not." 

"Quite understandable. Still, I hope that's something of a weight off your shoulders." 

She smiles slightly. 

"It is." 

I take a few seconds to let my breaths steady. 

"So... How much do you know about me already?"

"The Galaxia provided me data of your physiology sufficient to ensure that all medical staff could treat you to our usual standard - not that requires much for a new human lineage - and given a basic briefing on the history of medicine and medical ethics on your world for ensurance that we can comply with the basic standards you'll likely expect of us. Beyond that, I was simply informed that you are a guest of honor, that your preferred default gender-reference-class is female though you don't use a stock implementation, and that further details of your psychology and history are yours to share or not as you please as a matter of policy."

" - I'm trans." 

She nods sharply. 

"I'm aware." 

"I'm a girl." 

She nods, silently this time. 

"...Could you help me with that, physically?"

"I assume you're aware that you are in fact a girl, regardless of the configuration of your body? The Ontological Categorizer isn't generally installed into the medical facilities, but I can arrange for that to be ran for you, if you'd like. I'm aware that it can help some people to see it be objectively measured, but there's no need to go through with that, if you don't want to." 

I squeeze my hands against my lap, and sigh. 

"You have hormonal replacement therapy technology on your world, yes?"

My head hangs down into a nod. 

"We can provide that, of course. The Three Circles provide alchemical offerings that substantial improve on the results you'd see with something more traditionally technological, and there's a wide array of alternative options available, and I can walk you through your options, depending on what you desire. There are surgical options, though Thallasa Cruises doesn't typically offer biological augmentations of our guests. We do have a duty to make our guests as comfortable as possible, and that includes avoiding issues such as dysphoria. Approval for any procedure feasible with your previous world's technology would be well within my remit to grant you, and beyond that there are a number of further options that I might be able to arrange upon reaching out to the policy staff."

"...Okay."

She reaches out a hand to grasp. 

"I apologize if I was unclear. I'm fully qualified to serve as a counselor for you, if you'd like, and the privacy wards will ensure that nothing you say leave this room if you don't want it to. Okay?"

I squeeze her hand a little thoughtlessly. 

"...Okay." 

I sigh, in relief, this time. 

I take a deep breath, and gather my thoughts. 

"I'm plural. Or we are, I guess. We have some pretty different models of what we want our body to look like, even if all of us agree that this gawky amab set-up is a bad one, and that boobs are good and long lustrous hair is nice, at least sometimes. Iron's genderfluid from 'demiboy' to '100% girl' and the rest of us are just girl and I don't know how I'm supposed to handle any of this beyond just taking a leap of faith that the perfecting elixir will handle stuff okay and..." 

I shake, a little, and sniffle.

"I understand." 

"Would you like a hug?"

...I pull her in against me, and pant in and out for a short while. 

It's soft and nice. 

I pull back. 

"So..." 

"Could you tell me a bit more about what I can ask for? Hearing the options laid out would help, I think."

"Of course." 

She stares of into the distance for a half-second, then rattles off the list. 

"Genital reassignment surgery is available, of course. Constructing the labial folds and ensuring that the sensitivity matches up to what you'd expect is simple enough. Breast implants are an option - the standard offering there will feel realistic to the touch for others, but the adaptations that make the nerves feel entirely right would require some additional work, though they'd be somewhat sensitive from the start. I can also offer a few different hormone regiments - anti-androgens are usually relatively popular with people questioning, and estrogens are available, with a variety of potency in formulations - changing bone structures is very possible, though the more dramatic changes can be a bit more jarring and take more getting used to. Effects can be curtailed, if there's something you don't like about the adjustments that would normally happen. I can help facilitate hair growth, hair alteration and skin softening, though I'd recommend you consult a beautician rather then a physician, as that's beyond the scope of my normal work. At the most extreme, It'd be possible for you to get your bone structure surgically altered whenever you wish to switch between your system members, alongside a number of other changes. It's not too popular an arrangement even amongst systems I'm familiar with, but it works exceptionally well for some that have hard, rare, switches." 

She blinks slightly. 

"That reminds me - I haven't gotten your names." 

"I'm Romana. Our system name is 'the blue hearts', or a couple of different renderings of that sort of thing - never really standardized it 'cause it's always felt too clunky to use casually..."

With that out of the way then...

I perk up hopefully.

"...So I can keep a t-dominant dick if I want?"

"That's very possible - at least in the sense of it's sexual performance. Do note that the effect of estrogens on your genitals is reversible for us, so feel free to experiment with that." 

"So..." 

I fidget. 

"Can we get started on that? I wanna have a pretty big bust, I like my penis working the way it does, and I'm okay with being big and all? I just want it all to work towards reading femme, and have that all be relatively natural. Keeping muscle mass would be good, but I'm okay with having to work a bit harder on that for the moment?" 

"Relatively quickly, yes. How comfortable are you with the process being painful?"

"...Not that, if I can not do that? I don't want the experience to be tainted by hurting." 

That's okay. It's normal not to want to be in pain, even if that's been... all too common.

"That's okay. The treatment I have in mind then should have fairly noticeable effects in a matter of days, and be complete by the end of this month. You might feel moderate disorientation from your body plan shifting, experience tingling in your skin. You'll feel more emotional, more sensitive, and your weight will redistribute, and you might experience disruptions in your ability to dissociate, alongside a variety of effects reducing the oiliness of your body and your body hair production. It's possible that you'll experience some discomfort around the shape of your face and lips changing and adapting to emoting and talking using your new mouth configuration - that's normal. Your default vocal range will shift, too, though it's relatively likely that you'll have an enhanced vocal range at the end of the process as well, though in some cases patients will end up without the lower range as available as before. You might notice your sweat, urine and scent change - that's another normal part of the process, though I'd add that's another area that you should consult a beautician on, if you wish to tweak the end-result."

"Is that all acceptable to you?"

I nod a little shakily. 

Of course it's okay it's exactly what I wanted - half that stuff is just part of the parcel and obviously it'll be a bit of a fuss to change but yes please please - 

A simple pill jar, with the same effects written along the bottle, drops from the cieling and clicks satisfyingly into her hand. 

"To take one dose a day - the schedule isn't especially particular, but a regular schedule or one dictated by the serendipity matrix is ideal. Still, I'd appreciate your affirmation that you've all thought through this and consent to the effects of this medication." 

I sigh softly. 

"I do." 

"As do I!"

"And I."

"And yes, even I. This seems like a more... solid place to go from, even if it'll itch at times." 

"'nd yeah the rest of 's too - don't wanta get stuck rattlin' it off a bajillion times but."

"Quite understandable." 

She offers the bottle. 

I nab it, and turn and walk away. 

"Ty. Call back if need 'nythin'."

I pant out softly as Ruby lets me control that for the moment, before getting her to steady my hands enough to open the jar and revealing the glossy red pills inside. 

I tuck the jar awkardly in a pocket, and roll the pill around in my hand. 

We're fuckin' doin' this.

It's in my ear, almost, and I can half-feel the spittle landing against my shoulder and cheek as she enunciates. 

I nod, smiling and little wider, and slip the pill in as I walk to wherever our quarters are. 

This time it's more natural, the simple procession of the moments arises and falls as my eyes flutter close, trying to savour the alien feeling of the taste of it on my tongue, even if it seems like it ought to be something that you could simply use a more prosaic binder for. 

It tastes like nigh-on-forgotten dreams and the faintest touch of cherry wrought in gelatin, and even though there's nothing overt...

There's something of a spring on our step as we feel out the plush carpet beneath our feet and open our eyes to behold the room. 

It's a place of vaulted glass - gleaming, shimmering crismon blending into cool cyan sheets of light twining together into a deep magenta along the entrance, yellow and gold and bronze lighting the far side in the place that suggest a bathroom, and rust and silver and steel accenting the sharp light of the closet aside the obsidian shelled bed. 

It's rather beautiful.

I take a moment to stretch out against the cool air, and smell the honey-suckle sweet scent of the incense wafting through the air, to see the streams of flicking fading dust in the cascading lights, to listen to the calm trickle of soothing water in the channels engraved along the velvet red carpet and finely polished stone, and sink into the shaded cocoon of the bed, resting into the pure white silken sheets. 

Oo can we bounce on the bed? 

...Of course. 

If the systems work how they say they do, then there's no need to worry about being interrupted so...

Firstly, I shrug off my clothes - shirt falling to the wayside and taking off my pants to nestle comfortably against the sheets. 

They're soft, and there's probably some esosteric system making it all the more right, but right now....

I can't say I especially care, when I can have that all wrapped around me.

...I should probably read up on these things? 

I shake my head, and nestle deeper beneath the sheets. 

mmmmmmmmm...

This is supposed to be a cruise, right? 

The point-of-contact girl kept on going on about experiences, and it's a year long thing. There's no point in not going for a chance to rest, especially since there's no superpowers available yet to play with. 

Uh-uh!

I bet they totally have cool rigs to play with here! Might have some fancy power armour and some wacky tech and magic tricks to do! 

I roll my eyes affectionately. 

You know what I mean. There's nothing we'll keep right now to use. 

Yeah...

Our hands press against our thighs, as if to reassure me that I'm still there.

It's okay. 

I tug the sheets in closer around me. 

...Does the computer respond to verbal requests?

It does, and is happy to indicate that back! 

"Could you put on something calm?"

"The star sea is filled with many wonderful creatures - ranging from the lung dragon's, whoo's majestic scales form a ripple of reality for them to swim through, to the seaswan, who use the wishes of their wings and the ever-rpesent connection to the dream of metal to find there way to other worlds and places. There's an innumerable variety of creatures - to the uncomprehensibly vast to the incredibly small. In fact, many of the streams of light you can see along the windows are rather than energetic effects, colonies of networked bacteria interfacing with the astral to seek other places to flourish. Some have even learned to adapt to the eddies of pacing seaship's wake - riding out alongside the ontological currents, forming a beautiful bow wave, for those who know where to look." 

The voice is soft and sweet, the words breathless and quiet, with that faint hint of irrepresible awe of someone who's spent their whole life studying something and never quite gotten over the first rush of excitement at how cool it is, presented with the even-handed skill of a proffesional asmr artist.

Ooo that's nice. 

Wonder if I can go talk with a dragon sometime...

I tug a pillow closer to my chest and cradle it tightly. 

The nice lady's voice is cute and good - it's... fun to let my hair kinda spool out around me and think only in the lil shadows formd by being all snug up tight. It's... obviously safe, here, in a wy that's been so hard to find, lately? 

Or at all, I guess. 

The fact that i can doubt the turh field thing doesn't make it work any less? And besides, there's really not a ton of reason why they would want to pull something like this and there's really no reason to think could do something about it if was? 

So for now...

This is cooooooool...

I smile bemusedly. 

Topaz if anything seem a little stoned but the relaxation is getting to me too, as I yawn heavily. 

I bet there's some cool stuff you can do w/ some finagling of mythos, once we figure out light-movement techniques or such. There's probably some symbiotic thing to do or neat interaction to enjoy, but not going to be able to see that from idle speculation at this point. 

Probably the classic 'll cover it some? The summer empire was specced out pretty vaguely to us, but that's probably more because they have information warfare parity then a lack of interesting things to share about their work - there's probably some complicated ontological effect on the book, now that I think about it, if it's going to be available as it sounds like it is? 

That being said, that was an offhanded remark and if we'd qualify for the Summer Emperor's approval seal...

I nuzzle into the sheets, sinking my nose into the freshly washed aroma and the sinful softness. 

...We do rather seem to be resisting sleep. I expect we'll be able to recall the contents of this, to an extent afterwards, and it's not like it won't be in the computer systems to recall at our desire. 

We should rest.

yeah

we should sleep...

I nod off to the soothing sound of the narration babbling on.

mmmmmmmmmm...

Should rouse, likely.

Yeah. 

Stretch out languidly, , then pull of the sheets and work out the kinks in my nck. 
'ts always a paoin when they get 'll coze and forget 'bout that sorta maintenance shit, though hopefully that's a thing lubeable throug hte stuff we're plannin' on gettin'.

"Could ya dim the lights? Bit bright for a just woken mo."

A shimmer of ~black 'light' passed through the glass, and it's dim as dusk.

Let's see...

I swing open the closet, taking a look at what's inside. 

Is there any reason to do this now when we can consult a professional? 

'cause the point 's to make 'em work for us, not the other way 'round? It's not like it's totally off t' show up like this - you've seen 's comin' in so...

Have some wiggle room.

Tsk.

True enough. 

I very conspiciously don't look farther as I drag out a pair of fluffy bunny themed slippers, alongside a number of princess slippers in our theme colors with a variety of heels.

I stare at them suspiciously.

...Try them once we get perfected elixir or at least a basic bone shift to the new foot config? 

...My eyes flutter closed for a moment as I sigh. 

I look a bit further, folding down onto the floor to see the rest of the items - simple sandals of something-like-leather, 'broken in' and more sincerely broken in running shoes done in a few striking styles, mostly focusing on eye-stingingly sharp reds, and even some foot-stocking arragements in various degrees of laciness and provocativeness in metallic shades. 

Is there something more neutral in here...? 

Most of it definitely seems to be the odder offerings, so I settle for the sandal for now, slipping my feet in snugly. It's well-cushioned and reasonably springy, which is nice, and perhaps these items are enchanted...? 

Might as well run them through some quick tests. 

'hup. 

My knees clack against my shoulders, and my feet land firmly against the padded floor. I jog a couple of paces, jumping and thudding heavily against them but the strap stays put without pressing into anything. It's... prob. slightly unphysical, but might as well just ask.

They are!

They're type-5 comfort enchanted! Guaranteed to never chafe or get in the way! They're also self-cleaning and maintaining, though they're not rated for extensive damage by [untranslatable] forces. They're also rated for most ontological extensions for power synergization to ensure they remain useable for even esteemed guests of honor like yourselves, with the tools you possess. 

There's a few minor warnings about not recommending going into certain extreme conceptual enviroments due to the not-strictly-universal basis of the workings involved, but it does note that mythos entanglement is a known method to resolve that issue. 

Neat neat... 

Uh.

I groan a bit, and huck on a swooshy black cloak so that romana stops getting tetchy about being too exposed while we look through the rest of these. 

There's likely enough diversity here that there's no need to look too too much - there's an adequate sampling of things that fit us, metaphorically and literally that it's probaly best to search more for things that fit what we are going for. 

I take a clothes-hangar of a suit with a silver-grey accent, and - yes that's a magstrip outfit along the smooth black finish, complete with glistening silver cuffs. It fits tightly and snugly enough, and it's still light and airy despite how firm it feels upon my elbows and shoulders, cloak swung around our shoulders to hold it around us. 

Pout. 

Can we at least do some cute panties? 

I sigh and slip - 

over to me as the drawer of that opens, and I fish out a cobalt blue... 'boxer panties'? 

I slip our unforunately oddly proportioned legs around it and enjoy the mild awkwardness of the tuck-in and the firm 'hug' of the fit. 

Suit-pants in the same style, presumably? 

I nod, and throw on the slick black affair - though they cut off about half-way between the knee and foot for air circulation. 

I slip my hands into the pockets, noticing the silver-grey flourish in the weave, and tap my thighs. 

This feels a bit incomplete. 

I tug on another drawer on instinct probably mostly pinged by the temporal systems, and look at the dazzling array of jewelry provided. 

- Something simpler. 

My eyes trace down to a smaller section - smooth rounded boxes that I quickly pop open with rings set in the display cushions, with the usual variety of scope and size. There could probably be a two pound diamond on a necklace, if I looked for such a thing but... 

A signet ring with a pure shining sapphire, cut finely like... 

- the computer calls it a porteguese rose. 

It's firm and heavy, but relatively compact, and it makes the touches feel... more deliberate? 

I rest my hand up against our cheek, feeling the fool metal brush against the sensitive skin, and smile warmly. 

That seems right, for this. 

I tug at the shoulders of the suit - not that it's uncomfortable or wrong, but simply because it feels more... central, to have that action done, and take a stroll over to the bathroom, ignoring the opulence for a moment to settle into the new set of my shoulders and self.

- I presume there's a decent way to 'shave' here? 

There is! 

Classical blades, lasers and creams enchanted for faultlessness are all available in the ensuite! 

I breathe out. 

Alright. 

Might as well shave with a blade, then? 

I take the blade from beside the sink thoughtlessly, rinsing it with water smoothly before running it along my cheek. 

I'm fuzzy, still - though that passes with each stroke, each feather-light strand slipping out of my skin with each stroke, leaving it matted with thick black hair for a moment before it washes away into nothing as I wash it all away. 

It's... soothing, even if not for the rest of us, I expect. 

I rub my face, and it's clean and raw, but not sore, it seems. 

I sink my head down to the sink, splashing cool water along my face and saping up to feel it adding up to something that's all right...~

So... 

Suppose we could do like, a tour? 

Honestly though, it'd be nice to learn a bit more about the trip schedule, or do the fashion consultation or figure out some hobby thing to do or something. 

...I breathe out. 

Is this actually going to happen now? 

I rub my eyes and walk back over to the bed, plopping into the shell of shadow to think properly. 

...I move my tongue around my mouth hesistantly, feeling out the contours of the thing that feels so stuck in my throat, the way that it sort of transubstantiates to a blockage in my mouth. I can almost taste it now, the styrofoam and coarse cheap plastic of the thing, the little chokes and retreats that my throat likes taking that emphasize my stupid fucking adam's apple, the little anticipatory sting down the inside of my neck as I dry up, as the air itself starts feeling rough and hard and...

there's probably an internal transport system right so. 

I pant a little, and swallow down my saliva.

okay.

I roll over, rubbing my slightly teary face up against the pillows, and reach out for the glass console thing and try as hard as I can not to think about how it's writing something to type in a rquest for some fucking tissues and bloody water. 

A silky hankerchief and a tall glass of water appears on the floor aside the bed. 

I try not to gulp, and sink into the sheets, pulling up the hankerchief to wipe my eyes as the tears start falling. 

I hug myself tight and yes down the fucking water like a good girl and-d-d-d-...

okay okay okay. 

I... guess i'm not doing that then? 

I curl up tighter and cry some more.

I... suppose I've always hated the process of going through this, the screeching halts and sudden attacks of this sort of just raw discomfort. 

It's not even particularily particularized, when I take the time to dissociate a touch and take a moment to note the general malaise flooding trhough me. 

I breathe deeply and swig down more of the water.

I just... 

No. 

i'msorryican't.

Yeah. 

I know. Water sinks down my thorat as I sgh, leaning back and letting our hair spill out agains the pillow, sinking back into the comfortably squishy expanse of matress and pillow. 

The memory of the sound of waves lapping is easy enough to conjure, and humming half-tunlessly is easy enough and clear the feeling, just a little. 

I rub the cloth beneath my eyes, trying to take away the little bits of caked-on-sweat that have sprung up in this painful moment.

...I shake my head. 

Calling it something coasrser won't make itfeel any less nice, and I'm not in a rush. 

I'm just... here. 

Though that being said... 

I sniffle and get the water refilled after another deep drink and burst of sobs. 

Do wonder how tangible the effects are. 

I have noticed that my skin feels... a touch less clammy then expected? I feel a bit more avlie on my skin, more present, and my breathing has been a bit easier - 

besides the crying, you mean.

Yes, moonsilver. 

I... 
know. 

I let my hand rub along my elelid, shuddering softly, and wipe away some warm tears with my fingers. 

The callouses on the tips are rough, but it makes it feel more substantial, sometimes. 

I patch it with the honestly impressively absorbent cloth, and let my trembling hands queue up some actual relaxing music.

I lay there for a while, and rest. 

No talking, of course, but... 

Brain-storming, perhaps? 

You know we're too tired to think this through fully? 

'nd?

I quirk my eyebrows up. 

There's no reason not to revisit, I suppose. 

True enough, true enough... 

It's floaty enough to do this to not quite count, but it's still the sort of thing that makes the crack contrast up against the walls stopping another influx (or outflowm rather) that it stings, still. 

The basic ideal is to enhance ourselves using the principles of the light, and let a few optimization systems keep it all flowing forward. 

Listen to the Light. Follow the construction of our Mythos. Internalize the ideals of the Summer Kingdom. Expand the remit of eternity's whispers and gain boundless skill, and entreat with spirits and flamee to rise ever higher. Build a territory 'pon the tenement through those skills, with those we love. 

I sigh, almost wistful about the dream. 

Obviously, a lot of these things are built on what's actually possible with these, and part of that's entangled with actually being good enough to do it and probably the way mythos works means that no one will ever have the exact same augmentations as us for this, so I don't want to dwell too much on it but... 

What do we want to actually be working on, there? 

For one, I'd encourage basic creations around the light's combat functions and raw output - it seems like the outpour of energy is rather fundamental, and creating material things at all will seems inevitably exceptionally helpful. 

...We could do visual illusion stuff with this, right? Seems like a kinda straightforward application, and could definitely help with some of the social anxiety stuff we've been having. 

Immortality is definitely a must, for body comfort stuff if nothing else, and could help with dysphoria and social obstacles, potentially?

There's also likely some options to integrate some sort of trick for ontological modifications, given the connection that has with the experience of obstacles and 'fate' through purity and emergence, and having the ability to deal with possible side-effects from magics we gain earlier through a comprehensive protection seems wise.

And I bet emergence will mean that I get to make a proper magical girl outfit, transformation and all~!

Also, if we can do it on the item-ier stuff we're gonna get it could be super useful...? It'd be nice to get like a super-perfect body. 

I stare blankly up at the ceiling, sniffling still. 

It's okay. 

My tails press through our mindscape and enwrap them - us - in soothing warmth. 

We have a way through this, clearer then ever. 

For now though... 

We really should rest. 

I smile thoughtlessly. 

"yeah..." 

I queue up the wildlife documentary thing again, and rest in the comfort of the sheets and the voice. 

Allllright. 

I stretch out, idly letting it all percolate in my mind. It'll be useful to know some of this, probably, though it'll be later, when I'm not being carried around a luxury cruise liner that it'll matter.

For now... 

No reason not to do the talk with the attendant, I suppose? 

I call her up on the console. 

"Hey. Could you come over to my room for a chat over tea or such? Still feels like there's a lot up in the air about how this will all look, and think it'd help settling in here to get that settled." 

"Of course! I'll be there shortly."

- Oh yeah, might as well order the table and the tea. 

Something low and simple - a smooth glass floor-table thing? And I guess a relatively neutral black tea with milk and sugar. 

In a moment, it shimmers into existence, so I walk over, and settle down, knees crossed. 

There's an oddly resonant knock on the door, that feels at once far away and quite close. 

"Come in." 

The door swings open off in the distance, and she quickly strides over and takes a seat, settling in before offering a hand. 

"Good day." 

"Good day to you too. It's just popped into our mind that we never did introductions?"

"I'm Aela - High-attendant to the needs of our guests." 

"We're the blue hearts - if a singlet name is required, it's generally Romana's, though it is Iron speaking to you, at the moment." 

I offer my hand to shake. 

"Pleasure to get to meet you, Aela." 

"And a pleasure to know you as well, Iron." 

"Would you care for a drink? Moonsilver liked the idea of it as a disarming tool, but you seem too professional for it to be much more then something useful on our end. Still, I'd feel remiss not offering you the opportunity, considering, even if in a sense you are hosting me, rather then the other way around." 

I pour a mug of my own tea, taking care to keep it clean and controlled, then raise my eyebrow inquisitively at her.

"I would, thank you." 

She gently proffers her cup, closing her eyes and smiling as the hot water. 

"I suppose I can't much criticize the quiet approach." 

I toss in some sugar, and watch the brown fill out slowly, stirring idly with the spoon. 

"I've found it important to cultivate the skill to know when and how my words are valued." 

"That is a quite important skill - though I've if anything found it the most important to focus on when that's not an overly relevant consideration, it seems?" 

She sips her tea, a look of contentment radiating out, before she rests her hands just below her lips and nods, before placing the cup back onto the table. 

"That's a common experience amongst those living in uncontacted worlds who work outside of service roles, I've found."

I incline my head slightly forward in acknowledgement. 

"Sounds about right." 

I suppose probably some of this is being meddled with, temporally speaking, so I might as well throw in some milk and call it a day. 

I sip lightly at the edge, tongue enjoying the perfect warmth and the calm caress of the flavour. 

"I'm aware that there's a number of... lubricating factors to the temporal experience here - including for this tea, in all likelihood, so I confess I'm somewhat unsure as to how the 'schedule' will actually play out, in terms of hne exactly the visits to each world will occur?"

"Well spotted. Most of our guests find a more gradual transition towards a temporally mediated life more natural for their own experiences."

She sips quietly, and lets the herbal scent of the tea waft through the air. 

"Thallasa Cruises prides itself on the variety of destinations they offer, and that somewhat constrains the extent of the mediation we can offer in addition the experiential preservation that's part of the core of our business model.  The exact limitations vary depending on a wide variety of factors - is there anything you'd like me to focus on of those constraints?"

"I suppose the most immediate question would be 'When are we coming to our next harbor'?"

I sip and sigh. 

It's still relatively natural to keep this all up, but it's still... sharp, to think like this, and I expect we'll be tired later. 

Ah well.

"The exact arrival date from your perspective is something that you can freely decide, within the range of the seasons that you are traversing. If you'd like, we could be arriving at Goldenvale as soon as the end of this conversation." 

I raise a single eyebrow in consternation. 

"And is that true of the rest of the locales?"

"Not quite. The First Master, in his Wisdom, has placed certain constraints around temporal relationships within the sphere of his influence through his astrological workings, and the Summer Emperor's domain has a number of protections that limit the scope of ontomediation within the area. Additionally, the Black City constrains some of the most precise manipulations we could otherwise accomplish. In practice, within the Summer period of the cruise, your visits will be relatively evenly spaced perceptually, while the rest of your trip will be free of such issues for the most part."

"Makes some sense, though I assume that's similarly true of some other places I could have gone, or perhaps something that might incidentally crop up in places that you'd traverse?"

"The serendipity matrix and temporal systems allows us to work through that sort of issue fairly readily, so you need not keep that concern in mind." 

I nod slightly. 

"I was also just thinking about... if there's any standard recommendations, for all of this?" 

"There's a wide variety of titles in our library that include recommendations around sudden empowerment events. You're also free to consult experts on the wide variety of subjects that we have on retainer, or get additional opinions from the other guests."

"I suppose it makes some sense that it'd be relatively freeform, and that the amenities are too numerous to readily scpe out, though do confess that can be a rather unsatisfactory answer." 

I sigh heavily, and drink up more. 

"I suppose I should also ask about the expectations of the other guests, in terms of mingling?"

She nods.

"Adapting to the customs of others is an important part of engaging with people from across the sea. However, we pride ourselves on careful selection of our guests to ensure the maximum smoothness in the experience of learning the intricacies of new cultures. Please don't be worried that anything that you do will cause any significant accidental offense, or that you won't be welcomed into the activities aboard the Galaxia." 

I pull the mug closer to me, and glance up at her unreadable expression. 

"That makes sense. I assume the same applies in the reciprocal case?"

"Indeed."

"Is that true to the point of say, iterating through meeting everyone on the crew in some sort of hypothetical random numerical order, or just within expected terms of what I'm currently projected to naturally want to do?" 

"To an extent. Thallasa cruises as a matter of policy avoids irreconcileable ideologies amongst the guests on the same vessel whenever possible, and the synchronocity system is able to adjust things in the experience of the other guests to work to ensure smooth transitions, though it's considerably more likely in that case that you would experience additional awkwardness and transitional difficulties beyond that of the intended experience." 

"And Mythos? Light's Purity? The Classic? If the Summer Empire has parity power to you, I refuse to believe that they'd just leave an a big book of all their secrets unwarded from analysis." 

"Those can all influence the effiacy of the results, yes, though all of those sources are ones that are designed to operate neatly within the confines of your will and the purposes they are designed for - your mythos will protect the integrity of your story and your choices, your purity will protect you from the ills of the world, and the classic's protections are designed around exploitability of the system of manipulation of ontologies. All of those factors can be mitigated to a relatively neglible concern, if you so desire."

"So tl;dr, don't sweat it, you offer the good shit w/ the aligned operating principles?"

"That's a fairly accurate description, yes, especially in the cases of the powers that you have chosen."

I crack my knuckles and nod. 

"The resta us were thinkin' of askin' 'bout how we can like, actually introduce ourselves when resta the peeps here are gonna be filtered on present-interestingness rather then the potential shit you mentioned earlier? Fig. can just go for it and treat 'em like normal ass people 'nd go from there, but advice would be cool." 

I swig the tea, the unmelted sugar satsifyingly sliding down my throat.

"There's a wide number of sensible approaches. I'd encourage you to go with whatever makes you feel the most comfortable - pursuing adaptation to the task, finding places where the bounds of teachings are relaxed, or simply taking in the experiences that you'd otherwise wish for and experiencing social activities as part of that." 

"Must say, you do a good job at the whole "World's your oyster" thing." 

"Why thank you."

"Thank you for your time and thoughts. I'll think on that further in private, I suppose." 

She nods, and raises from her seat after finishing her own final sip, and turns and trots away. 

...I flop back. 

Talking is tiring. Still...

Does make some sense? 

We should try out some of the things here.

Mixers, for one - no need to search overly much specifically, I feel.

Superpower combat games!

Those are gonna be great fun, plausibly relevant later and also just icebreaky, too!

...That'll be fun to window shop too, I bet? 

M-hm!

Beyond that... 

Idk. 

Throw on the background materials about the summer empire, the light, the standard recommendations, get an exercise routine - glad won't have to deal w/ the bruising thing - all that stuff, eat up and just... get on with our lives? 

Yes. 

Though I would like to point out that we're procrastinating on the original question - what's the point at which it makes sense to initialize the Goldenvale visit? 

Not now, surely.

True enough but beyond that...

It doesn't seem especially tightly constrained? That being said, having a growing power for longer seems ideal.

Yeah. Still, having it start on the right beat of the story probably matters a good deal more then a couple of subjective days, or such.

Perhaps something about starting the embrace of the mythical and absurd at our fingertips? 

Honestly, we could just have it be something directly about the story of this trip, rather then being something more dramatically personal and have that mean something? 

It's important for our story to be one with social stuff! Plus, I feel like the story of us starting without boobs is kinda off. 

I snort faintly. 

Not wrong, in a lot of ways.

These are hardly mutually exclusive. 

It likely makes good sense to optimize for something more middle of the road - get the opportunity to go there while finishing up the learning after reaching out, perhaps. 

Call it... two weeks? 

As long as that's understood to be a preliminary judgement, I have no objections.

Same!

I wave off the rollcall vote and hop back in bed. 

Reading time, I think? 

Let's see... 

There's the dummies guide materials for ach of the effects - they're written about enough for it to be not too too unexplored in isolation at least, aside the classic being part of the empire rather then something typically shraed, as such. Kick the can for the perfection when we settle into the new alchemically modified body for seeing how that works out, take a look at the light and mythos ones relatively soon and kick the rest down the road 'til we actually get to the skills and upgrades for letting the classic guide us? 

There's other knowledges like the light one, apparently. That's worth checking out - might be chainable through mythos or something? 

The generic empowerment materials are well.

"Have You Considered Not Dying in an Experiment? - A Guide to Magical Exploration!"

"Ontologies, you and the-idea-of-you."

"How to Just Not Be an Asshole." 

"Empowerment: A History of Embarrassments." 

"Travel: Time, Space, Time travel and space travel." 

"108 Things to Not Do with Phenomonal Cosmic Power." 

"The Evil Overlord's List, abridged."

Let's just call them frank, shall we. 

Still, those are going to be useful - especially since they seem from the summaries to be reference resources of some kind, with the generic advice being the framework for the distribution of the rest? It's a bit clever, but reading something straightforward might make more sense.

The TTRPG system implementation of "Suits and Supers" adaptation to rent-a-frame is cute but also awkward - though if anything it seems like it's suggesting you run the thin you have in mind there instead of just like, suiting up, which makes some sense. Might also be good to burn off the hyper-energy outside of some artificial point-budget, too, so noting that down... 

Uh...

- We should eat. 

Might even be a good idea to queue up someone else doing this sort of thing?

Still feeling the urge to host, then?

...Something like that. 

Besides, the tea made me hungry and I don't want to settle into the shy version of this experience, I suppose? 

The suit is - fine - it's not especially femme, but it reasonably well cut and my hair is fine and I'm clean-shaven, at least. 

Hugs. 

You don't have to?

That's...

Sigh. 

True enough? 

I just don't want the whole pill thing to be the only reason we can get away with doing these things, if that makes any sense? There's not going to be a ton more time where it won't make a huge difference, probably, and if nothing else I feel like it's also aesthetic to get a chance to come in as trans, or at least try that? 

It feels a bit... cheap, to not. 

You know that's kinda silly. 

I do. 

I rub my face and slide back my hair.

Does that make a real difference, though?

I... don't think it has to, at least.

Okay.

So... 

Any thoughts on what to look for? 

Normally I'd say that trying to find someone else doing the bootstrapping process would be plenty but well...

The 'luck' thing. 

And the law of big numbers, yes - the number of guests here seemed sufficiently high, and the appeal of this sort of place for those looking to start relatively fresh is sufficiently up there that there could naively be a decent variety of worthwhile candidates.

True true...

So. 

Someone trans? 

I feel like that could be a bit more comfortable that way! 

Or femme or playful! Lot we can do with that eve nif you girsl really like going with the more somber stuff.

It's not especially clear what exactly the rest of the guests would be getting, but it seems plausible that a number of them are going to be doing similar augmentations? 

We should check that.

Is there some basic description of the trip experience and expectations for those who aren't the guests of honor...? 

There is! Would you like the generic one for this tier of experience or the one on this trip specifically?

...Both?

The typical experience is a cruise ranging from about a subjective half-year to four times that, with a wide variety of destinations - usually somewhat less distinct but more numerous ones in a more compact region, since the theming of this trip is related to 'across the span of the year and cosmos alike, see the star sea!', according to some of the promotional material. 

There's less ontomediation budget for the rest of the guests, and the journeys and powers they have tend to be more limited, due to the practical limitations of how much they can end up on optimized trips for their own affinities and development - analysis was available in advance to ensure some compatibility with the light for this trip, for example, though nearly everyone else will need to be using the house's facilities to mediate the experience into something that they can eventually comprehend. It's also relatively common for additional difficulties around the scheduling of empowerments and the arrangement of it through local organizations in places that tend to have less capacity - often the main attraction for the guest of honor is something that's simply not scaleable or replicable, so other activities are provided in their stead, often more typical tourist attractions aside the empowerments, or simply similar services offered at lower qualities by less experienced practitioners.

There's a disclaimer on one of the pamphlets noting that the specific abilities involved precluded an exact match of abilities and experiences, though it seems like it doesn't make that large a difference to the quality available - especially since a decent chunk of them come for the in-ship entertainment and mixing or have other abilities that facilitate a wide variety of growth opportunities. 

Myth and light will be our most central power aspects, I expect? The rest will be things that we can likely point in a wide variety of directions with a bit of work - the magic of the Summer Empire should be broad enough for anything, and the classic is a resource enough for having that covered. Even beyond that, the rest are more a part of us. I'd reccomend looking into someone most aligned with those, especially considering that will be coming quite soon, it seems. 

Eh. 

't's kinda unclear how much it'd be something that'd be a "You have to see it for yourself" type-shtick? Prob. depends a lot on details in us, and it'd be cool if we chould get more gen stuff that we can interact w/ - there's the cool stuff w/ illusions and shit? Heck, we prob. count as basically ontologically compatible w/ all of the sys's listed, and there's a non-neglible chance that we could pick somma that up just by asking 'round - seems p. plaus. that three-arts-er would want t' come back to the big ass place that practices it to share pointers, or some spirit-augment's here, or somethin'. 

Suppose that's a reasonable enough alternative perspective - though I'd also want to throw in the possibility of something to help with black city socialization? 

There's plenty of options there - including simply trying for someone with their own route twoards building something a bit more proper. 

The question is how much these are especially relevant, when there's other things to balance.

Well.

This is going to be pretty hard anyways, so. 

My thought is that mostly we want to get someone comfortable talking with us regularly? Hell, I bet that we're not exactly the easiest people to get along with, and even the powers that we're starting with will be a perfectly adequate method of empowerment regardless of the starting point. 

- We could just go meet someone now! 

It's not like there's any requirement that we sit here and think this through! The systems already work fine, and it's not like we've already gotten any of those things that could even potentially interfere. 

I mean. 

Yes? 

I stroke my chin, and think. 

Still feels important though. 

There's a few reasons we could conjure. 

For one, setting expectations tends to be a generally productive affair psychologically, aside other concerns. 

I'd also hazard a guess that part of this is also a precommitment mechanism of a sorts? Get the thoughts in place for arrangements to be made from it before there's the additional complications involved. 

It's also just a decent frame for reading onwards and figuring something out for other candidates, perhaps, or just taking the time to have an extra way to appreciate this all. 

And it is reading time.

I stretch out a bit, and yawn softly, then go and drink up some nice lemonade and eat through a few juicy apples. 

No need to keep us hungry for the meet up...

I read through a bit - it's all very interesting reading through case studies of cool mythic empowerment stories and enlightenment things and the nested disambiguation pages of the magic of that the Summer empire uses, but it's not super helpful, though there's definitely some usable information. Mythos can definitely work to pass on things, even things that work a little differently to how you do it - part of how the air-dancers work is the bond of legend with the saremites and their students, as something engraved upon the world that they ought to be able to do, because Sun and Sky trained them right, which seems at least a little encouraging. The evidence for the more mundane stuff is... less clear, though it's rare enough that people stay ordinary around figures of myth in these things that it seems tentatively like there might not be a need for it?

It probably also works best with a narrow descent of a specific magic system, especially if you don't try to overload any sort of inheritance with too many filters, which seems obvious enough, and it's maybe a bit more complicated to keep on doing distinct empowerment chains, though it's kinda unclear how much that's just that people want to make the first things they create the proper solution, or even just that people don't keep track of immortals projects too well, especially if those don't end up being immortal themselves. 

It's... kinda sad, how set the circles of concern can get, for these people. 

I hope we don't end up like that...

Empowerment through the knowledge of the light is obviously a thing, though it seems like the transmission of the protection and the connection is a lot of it, and it's a less controlled thing? A lot of that's kinda unclear, when so much of the efforts are built around some ethereal intrusion of something higher. 

Beyond that...

There'll be a bunch of neat things to do on whatever augmentation direction we choose once we get the classic and get the ability to actually start up the whole construction chain, not to mention whatever will end up being on the market that day in the black city or theoretical things that could be accomplished with abuse of the mechanics of the perfecting elixir.

Getting some blood sisters will be fun~! 

Also also there's probably some cool morality empowerment things! The refinement of function thing probably works on regeneration, too, if we could figure out a way to get past how indestructible it is. 

I ruffle Topaz's hair and drink myself, trying to clear my head with a rush of sugar. 

Yeah. 

So... 

Let's grab someone, shall we?

I leaf through the documentation the computer provides - their basically dossiers on their general life story and a couple of basic analytical feature summaries that are almost styled as if they were trading card game characters - mostly stuff already compiled like their affinity for the Light, 'mystical' and 'physical' 'potential' and current attainments, some sort of g-loaded factor that the translator seems stubbornly disinclined to simplify into anything more specific, and some more approximate indicators of personality traits and levels of 'resources' backing them. The 'reasonable friends candidates' thing is apparently a prelim filter, which is fair enough - don't want to invest too much in someone who wouldn't be that, anyways. 

They should totally just be trading cards!

I chuckle aloud as I request that on the interface, letting it obligingly shift over. The bios will be a bit harder to read in depth but oh well, can always expand those out.

There's a preliminary filter, of course - though it's not like there's a sufficient dearth of people to look through that there's no reason for those not to be generated and customized to fit - though there's still a couple dozen cascading down the page, zoomed in and out for different levels of emphasis and 'fittingness', presumably. 

I wave my hand and pull up a first card - Amaya, apparently. 

Her hair is deep black, complimented by the gloss of her pale slightly gaunt skin, and the image of her has a soft-black cloak cascading over her shoulders, almost hiding the glint of the polished-grey inset in her shoulders, her eyes glistening with the same sheen as her steel. The contrast is stark - enough for me to mostly dismiss any instinct to think of her as simply a goth going for a more dramatic impression. 

She's a 'magesmith' apparently, a worker with mystical cybernetics, golems and all manner of things wrought in metal. She got educated in one of the lower labourer's teaching tenements after she landed their from a pump-and-dump from some wealthy traveller that the Galaxia doesn't have any further details for me on. She grew up under-provisioned and mostly unloved, which really didn't help the fact that being transgender isn't exactly the most supported thing in the slums where having enough to survive in a world of giants is paramount. Probably some of the disdain from the rest of the people there was from the fact that she probably - and indeed did -end up having some special talent that let her claw out of the place - a skill for conjury and metalwork that landed her an apprenticeship in one of the better districts with an abusive 'master' at the art. She made her way out of that hole, eventually, and found a chance to come here to get a chance to find some greener pastures, and reading between the lines the medical package was likely up there for her for much the same reason it was for me. 

The statistics look good too - she seems like a genius in terms of g, her magical potential and present abilities look solid, she even has a good amount of resources and street-knowledge, though the rest looks more average for the crew. It doesn't look like her soul is particularly inclined for mythical ascension and she has some sort of complicated mostly negative interaction with the light that gives her a middle-high score on that, though conjecturally she'll probably take to the arts of the Summer Empire's mages rather readily, which is a pretty good plus, though the details are apparently fuzzier, probably due to magitech parity between the organizations and compounding error sources from the enhancements that'll apply there. 

Looking through the personality summary is reasonably reassuring, too - she's high Neuroticism and Conscientiousness and low on the rest of the five factors, but that's fine - expect she's probably skittish in ways that'd be painfully familiar, and if those magical ratings are any indicator the fact that there's not more messes in her history makes it seem like she's fine on discretion and keeping things clean. 

It's hard to judge too much without meeting her, but I expect she's rated this highly on the list for a reason - she seems eminently like the sort of person that I could get to know and learn inside and out well enough. 

...And there's no biographical information about her sexual or romantic inclinations, so whatever comes of that will be a surprise, it seems. 

I bury that thought in the back of my head to come back to later, flushing slightly, and move on down the list.

The second option is pretty well rated too - they're named 'Lumen', apparently - which fits for the profile pic of nothing more then a blur of light.

Apparently created by some esoteric hologram experiment in the "Selenian Republic", they ended up with sapience, a perfectly adequate soul, and source of information to internalize, but no real emotional development, and ended up starting their journey towards getting something more traditional setup from the ambient emotions and concepts of connection to the ones around them - a fascination with the properties of Light. They've been working in optics and visual effects for years and years, picking up all sorts of technical expertise around illusion and elemental light magic, alongside the more physicalist things. They're here for getting access to Creation's keyhole and to play around with that, more or less. 

Personality wise...

Looks fairly congenial - calm and a bit distant, straightforward and happy to be direct and sharing thoroughly, with the five factor fuzzed out for not really being applicable. 

As one might imagine, they have an exceptionally high affinity for the light, though they're a bit lacking in the rest of the areas - a lack of resources to offer beyond their own, given the expense of the trip, not super impressive raw g though more then enough for technical work within a wide variety of engineering fields, middling magical potential, and a lack of anything too concrete to do with myth or classical magic. 

Iron'd probably find them fun to host, though I think that they'd be a little besides the point for the moment? Keeping things clean nad smooth for that sort of mindset can be... awkward, even if it's something that's still relatively instinctive.

And a few more - the ratings seem to trail off after this regardless. 

Alena's sharp - her hair is a brilliant red, her cheeks are sharp, her skin glows a healthy olive, and her eyes sparkle with boundless firmness. A heraldry of an ouroboros wrought in rust-red fabric dons her shirt, and a glowing seal rests upon her forehead. 

She's a knight from Labradoris, it seems - she ran into a blessed beast associated with immortality on the periphery, and ended up serving perfectly well there - though something about the self-consuming nature of the power made her apparently rather... unreceptive to the further fruits of the land, which seems like became something of a pain point around some of the force-reconfigurations her lord preferred - emphasizing mobility over the strength and durability that her augmentations emphasized. The bio mostly describes a passive frustration at being pushed out of missions and opportunities, though not generally anything more then a simple frustration and dissatisfaction that seems to not have weighed her down too much in what she has been able to do. 

Still, she seems rather impressive - her martial skill is apparently quite impressive, as is her skill at passing such things on, her magical potential and power are quite solid, and she's apparently hoping that she can spot herself a new banner and a new method of empowerment. Her affinity for the Light seems solid, and she has if anything a suspiciously high projected affinity for the arts of the Summer Empire, given her honorable nature and lack of more esosteric or academic skills. She has a high Openness, Concientiousness, Agreeableness, and Extraversion as well as a low Neuroticism.

She seems like she'd be an excellent recruit and comrade, though I can't comment too much on what we'd have to relate to. It's likely that some relatively straightforward application of Emergence and/or Mythos could fix her ills, so that's quite a plus as well. 

- I notice the absurdly oversized bars on the card for "The Cosmic Titan Dragon Tenshi, the Wise and Wealthy One" and take a moment to go through the almost rote thought processes go through the fact that yes, a being like that would be very helpful to have on my side, yes, it'd arguably be braver and perhaps more impressive to go and entreat with such a being now, no that doesn't mean that it intrinsically makes sense, or that I'm other wise presentable in the sort of way required, that they are surely here for their own reasons and that if a being like that wishes to reach out on their own terms, that I'm more then willing to accept speaking with them at any time I'm not otherwise preoccupied with serious business, and that I would have the expectation that I'd be of considerably more interest and give a greater return on investment of their time in the case that I have the opportunity to gain my own power - which is of course not to say that it meaningfully compares to what they themselves have, and that I'm well aware of the priviledge of getting to embark on  a ship carrying such an entity. 

I sigh and smile. 

I'm aware that's a frustrating thing, but having the complete version is rather helpful. 

Besides, there's no point not thinking it through once it came up. 

Yes, yes. 

I stretch out, and curl up tightly into bed for a while. Probably this kind of time isn't too expensive to distend, and it does help keep things clear after... jolts. 

Last few for the mo. 

Enna's a fairly mature humanoid woman - probably in her 30s or so. There's a few different portraits to poke through, ranging from a soft lavender skinned tiefling look with sharp platinum-gold hair to a very neutral white woman with brown hair down to her shoulders and soft brown eyes. "Neutral" describes her dress sense too - mostly going for a plain black suit with a proper white-undershirt. 

She's apparently an early retiree from the Demon of Law's service - apparently he pays his servants handsomely when they execute his will well, and that comes with a good benefits package that lets them do things even this extravagant, with some work. She did work in requisitions across a bunch of projects, and is an exceptionally skilled clerical - I snort at the fact that I'm using it that way - mage, working with contracts, messaging and administration of her papers, though apparently the fact that she got an office in the High Tower has other implications for the sort of things that she'll be able to pull off, eventually, though do get the sense that she didn't exactly get the proper ascent experience out of that.

Personality wise, she seems pretty Open and Agreeable, very professional, with the sort of neuroticism and conscientiousness you'd expect from a successful early retiree. She's moderately extraverted too, which points towards her being the sort of person who's happy to be helpful around the office. 

She sounds useful, but most of that'll probably be through working with the classic, rather then anything that flows from what I have right now, though for all I know she's perfectly adequate as a conversational partner. 

The rest is about as I'd expect - no real affinity for light, a pretty solid affinity for mythical empowerment, perfectly good magical potential and a fine g. 

Liara's some sort of Fey trickster that I don't especially want to engage with 'til we get at an adequate mastery of Purity - including thinking too much about her. 

Beyond that... 

Oh Serai looks rather interesting. 

She reads like a reasonably classical fantasy adventurer, from the leather armor to the unreasonably good quality teeth, corded muscles, and messy roan hair that's remarkably untangled, to even the bizzare backholster of a violin right beside an oversized yet slim sword. 

She's some sort of bardic warrior, apparently, from a realm of fantasy. She got swept up in an adventurer's quest when tying to pull a long con on them, and picked up quite the variety of abilities from that - some song-sorcery, a sublime sense of proper place and importance, alongside some stealth and physical augmentations, though the drinking habit she picked up seems... not exactly ideal. 

The ratings are as I'd expect again - E, O, and A are relatively high amongst the ocean model, and a lack of C and N are acceptable enough - she seems to operate quite passably on her own. Her magic is fairly developed to it's potential already, though her compatibility with Mythos seems excellent enough to likely remediate that flaw with some work. She's not technically inclined or especially tactically brilliant, but she's cunning, at least, and that counts for a lot. 

Besides, I expect there to be plenty of times where she'd be a wonderful person to chat with, considering. 

I glance through the rest of the ones presented - often there's a perfectly usable statistic or two, but the angle isn't quite there - there's a few technical savants who's skills mostly aren't in my alley at the moment, a wide variety of mages and mentalists of a couple of different sorts with advantages that aren't particularly synergetic with the earlier plans of ours, and assorted more professional interests that are more or less here as a more traditional mingling-and-resting business vacation - which isn't exactly the right place to have an otherwise normal person coming in and asking for one's life story and time, though by Summer I expect I'll have a handful of takers there as well. 

So what ought we actually do with this, then? 

We were thinking of an invite, yes? 

Might as well talk through our options there.

I'm personally inclined simply to go with Amaya? She seems like a person that'd be quite open to a discussion, and the rest are louder characters, by in large. 

Lumen seems like they'd be a reasonably quiet and polite guest, but they're not the sort to eat, I'd presume?

I'm not too sure, here, to be honest - they seemed a bit on the novelty seeking side. 

- Ah you know what, drafting a fancy letter is the proper way to invite a cute girl to dinner. 

There: 

...Isn't that a bit much? 

It's nothing unreasonable, and I doubt such a whim would pop up if it'd be horrid. 

We should likely relax some, all things considered. 

...I hope so.

I give her some more of the headpats she deserves as I start fussing at setting the table - this doesn't seem quite as much a sitting table affair, so I'll bump it up - a proper mahogany table, with lots of polish, tall crystal glasses, shiny porcelain plates, a finely woven place mats for each of our spots. The chairs can be really anything - though I go for a simple few-spoked wooden affair that I'm most used to in this sort of restaurant environment, making sure that there's plenty of space to vary the tuck of the seat beneath the lip of the table before sitting down myself. 

Singular candles might be a bit gauche, so I avoid that - the computer suggests some floating light orbs that look rather pretty and cast an excellently white wash along the space, which is nice. 

I catch myself smoothing out the table covers and ordering silvered cutlery before I take the nudges - from the rest of us and the computer chiming due to an alert telling us of her imminent arrival - and relax, a little. 

It'll be fine.

At that, a knocking resounds at the door once more. 

I brush my hair back, and walk over to escort her in. 

"Hello? I was shown here by the computer due to the Guest of Honor's invitation?"

I take a deep breath, studying her. 

She's wearing much the same outfit - though it looks... snuger, her top wrapped around her like a shawl. It's thick and warm, the sort of thing that I know can feel so much righter when you feel so cold inside. Twined around her arms is the same metal as her shoulder - perhaps it's some kind of reinforcement? It also looks like her hands are those of a fragile flower - which implies she's gotten a little further with those then the rest of whatever her processed wound up being. 

"That's us, yes. Care to come in? There's... quite a bit to explain." 

"I imagine." 

I offer my hand. 

"I'm Moonsilver - we're plural? I'm not sure how much you have the concept but the computer seems pretty reasonable about interpretations." 

I'm aware of my body again - it's sharp and as transparent as broken glass, harsh and crystalline and solid and quite a mess, but the moment passes, and I'm just me, talking to someone. 

She shakes it, hesitantly but firmly. 

"The word comes out as... split-self-possessed-through-communion. It... makes an interesting texture to your souls, I must say." 

I flush lightly as I squeeze back hard - I'd be suprised if she didn't have outright superhuman augmentations here, but that's no excuse to undersell what I have. 

"Why thank you. I can't say I've developed such a trick yet, but what I've seen is rather fascinating." 

I let my hand drop to my side, and turn and gesture forth. 

"Onwards?" 

"Ever."

She walks forth along the carpet towards the table. 

I stroll along - trying reasonably hard not to think too much about how this is going to make my ass look, or how my hunger has crept up on me, since I start fussing with this all. 

After a timeless moment, space-skips and we each arrive at our seats. 

"Feel free to ask for anything from the system - I was personally thinking of chicken wings, potato wedges and buttered bread, but I have no particular reason to doubt that there's a wide assortment of equivalent or superior options." 

It looks quite good - steaming hot, with that full palette of smells just surging through the air. 

She waves her hand - droplets of fluid silver flitting in unseen currents through the air, dancing into a handful of places before fading at the clench of her fist.

A full platter of ribs appears before her, which she starts eating immediately. 

- I pause, and glance up, before digging in myself. 

It's rich and hearty, with the sort of fullness that almost suppresses the tears that are coming to my eyes. It doesn't matter that the skin in coated with a perfect blaance of salt and peper and more complicated flavours besides, a satisfying zest filling my mouth alongside the warmth, or that hte rest of the meal is some of the best food I've ever tasted. 

It's there and she understands and... 

I pull back after eating through half-a-dozen of them, and look into her eyes. 

She's half-wary, half-focused, wiping away at the jus spilled out over her pale pink lips, alongside the sauced caked around them. She stares back, each facet of her eye gleaming in the light as she probes deep. 

"So." 

"You are alike me, then."

I breathe out softly, taking a small sip of the conjured lemonade once more. 

It's steadying, at least. 

"I am, in that way, I think. I rarely literally had no food to eat in my house, but every meal was a thing of fear or dread for me, for a long long time." 

She bites a large chunk of meat off a rib, cleaning the bone down to the oddly-almost-polished ebony. 

"I see. It was a thing of shame, then?"

I stare down at my genuinely lovely food and nod. 

"Not of my shame, persay? But yes. The people that raised me were harsh, around the conduct around foo.d They would tell me that my body was wrong to hunger, that it was wrong of me to think that I could belong, at that table, beyond in the ever so narrow terms that they dictated. It's... something I hope to move beyond." 

She quirks her head. 

"For me it was ever a thing of conservation - keep our minds sharp, our bodies intact yet still visibly hungering, minimize conflict and give those that had a chance to earn more the opportunity to reap their rewards. I have eaten well, since I started my trade, yet I am still like this, as you can see, Ms. Moonsilver." 

"...I see."

"You do not. It is not a thing of sight, though those eyes of yours are something you plan to exalt in time, yes?"

"Yeah. That's definitely part of it." 

"Then tell me of your plans, and I will make of them what I will." 

She returns to eating, swinging slowly between messily devouring and scraping every morsel into her mouth, 

"Sure." 

I eat, a bit less maniacally, this time, out of more of a dissipation of the frantic energy than anything else, and intersperse my words with my bites. 

"I plan to build something vast and grand through the teachings of the Empire of Summer - are you familiar with them?"

"Some told in the tenements of a place of scalding light and clinging chains of 'congruity', where each person who sets their feet upon their land thereafter lives a different life, guided by the vision of their Emperor and the prosperity of that place towards flimsy fantasies of 'good'." 

Her eyes close for a moment. 

"It sounds like it would be a lovely place, if they were to speak of it with such envy." 

"It is - at least from everything I've been able to gather here. The architecture alone..." 

The twining roads, the boundless arches and churches to exalt every facet of their lives, to consecrate every thing as a place worthy of memory and reverence... 

"They are powerful, too. There's -" I twitch. 

"Alpha, I have, I think, in the access I have to the rest of the options and the simple chance to start again with everything in place to improve upon. They offered me a guide to every last thing they have ever created, something that would be perfectly internalizable and intuitive to guide me to establish that from nothing - the totality of their wisdom, the say, is contained within the writings of the classic." 

"That sounds... wise enough, though - I presume you have more? Your soul seems... odd, in more then just would be a consequence of your 'plurality'."

I nod and keep on eating, letting out a pleased sigh at the taste as another dozen wings appear. 

"The only thing that I think would apply right now would be..." 

I blink. 

"Well, perhaps not the only thing, would be that I was told that my affinity for the Knowledge of the Light is quite remarkable - the sort of prodigious talent rarely seen for even an organization such as Thallasa Cruises. It's all potential now, but the Creation's Keyhole will unlock that talent, and the tutors of Sunsleep are to be commissioned to exalt my skill in that area to a notional 'perfection' - within the scope that their metaphysics and my talent can facilitate, at least." 

I bite through the satisfyingly juicy ripples of the wedges, and go on. 

"That'll grant me the ability to bring out the ultimate form of things, alongside an absolutely comprehensive 'defense' and a wide assortment of more traditional abilities you'd associate with light, and that'll be the main advantage I want to work with."

"I hear." 

She swigs a deep drink of the water, sighing satisfiedly.

"Feel free to expound upon the rest of your plans - I'm unsure that it will mean too much to me, but if your plans come to fruition it seems like it will be something of note regardless."

"It's the most predictably large facets, I would say. I will obtain a mantle of mythos, learn to speak with the spirit of things, grant myself a perfect body and perfect potential through an elixir, and get the classic reforged into a thing of legend itself - turning it to an omnitool of creation of it's vision. I even plan on coming to the Black City of yours, and gaining empathic abilities, a limb of immortal steel alongside an infinite tenement of my own to build from." 

"Quite a showering of blessings."

"It's... a lot, yes, though every time I start thinking about the scope of the plan I start coming up with ways that it's plausibly next-to-nothing."

She nods.

"The City is vast, and the world beyond still grander, and I doubt that the world you lived in prepared you for this." 

She hums softly as she nibbles through the last of the rack of ribs. 

"You have a question for me you are repressing. Ask it."

"...Would you like to help? A vision for a place to build is nothing without people to inhabit it. I have nothing to offer you, right now, beyond myself, though within a few days I will have some power to wield in my own, notionally." 

I almost huff, in the way I sigh, and rub my forehead. 

"Pray tell what you envision for how I could serve?"

I roll my shoulders and sit back, humming. 

"One of the fundamental problems is that the secrets of the classic are largely civilizational - and that required materials, resources, workers, beyond just the manuals and msicellaneous tricks of magic. You have the skills to build magical things, and some capacity to conjure, I understand? I'll pursue my own options, in terms of being able to do every last part of this, but there will be things that you can create that I can't for a good long while, or places where you can make a superior version just from the potentials you have yourself. Likely you'd transition into some sort of team lead, later, if you wanted, or go and simply have all the resources you need to fill your time with the work you enjoy, and whatever accommodations I can arrange to best keep the quality of your life up, too." 

She leans forward, and smiles slightly. 

"I do not mean your vagaries about the future, silly girl. I mean what do you have in mind, if I said yes, right. now." 

I shiver and almost flinch at the intensity of her gaze, and then close my eyes to think. 

"I..." 

I breathe out. 

She stretches out a slightly-bony hand. 

I squeeze it, refocusing. 

"I'd like a friend. It'd be nice to be able to engage you and your skills in some experiments, and I'd greatly appreciate if I could study your skills as well, if I'm compatible with those without further intervention you cannot provide, if it's not unreasonable to ask that -" 

In...

And out. 

"I'd like someone to talk through my transition through, too. I don't know what it's going to feel like and no amount of talking about it before it starts happening changed that, and I want to go through that, soon, and have an interesting person to talk to and hold when I need to." 

Her smile is ghostly, ethereal, barely there but ever so present in the set of her eyes and cheeks. 

"Very well."

She nods decisively.

"I shall be of service to you, then." 

She strokes her fingers along the back of her hand. 

"Do you have any further questions for me, this night?"

"I do." 

My hand draws back, after a while - it's so much, to feel her skin against mine, right now, and my throat is closing up, again. 

I sigh, faintly. 

"Could you share some more on your own abilities? The computer only provided me something of a sketch of them." 

"I can make metal, and things wrought of it, and work with the forces required with some skill." 

...I roll my eyes, a warm smile coming to my lips despite myself.

"Go on?"

She tilts her head in acknowledgement. 

"The creation of iron, steel, silver - that is simple, effortless. The creation of things aside the central conceit of the nature of metal - Lanathides, Mercury, decaying materials - that is... less efficient, finickier, if ultimately a rudimentary exercise, still, for most. The creation of myth-metals - of stability or properties besides - is expensive, arduous, oft a thing more of transmutation then simple conjury, and requires a good deal of study to internalize. I may smith things wrought of those things, and they will become unphysically suitable for purpose, and perhaps animated, tempered - infused with a flame immortal to make them optimized, beyond the simple constraints of their form, and turn them into tools of things beyond their mundane purpose - to reshape the world for destruction, creation, or other things."