Rex looks apologetic. "Sorry. I- Hellhound? I think we classed it as shapeshifter derivative?" He seems to shrink slightly in on himself - obviously trying to make himself less intimidating.

Joss runs her fingers through over his head, and he leans into the touch. "He really is just an oversized puppy even in this form. He also forgets that he's just over doubled in size and mass. Don't ask about that. I write it up to 'the supernatural likes flouting the laws of biology'."

'Sidora chokes on his coffee, clears his throat and chuckles. "Warn a guy before saying things like that!"

Mikala joins in the laughter, relaxing again. 

"I don't think we have hellhounds in our world. Maybe I just haven't heard of them, though."

"If I heard the word without the multiversal context, I'd assume they were a human religious thing, from the word 'hell'," Iolana contributes.

"I'm pretty sure it's only human religion that has one of those."

Cat and Raven come down the stairs in time to hear that last comment.

"Yes, you're definitely an 'alt' of my sister," Cat says, blinking at Io. "Your minds work the same way."

He looks at Mikala, and just stares for a while.

"And...you're me, apparently. That one's harder to tell."

"I think we also explained that there's a few different creatures in our world that took their names from human religion and then just got attached to the name," Rex says, brightening. "Besides, I do get a side of flaming tail, and some of us can breath fire. I haven't figured that one out yet..."

"We're still working on him not setting the furniture on fire accidentally," Joss teases. Rex sticks his tongue out at her.

"Hm. I suspect that is an observational thing? You observe your sister more than you observe yourself. It is easier to see the similarities and connections between other people rather than yourself and others."

"I think it's more that I'm not used to seeing myself from the outside, actually," Cat muses. "But you might have a point." 

He squints at Mikala. "How old are you?"

"...fifteen? Why, how old are you?"

Getting sick of craning his neck to look up at Cat, who's more than twice his height, Mikala clambers up onto a barstool and sits on it. Cat finds a chair that puts them roughly even. 

"We're both seventeen, like Io," Raven puts in.

"Except apparently motu age differently, so fifteen and seventeen for them are the equivalent of ten and eleven for humans." 

Mystery cleared up, she goes back to comparing magic systems with her alt. 

"Well, I rather think we've lost them for...however long," Joss says, shaking her head almost fondly. (And there's a wistful look in her eyes there, wanting to have someone that easy to connect to.)

"I'm still curious about these 'Warforged'," Prometheus says again. "If you have any more information on them, Mikala?"

"Uh, okay." The Michaels look at each other and nod, having reached the same conclusion: Prometheus isn't going to leave this alone until he feels like he's got a proper answer. 

"Warforged were invented in the last Seredina Crusade, which was..." He counts on his fingers. "About three hundred years ago? Before that there weren't any constructs that were people and could think, just ones that would do what you told them to do. They were made to be soldiers and fight the undead, but after they won the war they needed something to do, so they started fighting in other wars or just doing normal jobs."

"Wait a second. Someone made people, specifically to fight in a war?" Cat asks.

His grip on his shields falters slightly, just for a second, before he flinches and slams them back up, rubbing his head. 

"Did they have to fight, or did they just want to?" 

"I'm not sure. I think they had to do what he told them?" 

He asks Bar for a book about warforged history; she provides.

Apparently the first warforged were bound to obey the orders of their creator, and not to harm any living person, or another warforged (the former was pretty quickly relaxed to allow self-defense). They had orders to follow the chain of command in the army, and to destroy undead. After the war they started being re-programmed so they could be used for wars against other nations. 

Over the last century or two, more and more warforged have been starting to live as ordinary free citizens. There's an ongoing campaign to release the warforged from their programming entirely, so they don't have to obey anyone, and recognize them as legally free members of society since that's what most of them are in practice. 

As they read, Cat's expression becomes increasingly murderous. 

Pretty soon he has to stop reading so he can lean on the bar, close his eyes, and get first his emotions, then his empathy, back under control.

"That's..."

Epime and 'Metheus have both shut off their emotional feeds, and are very still.

"Just. Why would anyone think that was a good idea?! I mean. Our parents had military funding. But we weren't solely for war! And they fought to make sure the military treated Epime and- and 'Metheus well."

"It does seem bad." Joss agrees. "How is that campaign going? It sounds important."

"It has the official support of several countries now," Mikala reports. "Including Fallon, where the current owner of the rights to all the warforged lives."

He frowns at the page. "But there are still some countries pushing against it, and the Kadarin Church is on their side."

Prometheus doesn't say anything, he just pushes himself to his feet, and walks very carefully out of the doors to the outside.

"Should one of us maybe go talk to him?" 'Sidora mutters to Epime who shakes her head and taps the side of it.

"Wild guess, but I'm assumin' the church takes issue with someone other than 'god' creating life?"

"I don't know," Mikala admits. "It's not my religion." 

He turns back to the book, skimming it to see if it contains any clues. "It doesn't say why the church object, just that they do."

Glancing after Prometheus, he frowns and asks, "Should we stop talking about this? It just seems to be making everyone mad."