OOC: Log post for plot hook fodder

[kehari]

The following log is not IC public knowledge. Jeremy and I are just presenting it here as an OOC head's-up to jog people's memories at old plotlines and possible new ones. Comments, as always, are welcome. :)


Central Elysium - Dock Shore
Weathered driftwood timbers stand firmly planted in the shore, supporting a pier of
well-sanded and splinter-less planks, pegged carefully together. A well-crafted
boardwalk continues east and west of here, draped with multicolored fabric pennants,
stairs leading down to the obsidian sands. There is a pleasant shady space
underneath nearly the whole length of the boardwalk where the sand slopes to meet the
landward undersides. A steamship awaits passengers at the dock.
The opalescent stars are out now, spinning and spiraling in their constellations, held by
imaginary lines. The sky has gone from violet into inky darkness.
[ Exits: eamship (uth), rmlands (rth) ]
[ awall Shore (st), oping Sand Shore (st) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Blake
Zoe
Chip
SIGN: Elysium Etiquette (Please Read)
Grand Museum Gateway - Topwarp Variant

Jeremy sits at the edge of the dock, dangling his bare feet into the shallows of the ocean around Elysium, having gotten up for his morning routine. -.-
Jeremy rests his head on one of the posts, wrapping his arms around it. The weather of Elysium is infinitely predictable. Clear mornings, warm, fallowed by a shower. He thinks about taking off his tie, but that might be indecorous.
Jeremy is disengaged from his revere as the steamship pulls up, disgorges a vixen, and then pulls away. He's a bit surprised by this. c.c
+++++ Jeremy just looked at you!

An almost archetypical early-era transhumanist fox person, Jeremy has a
general humanoid build cosmetically altered with large triangular ears, a
narrow muzzle, full body fur, and a tail. There are some specifics to his
design that personalize it though. He isn't the typical red fox model, but
instead is more a grey fox, with a complex patterns of grey mixing into the
flatness of red towards his back. His style of dress is different from how it
used to be, however. He wears a fairly elaborate black vest, embroidered with
red and blue, over a white frilly shirt complete with bow-tie, and a pair of
black knickers. Spectacles rests on his nose, probably not for anything other
than fashion. The most crucial clue to his new status is a large and
ostentatious iridescent medal with the words "Magistrate of Elysium" hanging
from his neck.
He sees you looking at him.

Jeremy rubs his headfur. "Good morning, Kelly is it?"
Jeremy has a soft, unsure voice, "What... what brings you here to Elysium?"

Kehari smiles as she steps off the steamship's whitewashed gangplank, blinking in the early sun and looking around for a moment before spotting you. Over she walks with a welcoming grin. "Hey Jeremy," she says quietly, almost in deference for the island's quiet nature. "Yeah, that'll work," she adds with a soft chuckle. "It's just been a while since I was here last, I was wondering how you're getting along with the place."

Jeremy looks around for a moment, westward, then back at you, tilting his head a little. "It's alright for the most part. The natives are polite and don't accidently nearly kill me."
Jeremy curls his toes, and pulls his feet out of the water.
Jeremy says, "How is life in Coolsville?"

Kehari chuckles again, softly, and takes a step back to give you some room. "I hear there's not much accidental death at all in Top." A quirked ear and a little headtilt. "Coolsville?"

Jeremy o/~ Coolsville... so perfect... so nice... o/~

Kehari smiles a little, darkly amused. "It's not nearly as perfect and nice as you might think. When faced with grandiose power, most people seem to be bent on seeing how quickly they can screw things up."

Jeremy says, "You should take a vacation here. Nothing happens here. It's all so proper and mere. The private time isn't bad at all though..."
Jeremy's tail curls around, telegraphic tod-thoughts of playfulness without him knowing.
Jeremy says, "I go out into top, it's just the warps and the nexus can get a little hairy."

Kehari's smile turns warmer again. "Proper and mere? That's pretty much the Victorian creedo, isn't it?"

Jeremy says, "Yes, it is. It's not half bad, really. I mean, considering that the Mess is doing all the work in being excessive and grand."
Jeremy says, "It's comforting to know that your company here will not surprise you with excessive capabilities."
Jeremy says, "Some of us didn't feel a need to be so well-endowed."

You say, "I can understand the attraction in the Top way of life." Something she actually means literally. That last part gives her pause... "Excessive capabilities," she asks, eyebrow raised."

Jeremy says, "...with added technological advantages... I mean."
Jeremy earblushes.

Kehari smirks, amused, and crosses her arms. "I've changed considerably since the time we last met, Jeremy..."

Jeremy rubs the side of his head. "Let me guess. You're now a spaceship."
Jeremy says, "Or maybe you're an army of clones."
Jeremy says, "No, no... you now have 23 genders, based off swappable parts?"
Jeremy is not bitter. No, not at all.

Kehari giggles and shakes her head. "No, I'm still mostly just the vixen you see before you." She spreads her arms akimbo, as if presenting herself. "But when you saw me last, I wasn't well. There was more than one personality inhabiting my body, each one trying to run me the way they thought best."

Jeremy says, "I think I remember something about a suit-gestalt. It sort of creeped me out a bit."
Jeremy says, "So who are you now? Are you Kelly or...?"
Jeremy puts his hands over his face, muzzle sticking through between them, "I'm just tired of falling in love with someone that won't exist tomorrow. It's bad enough when death took them away from me in the scarcity times, but now they vanish cause of fashion or mood."

Kehari nods slightly and lets her arms drop, propping one hand on a hip. "That's right, that was part of it. The situation grew untenable and in the end all the personalities had to be merged together, many become one. I..." Her voice coasts to a quiet halt, the vixen taken aback by the feeling and context of what you just said. She steps closer again, gently placing a hand on your arm. "I'm still Kelly," she says, quiet and tender. "As I am HARI and Kiki. All their thoughts and hopes and memories, they're still within me. I call myself Kehari now, in honor of each of them, but my friends, the people that knew me before, still call me Kelly. It's still my name too."

Jeremy stops brooding gradually. "Am I going to regret getting to know you?"

Kehari smiles warmly, hoping to reassure you. "I certainly hope not. For my part, I don't plan on giving you a reason to do so, nor do I plan on changing my personality anytime soon. I went through enough trouble to keep myself whole, I'll not give it up so easily."

Jeremy says, "We never really properly met, I don't think. You're not... from Earth, are you?"

Kehari narrows her eyes slightly in thought and shakes her head. "That's a planet, right? I think I've heard the name, but no, I'm from Atasal."
Kehari smirks and rolls her eyes a little. "Two-thirds of me, anyway."

Jeremy says, "Tell me about it some?"

Kehari smiles and tips her head to the side. "Atasal? Oh, it's a pretty standard world high along the Chardan-Bates Tech Curve. Antigravity, MIs integrated into day-to-day life, small-scale stellar travel. Some of them had just begun predicting the end of scarcity in the next few hundred years when I'd left."

Jeremy nods softly. "That's not too far off from Earth as I knew it. It might have been a little younger behind the post-scarcity curve, but..." he pauses and shakes his head, "I'm not even certain it's real anymore or if it even matters. I just try to make sense from day to day." he looks up at you, the direction his eyes travel clearly considering the iridescence of the nanotattoo... "So you aren't going to surprise me?"

Kehari chuckles softly, her smile turning a little impish. "Not unless you want to be surprised. Despite the implant tattoo across my face and the nature of my infusion, I'm still very much an organic-standard vixen." She tips her chin down slightly and her voice drops as well, sharing a quiet secret with you. "I /can/ be almost whatever I wish to be..."

Jeremy seems fascinated by this. "You can change shape?"
Jeremy is quick to defend, "I like how you are, honestly. It's a comfort to see a good-luck /kitsune/."

Kehari smiles a little, shrugging and eye-rolling, as if she's a little sheepish about the subject. "More like augment my shape. I can use my infusion, what you remember as my bodysuit, to add onto my organic body. However I look, I can't change the fact there's actually a vixen underneath it all."
Kehari earblushes a little. "I don't know how much good luck I actually bring, but thank you."

Jeremy picks up a palm leaf and puts it on top of your head. n.n

Kehari splays her ears a little and looks up. "Er, what's that for?..."

Jeremy says, "To help you shapeshift! It's a legend from where I'm from... bit hard to explain."
Jeremy says, "If you put a leaf on your head, it... helps... I don't know why. It's all nonsense anyway."

Kehari giggles, adjusting her ears around it but not removing it just yet. "Is that a request, then?"

Jeremy says, "No no, I was just making a joke. I haven't had the company of kitsune in quite a while."
Jeremy says, "Not unless you want to show off... n.n"
Jeremy crosses his legs, elbows on knees.

Kehari shrugs a little and leans back on her elbows. "I could really show off, but the resulting form might be a little disturbing..." she says, watching for your reaction.

Jeremy says, "Oh well, so long as you don't eat me. Well, at least not harmfully so. c.c;"
Jeremy says, "Might want to clear the dock though. If it's a really big shape."
Jeremy gets up and walks towards the sands.
Jeremy plops down again, this time on an errant weathered boulder, preferring not to get sand in his tail.

Kehari giggles happily and gets to her feet. "I'll only eat you if you want, hon," she says, words laden with innuendo. She follows you to get clear of the dock and stands before the boulder, taking a presentation pose, and...
Kehari 's suit engulfs her, rippling, forming sharp angular points and a chitin exoskeleton.

Jeremy spooks a bit. c.c Luckly he was warned and he doesn't wet his kecks.
+++++ Jeremy just looked at you!

Kehari pads forward, clawed toes digging into the sand.
You hiss, "Like so."

Jeremy falls off the rock. "What IS that." c.c;

Kehari looks down at herself, claws idly playing over the dark red plating. "You know, I'm not sssure. It'sss in my memory, but I don't recall how I formed the image..."

Jeremy's tail stays bottlebrushed.
Jeremy clearly doesn't like the spooky demon-kyuubi. u.u;;

Kehari grins warmly but it just looks like she's hungry. :>
Kehari ripples and changes, her imilexene flowing and reconfiguring into blue bodysuit with silver plating.

+++++ Jeremy just looked at you!
Jeremy gets up off the ground, allowing his legs to fall to either side of the rock first. Foxboi awkwardness.

Kehari giggles and walks over to give you a reassuring hug. "I did warn you..."

Jeremy shakes out his tail. "Not sure I should have seen that. You don't know how many supposedly nice people have turned out to be interested only in seeing my internal organs pulled out."
Jeremy mrms at the hugging. His tail wags a little. Fox tods can't resist vixens.
Jeremy sniffs at the nanotattoo curiously, nose in your cheekruff.

Kehari smells of a faint spicy musk, somewhat like raw amber. "I think my interests in your internal organs lie solely in that they continue to stay inside you and do their job," she murmurs, amused. Her nose rubs along your cheek as her own dimples under your muzzle, the vixen smiling happily.

Jeremy earblushes. "...have you seen the manor yet?"
Jeremy says, "It's where I'm living now."
Jeremy offers to take you around by the hand. ("Hopon Jeremy" to accept.)

You take Jeremy's hand firmly in yours.
You say, "You've moved?"

Jeremy says, "I don't live in upwarp anymore, no..."
Jeremy heads west to the Seawall Shore.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Central Elysium - Seawall Shore
A huge pile of basalt boulders, polished delightfully smooth of all hard and sharp edges,
protects the white-sanded shoreline from erosion by the blue waters, filling most of
the underspace of the boardwalk's progress along here that leads to the sturdy pier
to the east.
The sun has lifted itself from the rich indigo sea to the south, upstaging the stars into
mute, invisible orbs. The sky has become violet and gradually shifting to azure with
the new day.
[ Exits: rest (rth), ck Shore (st) ]
[ ardwalk Shore ( Northwest) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy heads northwest to the Boardwalk Shore.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
West Elysium - Boardwalk Shore(#1460RLJ)
A small grassy plain gives way to a vast stretch of black sand that lines the southern
shore of the island. The beach doesn't appear to be well-used; pieces of driftwood
are speckled across its wave-washed dunes, and there's few traces of footprints in
the sand. A small shelter with a bench to sit and rest at lies beneath the boardwalk
that skirts the ominous forest to the east, and a staircase leads down from the
boardwalk to the sand. From the staircase, a well-worn dirt trail meanders through
the grassy plain toward the interior of the island.
The sun has lifted itself from the rich indigo sea to the south, upstaging the stars into
mute, invisible orbs. The sky has become violet and gradually shifting to azure with
the new day.
[ Exits: nshine Crafts, rest (st) ]
[ wer Lake (rth), Seaell Shore (st) ]
[ awall Shore ( Southeast) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy says, "This place used to have thousands of victorians. There's only maybe 5 or so
now. Some where found in hibernation dewars."

Jeremy heads west to the Seashell Shore.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
West Elysium - Seashell Shore
This part of the shore gets its name from the unusual abundance of seashells gathered in
the sand; the former homes of many sea snails and crustaceans dot the beach, crusty
sand hiding the natural beauty of their intricate designs. A path from the forest
leads to the boardwalk that begins here and stretches back to the southern port,
offering a comfortable place to walk when the sand is blistering hot. Waves lap
invitingly at the edge of the pure white sand.
The sun has lifted itself from the rich indigo sea to the south, upstaging the stars into
mute, invisible orbs. The sky has become violet and gradually shifting to azure with
the new day.
[ Exits: anquil Beach (st), ardwalk Shore (st) ]
[ rving Lakeside Path (rth) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
You found a bloop!
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy heads north to the Curving Lakeside Path.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
West Elysium - Curving Lakeside Path
A well-worn dirt path winds lazily through the trees, leading travellers on a scenic tour
of the lush foliage, between lofty palm trees and through patches of soft broad-
leafed plants. Though the trail beckons along, the trees are thin and friendly,
inviting one to stray from the given path and venture into the interior of the island.
The sun has lifted itself from the rich indigo sea to the south, upstaging the stars into
mute, invisible orbs. The sky has become violet and gradually shifting to azure with
the new day.
[ Exits: lls (rth), wer Lake (st) ]
[ oreline Path (st), ashell Shore (uth) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy heads west to the Shoreline Path.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
West Elysium - Shoreline Path
A deep rut strikes purposefully through the grass here, leading up from the forest to the
cliff. The shoreline is rough and muddy; rocks have been placed along the edge to
prevent erosion from the ocean. A rough bamboo handrail lines the path to discourage
travellers from climbing over the edge as they climb toward the top of the hill.
The sun has lifted itself from the rich indigo sea to the south, upstaging the stars into
mute, invisible orbs. The sky has become violet and gradually shifting to azure with
the new day.
[ Exits: iff (rth), anquil Beach (uth) ]
[ rving Lakeside Path (st) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy heads north to the Cliff.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
West Elysium - Cliff Face
Bracketed by a southerly boardwalk and surrounded by bright green lawns speckled with
wildflowers, here extends a village community composed of cobblestone and weathered
redwood wood frames, shingles and doors. A ancient manor, made of ironwork and black
granite with flecks of gold interspersed, predominates the center looms, its spires
reach several stories into the sky. A massive ironwork gate, etched with a pattern of
ivy vines and leaves around the edges, leads to its interiors. A natural spring sits
at the edge, feeding the waterfall to the east.
The sun has lifted itself from the rich indigo sea to the south, upstaging the stars into
mute, invisible orbs. The sky has become violet and gradually shifting to azure with
the new day.
[ Exits: or, lls (st), lls ( Northeast) ]
[ oreline Path (uth) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy looks around town as he walks in. It's abandoned. Like as if the Martians are coming.
Jeremy rights a potted plant that's toppled over from the wind.
Jeremy indicates the castle. "That's where I live. Pretty standard fare for Topwarp, eh?" n.n
Jeremy sways his tail in a syne wave.

Kehari smiles a little, simply sightseeing with you as you show her around. "I haven't really been around Top much. I've been to the Ovon though. Rather creepy place that." She points to the manor. "Is that where the Throne is? I don't quite recall."

Jeremy says, "Yes, the Throne's in there. I live there too. I get the upper levels. The lower levels are public halls."
Jeremy goes inside the manor.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Elysium Manor - Front Hall
Fortified in strength and tempered in elegance, this room has a more serious aire than
the rest. Walls of stone, wooden borders recessed into hard embrace, bear each a
shield crossed by weapons and at their intersections, plum draperies hang with green
of forest's hue and gilded trim. At even intervals, hurricane lamps sit comfortably
on wrought iron and brass hangers, far enough apart to bring a misplaced cozy warmth
to the room and alternating with hanging ivies laced with violets, the purple
flitting through the waxy green. As wall meets floor, the jumbled stones fade into
inlays, a central table rising like an island amid the grey sea.
[ Exits: tside, urtyard (rth), ll Room (st>) ]
[ ception Hall (st) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy says, "Apparently, there were ball room dances every two weeks."
Jeremy heads north to the Courtyard.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Elysium Manor - Courtyard
Surrounded on all sides by the manor's weathered walls, the courtyard contrasts this with
paths of chess-tiles made of bloodstone and blue-veined marble meandering through
carefully maintained gardens of flowers and low shrubs, an occasional wood and
ironwork bench along the way. A fresh water fish pond burbles gently in the center,
ramparted by a pair of arcing fountains, each spraying water into the other's basins
several yards away, creating a continuous water arch.
The sun has lifted itself from the rich indigo sea to the south, upstaging the stars into
mute, invisible orbs. The sky has become violet and gradually shifting to azure with
the new day.
[ Exits: ning Hall (st), ont Hall (uth) ]
[ tting Room (st), rone Room (rth) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy looks at the fish to see how they are doing. 6.6

Kehari smiles and watches the water bounce between the fountains. "That's a rather nifty arrangement..."

Jeremy says, "The whole place is like this. The Victorians were really ardent about taking simple pleasures to new heights."
Jeremy avoids the Throne room. "Best not to go in there unannounced. It's tolerant of intrusions, but there's no need to bother it this time of morning."
Jeremy heads east to the Sitting Room.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Elysium Manor - Sitting Room
Warm and cheery, this comfortable room beckons you into its warmth, a brick fireplace set
out from the western wall containing a crackling, popping fire, a small waterclock in
a bell-jar upon the mantle. The hardwood panels of the floor stretch ever toward this
in an odd dance of symmetry, almost as if drawn to it, before disappearing
temporarily beneath an intricately woven oriental style rug, its roundness slightly
offset from the center of the room and bearing a table crafted exquisitely from
mahogany with dragon's paw legs. Around this, several plum padded chairs have been
arranged haphazardly with no real method to their madness while the couches in this
room are at right angles to each other, their order flaunted against the chaos. Thin
tables, coming to just below the arms of the couches, are stationed at each end of
those, supporting lamps whose frosted, white glass shades scintillate in the light of
the chandelier above.
[ Exits: urtyard (st), eat Room (rth) ]
[ ception Hall (uth) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
You found a bloop!
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy offers you a seat. "This is where informal business is discussed. Great place to take tea."

Kehari grins. "It looks like it would be."

Jeremy says, "Would you care for some? n.n"

Kehari smiles. "Certainly, if it wouldn't put you out..."

Jeremy wanders off forthrightly, and returns several minutes later with an earthenware teaset, consisting of two cups and a pot of hot water with a teaball in it. He sets it down on the table. There's even cream and sugar. "I hope orange spice is acceptable."
Jeremy serves Kehari a cup, pouring the dark amber fluid into it.

Kehari sits demurely, smiling and accepting the cup you offer her. "Thank you," she says, waiting.

Jeremy pours one for himself, with a little cream and sugar, stirring faintly with a spoon... -tinktinktink-
Jeremy curls up sidesaddle in one of the chairs. "I've hardly been suffering for anything other than want of companionship."
Jeremy takes a sip, whiskers quivering.

Kehari takes hers with a lump of sugar, letting it dissolve before before sipping carefully. "You could always come visit," she murmurs.

Jeremy nmphs, swallowing, "Visit where specifically?"
Jeremy curls his tail demurely into his own lap. Most of his posturing is effeminate, more than when you first met him. Very probably the influence of Elysium's decorum.

Kehari crosses her legs at the ankle, holding her cup with one hand and saucer with the other. "Me, in Zeta Sector."

Jeremy says, "Oh. I don't think I've been that deep into Upwarp. I've heard of Zeta sector. Isn't that where the discontented tend to accumulate? c.c"

Kehari hehs softly. "Not quite. It's just where they put the people that Omega thinks could be a little disruptive to the common order. The troublemakers, if you will."

Jeremy puts his feet together. "Is it safe to go there?"

Kehari giggles quietly. "Yes, it's safe. I wouldn't go to the Architect enclave though, but the rest should be fine."

Jeremy bristles. "They have an enclave there?!"
Jeremy spills his tea.
Jeremy immediately cleans it up, trying to regain his composure. "...you'd think people would be more wary of sadists..."

Kehari blinks and sets her tea down. "Er, yes, but they're nothing like the Victorians..." she begins, unsure just what has you so upset.
Kehari snorts softly. "Ah, I see you're familiar with them..."

Jeremy says, "Yes, I nearly became victim to the icon of the Architecture."
Jeremy says, "I won't be going about those parts, if you'll excuse me. u.u"
Jeremy looks gloomy. Apparently the memories haven't faded.

Kehari blinks, sitting up straight. "What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"

Jeremy says, "...Besax lured me into a false friendship with intentions to make a project out of me. I escaped, but others didn't."
Jeremy says, "Someone told me he was responsible for encouraging the downfall of Charlotte, whom I was fond of. A 10 year old backup of her... before the accident."
Jeremy broods darkly.

Kehari's face grows dark and she leans forward slightly, hands crossed in her lap. "Please continue," she says quietly.

Jeremy says, "I don't know what happened. Ever since she... started to mutate... I never felt like being in Upwarp. I still wonder if what she became is still out there."
Jeremy says, "I tried to tell her to forget about her new self. We could have gone to Topwarp and been happy. I had here in mind."
Jeremy says, "She didn't like the idea of there being two of her. It offended her sensibilities."
Jeremy says, "So... here I am. Magistrate of Elysium. The King, pro-temp."

Kehari silently moves from her seat to take a knee in front of you and take your hand in hers, listening, care and worry etched on her face.

Jeremy is very distraught inside, masking it with great difficulty.
Jeremy takes a few deep breaths. He almost starts to cry, but manages to diffuse it.
Jeremy squeezes your hand. "It's okay. This place is very nice. I don't know why I ever bother to leave it sometimes."

You say, "Jeremy... I..." She pauses and swallows, considering her words carefully before speaking again with a soft tone. "I'm sorry that you lost Charlotte, but Besax has his tentacles in quite a few things these days. It's very important to me that you tell me what Besax had to do with it..."
Kehari squeezes your hand back firmly.

Jeremy says, "I don't know, Kelly. I heard that... something happened in Strange to Charlotte. That Besax transformed her or something. I had already fled here by that time, and this is second-hand to me. The last I heard of Besax was that he had been nearly killed by Sosael and was imprisoned in the museum. Mel called it convalescing, but I don't think the plastic dragon wanted to tell anyone that he intended to keep him there an indefinite time beyond his recovery. Sel told me about what happened when he delivered one of the shipments of goods here in lieu of Mel. The museum supplies us with things that are acceptable to our standards, you see. Anyway, I heard that Besax walked free because of some battle between the library of Strange and the museum. I still don't understand why Mel saved besax in the first place."
Jeremy sulks. The fox wants the tentacle ferret 'dead, dead, dead'.

Kehari whispers, "The Library..." then leans in a little closer. "Jeremy, who told you that about Besax and Charlotte? How did he get involved with her in the first place? What's this mutation you spoke of? Please, Jeremy, this is /important/."

Jeremy squirms uncomfortably. "...It might have been Echo... I don't remember. She became... reptilian looking... deformed. Some sort of deal with someone in Strange to lure the other Charlotte to her doom so that she could take her place. I think they both got pulled into the Strange, and neither came out. At least not alive. I still have her backup--"
Jeremy stops, looking uncomfortable. "You can't tell anyone about that. Please don't."
Jeremy says, "It's all I have left of her."
Jeremy says, "I won't rebuild her, cause it would mean if Sophia's Charlotte died, she would be dead forever."
Jeremy tries to convince himself of this, "And that would be wrong."

Kehari shakes her head and squeezes your hand tightly. "No, I won't tell a soul Jeremy, not a soul," she whispers. "But... I... There are people very close to me that tread rather close to Besax, and I need to know what he did to her and why. I can't let that happen to Lyssie..."

Jeremy says, "I don't know what happened. It's all just rumors, rumors I didn't want to hear. I'd rather believe it's over. But I can tell you one thing. Anyone that consorts with Besax is on a path to a terrible fate. Just stay away from him!"
Jeremy looks pretty miserable now. Those wounds must have been pretty deep.

Kehari nods and stops her questioning. Whatever you may still know, she's plainly not going to get it now, and doesn't like seeing you in this condition to boot. She squeezes your hand again and leans forward to gently kiss the back of your palm. "Of course, of course, I'm sorry," she whispers. "Let's get some fresh air, mm?"

Jeremy puts the cup down. He stands up, taking a moment to pause, eyes closed, head lowered, a very visible attempt to assuage him of discomfort.
Jeremy says, "There's a landing upstairs with windows."
Jeremy says, "I like the view there..."

Kehari stands up with you, watching you quietly, a bit sad. She nods and follows...

Jeremy guides you.
Jeremy heads north to the Great Room.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Elysium Manor - Great Room
Your footsteps echo across a floor meant to convey sound, to rise it to the greatest heights. In the odd light of the golden-tinged crystal chandelier, a gigantic spiral stair winds ever upward as though chasing your footsteps to the sky, it's marble and wrought iron effectations bathed in the glow. Nearby too, a fireplace haunches upon the hearth like a beloved pet, the divan in front of it bathed in a wealth of green velvet with satin and glit pearling along the edges of the well-worn teakwood. High above, upon the walls whose stone should be warm for all the light in here, oriel windows peek out upon the surrounding landscape, eavesdropping on the weather but too high to tell its tale. A few other chairs, padded in plum or green or even a combination of the two, rest up against the wall under a banner of plum and green split in twain by a thin gold thread, but the fall under the strange shadow of unuse in a room meant for standing.
[ Exits: rone Room (st), tting Room (uth) ]
[ iral Staircase () ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy pads up the spiral stairs.
Jeremy heads up to the Spiral Staircase.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Elysium Manor - Spiral Staircase
As the stairs curve, a painting is revealed, placed evenly at head-height and balanced with perfect precision. Odd in its conception but glorious in its composition, this work portrays a citadel, rising up with might of stone, all angles pulling your gaze upward, upward, rests lightly atop an egg shaped stone above a sea far below and a sunset painting the midnight sky in a wash of rose, vermillion, chamomile and indigo.
[ Exits: nding (), eat Room (wn) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy heads up to the Landing.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Elysium Manor - Landing
This comfortable corner space, plum carpet cropped respectably short, points its travelers toward the other hallways. Only the large three-paneled, bay window with its telescope draws any attention here. Made of brass and set quaintly on a tripod atop wood, the contraption is facing upward and out, everwatching the quiet sky. A small stool is also here, provided for those needing a rest.
[ Exits: udy (uth), iral Staircase (wn) ]
[ ux Forest Room (st) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy stands by the telescope, looking out the window. He sighs and offers an epilogue, "... If you want someone's help with Besax, don't ask me. What I know of him is as minimal as I can possibly make it. Each thought with him in it weighs upon me into an insurmountable fashion. Ask someone who has no flesh to rend or heart to break, but not I."

Kehari stands behind you for a moment, humbled by the weight of sorrow you've displayed. She steps up behind you, footfalls almost silent on the carpet, and places her hands on your shoulders, rests her muzzle along your cheek. "I won't ask again," she murmurs. "I'm sorry for... your loss..."

Jeremy lets out a slow breath. "I appreciate your company." He turns his head slightly, his cheekruff brushing the side of your face. "I'm more sorry than you know that I can't help you. If there were anything I could do that would stop Besax, I would. Nothing is going to bring back what could have been now, though. Just be wary of him, no matter how wide he smiles."

Kehari's hands slide forward, pulling you into her gentle embrace. "I will," she murmurs, slowly rubbing cheek against cheek. "If there's anything I can do for you, please, let me know. I'll understand if you don't want to come visit me in Zeta, though you'd be safe inside the complex walls, but I'm always available over the datanets so you can always contact me that way..."

Jeremy says, "Yes... well... there aren't any terminals for the datanet here, but I suppose if I took the steamship I might be near one soon enough."

Kehari chuckles softly and gives you a little squeeze. "I'd give you a portable one if you'd use it."

Jeremy says, "It'd be against the rules here. The Throne might frown on it... It sees and hears what I see and hear."
Jeremy says, "We're not without our cruder means here. Still very effective."
Jeremy says, "I'm worried though. Why are your friends associating with Besax?"

Kehari nods a little. "I figured as much," she says, cheery though still a little disappointed. "My friends... Well, they're rather new around here. I don't think they quite understand what he's capable of. Heck, I'm not sure I understand it, for that matter."

Jeremy says, "Wait... I do have other things to tell you. Diafeara... Diafeara and I were once close for a short period of time... before I found out she was equally close -- if not more so -- to Besax."
Jeremy says, "We've been estranged since, but not hostile. I just don't want to be near her. I'm just afraid he'll... compell her to do something to me without her realizing."

Kehari purses her lips at Dia's name. "Dia marches to the beat of her own drum. She's a sociopath, I think there's little you could have done about the situation."

Jeremy nods a little sadly. "That one... didn't survive long enough to blossom for me."

Kehari murmurs, "Then perhaps you have something to thank Besax for after all..."

Jeremy says, "Cause and effect in this case... I don't believe she would be so bad if Besax were not there urging her on."
Jeremy rests a hand against the telescope, his other clasping one of your hands where it rests upon him.
Jeremy says, "I'm not going to regret knowing you better, will I?"

Kehari lets her fingers slide open to lace and clasp with yours. "That's entirely up to you, Jeremy" she murmurs softly. "There are things about me that are in opposition to, well, Top in general. There are aspects of me that I think you would find very sweet and endearing. I'm complicated like anyone else, perhaps more so because of my nature. But I'll never knowingly hurt you, and I'll do whatever I can to make sure you don't get hurt."

Jeremy says, "I'm not originally, nor am I completely, a victorian. I came from a place similar to your own world. It was not as reserved. I just chose this place for safety. Well, that and I always liked romantic turn of the century fashions. ...I don't believe people should own each other."
Jeremy squeezes your hand gently, his tail brushing against yours.
Jeremy says, "I've wanted to speak with you for some time, but... I've never felt comfortable in front of the others, nor did I want to interrupt your activities."
Jeremy says, "To be blunt, there are few of we fox folk, even those of us who elected this form."

Kehari grins slowly and hugs you back against herself. "I have to admit that I'm glad to see a familiar bodyform that isn't holographic or fake. But, uh..." She reaches up and taps the tag on her collar. "...If you get involved with me, you're going to have to deal with this part of my life."

Jeremy says, "Yes, well... I've gotten to accept no one in this place is a wallflower moreso than I. I'd rather not know about it, honestly. Those sort of collars don't suit foxes..." He pauses, fingering his own high collar and tie selfconciously, "...but that's your own business and certainly your right."

Kehari nods. "I won't fill you in on the gory details, then. Suffice it to say it's a very personal decision, in some ways like a marriage ring." She leans forward to kiss your cheek.

Jeremy smiles a little. "I assume this doesn't exclude you from some things, but does mean you won't be moving in with me any time soon..."

Kehari laughs and gasps in mock-horror. "Move in with you out of wedlock? What would the neighbors think?"

Jeremy almost perspires, "Goodness no. Though the neighbours aren't very nearby. This collective... accepts concessions that are handled privately. There are things that as a non-Elysian you cannot know of, but suffice to say that we have our wild sides. Fox hunting has a different meaning here."
Jeremy looks at Kehari with a warm vulpine gaze.

Kehari's eyebrows begin a slow migration up her forehead. ^_^ "Well...well...well... I don't think I'd mind a little fox hunting of my own," she says with a slowly spreading grin.

Jeremy says, "Would you like to see some of the other rooms up here? There's a delightful indoor garden and a sun room."
Jeremy mrms slightly, "Someone is exercising her right as vixen to claim a tod?" He splays his ears.
Jeremy says, "The things collected up here from my predecessors are fascinating. The Elysians were very stubborn about creating technology that was in fashion but still quite powerful."
Jeremy heads south to the Study.

Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Elysium Manor - Study
The silence here is undermined by the constant ticking and whirring of so many unseen gadgets, some of the noises coming from on or beneath the boat of a desk to one side, others from the room-surrounding bookshelves that span floor to ceiling. Displaying everything from the common to the mundane, those shelves are crammed to full so that, interspersed between the tomes of old and new alike, are any manner of things including music boxes with rosewood carvings, a few silly sculptures which appear to have no purpose and other unrecognizable knicknacks. Actually much larger than it looks, the floor space is taken over by a throne-like, leather chair or two and by the desk as well as a few piles of who can say what. Where there are gaps in the bookshelves, windows peer to the outside and torch-style floor lamps of brass and wood add light to this overwise cave of conception.
[ Exits: nding (rth), sic Room (uth) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy says, "In the eastern part of the island, I discovered multiple dewars that contained survivors from before Elysium's abandonment."

Kehari grins, perhaps a little hungrily. "Perhaps someone is, but who knows how long it'll take her to track him down..." She gives you a wink and another little squeeze, then follows along. "How did they preserve someone with Victorian-level technology?"

Jeremy says, "An otter, a dragon, and a vixen. ...Yes, there's another vulpine lady, but she's rather young and inexperienced. I don't think it... appropriate to know her as more than a friend. ...Yes, that is rather amazing, isn't it? They used a difference engine and monitors, as well as geothermal collection to power the devices using sterling engines to create a glass-freezing state. Electricity was used to revive. They were not in a damaged state."
Jeremy says, "Geoff, Ms. Blake, and Anthony. Anthony was apparently a royal advisor."
Jeremy says, "He's been very supportive."
Jeremy says, "Geoff... well, we're working out our relationship still."

Kehari tilts her head. "What's going on with him?"

Jeremy says, "He's used to having a clear idea of his position in society."
Jeremy says, "Having a society of a half dozen with no servants is very aggravating for him."
Jeremy says, "and I'm technically an outsider."
Jeremy says, "acceptable within reason, but... king pro-temp? He's not pleased. I can see that."

Kehari snorts softly. "Offer him the Throne?"

Jeremy says, "Oh heavens no -- he doesn't want that... that would mean he'd have to work."
Jeremy says, "He just wants a comfortable life, with servants, good food, and as many lovers as his tongue can handle."

You say, "Ah, so he's just a whiner. I see."

Jeremy says, "Well... yes, I suppose that's a succinct way of putting it."
Jeremy leans against the desk. "We're working it out. He's still distrustful."

Kehari smiles sympathetically. "Hopefully he'll come around. It's not like you chose this situation..."

Jeremy says, "Well, I did, but I didn't steal it."

Kehari nods. "Well, yes. That's what I meant."

Jeremy says, "There's a game room over here."
Jeremy heads south to the Music Room.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Elysium Manor - Music Room
A dark stained mahogany grand piano with brass filigree inlays and a sweeping orchestral harp with faintly pearlescent strings dominate the center of this baroque room, the whole of which is padded in soft indigo carpeting. The walls are painted solid dark ocean blue surmounted by turquoise fresco work depicting ocean waves. the sea foam silver and reflective. A crystal chandelier hangs down from an elaborate plaster ceiling centerpiece of interwined dolphins, the tiny prisms within the fixture casting faint plays of rainbow light across their relief sculpted forms.
[ Exits: udy (rth), mes Parlor (st) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy says, "Well, past all these archaic musical instruments."
Jeremy fans his fingers over the strings of the harp, making a tone casualty.

Kehari smiles and hums a few notes in perfect tune with the harp's tones.

Jeremy says, "Musically inclined, are we?"

Kehari chuckles knowingly. "You could say that, yes..."

Jeremy plucks a string. (C5) "Do you have any favorite instruments?"

Kehari slowly strolls over towards you, one lazy step at a time. "Myself."

Jeremy says, "A singer then? You do have a lovely voice..."

Kehari stops next to you and looks at you with a warm smile. "Singing is my main musical activity now, yes. Would you like to hear a sample?"

Jeremy says, "I most certainly would."
Jeremy has a seat, crossing his legs.

Kehari turns to face you and wets her lips, then takes a calm breath and starts out with a single clear tone. Those in the know would recognize it as her carrier tone, the tone she uses to start the Song. You hear it and feel... comfort. It's as if she's somehow reached directly into your mind and is just layering Comfort into you. This Is Good.

Jeremy is easily enraptured, his eyes glittering, ears forwards.
Jeremy noticeably relaxes, more than you've ever seen him in your times in his presence.

Kehari smiles around the Song when she sees your reaction. Good, you're not freaked out. You're actually the first person she's ever just sprung this on. She stars moving through more pure tones, singing without words but with feelings, simple feelings and emotions appearing like scents of cooking in a kitchen. Comfort. Excitement! ...an odd sort of dread... Pleasure :) Wonderment?! Each one comes and goes like a gently pulsing light, like some sampler platter of [human] emotion.

Jeremy floats upon the dulcet tones, eyes slowly closing to those delightful oblique smiling fox-eyes. His muzzle rises towards the ceiling, his ears splaying a little, collecting them lovely musical emotions, drawing them from the vibrating air. Each change bringing his lips into different positions. Smiling, agape, unnerved? Ooooohhhh... Ahhhh! The synaesthesia makes his fur fluff.

Kehari lets the Song taper off to silence and stands before you smiling, hands folded in front of her.

Jeremy slowly moves his head from side to side, and then opens his eyes, smiling brightly. He claps his hands together, and then stops. "...people do clap when they are pleased from where you come from, do they?" (sheepish grin)

Kehari chuckles and nods. "Yes, they do," she says, oddly bashful. "What did you think?"

Jeremy says, "I thought of many things. Music tends to evoke imaginings for me. It's sort of odd, because I don't really have to imagine things much anymore. They pretty much are out there... in the Mess."
Jeremy says, "Oh. It was beautiful, the music. Sorry, I thought you meant what I /thought of/. Music does that to me."

Kehari grins a little wider. "No no, that's fine, that's good. That's just what I wanted to hear, actually."

Jeremy is silent for a moment, a little awe-struck and somewhat embarrassed for being so passioned.
Jeremy says, "I used to compose music a little, but it's been at least a century."

Kehari nods a little, indicating you with her muzzle. "I did that to you."

Jeremy says, "Yes, you did. Your voice is... full of color."
Jeremy says, "Is it augmented somehow?"

Kehari considers her words. "It's... yes, augmented, you might say. I'm glad you like it."

Jeremy says, "Do you sing as a profession at all?"
Jeremy gets up slowly, shaking his tail.

Kehari grins crookedly and shakes her head. "I don't do anything as a profession."

Jeremy says, "I suppose no one really does anymore out in the Mess, come to think of it..."
Jeremy offers to take you around by the hand. ("Hopon Jeremy" to accept.)
Jeremy says, "I'll show you around a bit more, if you like?"

You say, "I simply do what I like, and I do like singing. Sure, I'd like that."
You take Jeremy's hand firmly in yours.

Jeremy heads west to the Games Parlor.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Elysium Manor - Games Parlor
Rich green carpet extends throughout this entire room, bordered by solid oak and maple wood paneling, the whole room lit by the soft ambience of a single light orb. Most of the wall space is filled with clockwork arcade machines, most wonders of gadgeteering. More traditional board and card games are stored shelves along one wall, a large hexagon-tiled war-room table -- accompanied by a platoon of chairs -- awaiting their deployment upon its surface in the center of the room.
[ Exits: n Room (st), sic Room (st) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy says, "All manner of clockwork amusements..."
Jeremy says, "And not so powered... board and card games... funny, you don't really see games out in the Mess."
Jeremy fiddles with a Baffle Ball game. *sproing*

Kehari stops by a brass and ivory pachinko machine. "Most games in the Mess tend towards the extravagant and deadly. When death is an irritant, there's no need to fear it."

Jeremy says, "You keep reminding me why I don't leave the island very often. c.c;"
Jeremy says, "I feel like a little boy. u.u"

Kehari shrugs and turns to you. "Why? Because you're not all shiny and exotic?"

Jeremy says, "Because everything out in the Mess is seems so... dangerous."
Jeremy says, "I guess I should explain..."
Jeremy says, "Do you see this ball here? The one in the chute? That's me..."

Kehari watches patiently.

Jeremy flicks it up the board. It teeters around and lands on the baffle spot, where it sticks. "Okay. There. Now, see this next ball in the chute?"
Jeremy says, "The Mess says that ball is me. It looks like the last ball, and will act like the last ball till it leaves the chute. Then it's on it's own path again."
Jeremy says, "I don't believe that ball is me. Cause that..." *taps on the spot where the other ball is stuck* "That is me.""

Kehari raises a finger and walks over to the board. "But your analogy is flawed, you see..."

Jeremy says, "How so?"

Kehari takes the ball from the baffle spot and places it at the mouth of the chute. "To actually demonstrate this, you have to use your imagination a little. This is you, shooting out of the chute after launch. You're moving out of the chute and onto the board, which is the Mess. This is /always/ you, at this instant right here. Now, when you die, this ball is suddenly in the gutter, gone, and the next ball launched becomes you again, at the same spot you were at when you guttered. Your state never changes beyond the actual physical transition."

Jeremy says, "Yes, but there's a break in continuity. At death, consciousness is broken, for an instant. Is there any way to know if the copy, even a perfect one, actually contains who we? To the outside world, it's impossible to tell... But is that good enough?"

Kehari spreads a hand. "Isn't there a break in continuity if you're unconscious? You don't know you exist in that time, yet you wake up and remember everything previous."

Jeremy says, "Yes, but... death is involved clearly in one -- and external factor. Sleep is natural to an organic lifeform."
Jeremy says, "I know it's very archaic and distrustful. LIke thinking that because someone is in a coma and then awakens later, they are no longer the same person..."

You say, "But isn't death natural as well? And can't I drug you or hit you in the head, and make you sleep?"

Jeremy steps back, alarmed.

Kehari smiles and rolls her eyes a little. "I'm not going to, I was just using it as an example."

Jeremy says, "Death is a failure of a system to continue. That's not what I meant by natural. I may be a victorian, but I'm not a mortalist or a luddite at heart. I just don't trust the Mess to make anything more than a copy of me. I treat this life as if it were my only one."
Jeremy says, "And that means... I treat this game... as if I had only one ball to play with."

Kehari palms the ball in her hand and points to the other one in the chute. "Then this one... is you."

Jeremy says, "I may have many many more plays. Back on my world, it was believed without evidence in some ideologies, this was so."

Kehari points to the playing field. "And that's the Mess."

Jeremy says, "And I'm not willing... to pull the plunger back."
Jeremy sags his shoulders a little.
Jeremy says, "I'm sacred when I do die, I'll wake up, and remember this... and wonder forever if the real me actually is gone forever, and that I'm just imagining continuance. This is an age old question, but this place brings it into a very real light."
Jeremy says, "I am backed up on the Mess system. It's a fiction that I'm a single lifer..."
Jeremy says, "I just want everyone to treat me that way, cause I am not sure myself."

Kehari blinks. "...Does anyone know that?"

Jeremy says, "It's a very old copy, honestly..."
Jeremy says, "The Mess backs you up when you arrive."
Jeremy says, "After that, it supposedly gives the option to do so at the mirrors. I've been denying it."

You say, "Yes but you can opt out of the system completely. I have."

Jeremy says, "Because so far, I have nothing I really care to remember anyway. Nothing that really matters to me."
Jeremy says, "I'm not that brave. I don't have an alternative system."
Jeremy says, "Not like Mel and the Museum. Nor am I simply tough enough to not care, like... Twin I guess."
Jeremy says, "I don't know if anyone knows about my backup status. The functions maybe... I suppose it could be looked up."

Kehari shakes her head slightly. "So, wait a minute. You don't trust the backup system to keep you as you, yet you're afraid to opt out of the system itself?"

Jeremy says, "It's better something of me lives on, even if I'm not sure."
Jeremy says, "Can I not be distrustful of it, but still treat it as a better option than obliteration?"
Jeremy rubs his cheekruff selfconciously, looking to the side.

Kehari steps forward to place a hand on your arm. "But why start over from scratch? Sure, distrust it, but if you're going to use it, then use it right. Why lose everything you've experienced here to date?"

Jeremy says, "I feel like I've lost more than I've gained since I've been here..."
Jeremy says, "I know that memories make who we are... but right now, I like who I was more than what I've become."

Kehari lets the pregnant pause stretch out, then, quietly, "Then shall I kill you now and reset you? I'll even do you the favor of disposing of Charlotte's backup."

Jeremy just narrows his eyes at you. "The Throne won't let you. I'm useful and purposed." He looks away again, "...even if not happy."
Jeremy says, "Where there is life, there's hope."
Jeremy says, "Kelly. If I die, and I am restored, at least I'll have the peace of mind of never knowing this quandary of my continuance ever came to pass."
Jeremy says, "That is why it currently is set at initialized original."

Kehari continues in a conversational tone. "I don't think the Throne could stop me if I tried. I can eradicate everything within a radius with the flip of a bit. Not to say I will, but I can. But you're not happy with your life, at all. If I offered you that option, would you take it? Make all of this go away and start over again?"

Jeremy rubs his muzzle and sighs, "You're forgetting that you'd be killing what I believe is the only real me. I have to continue. I have to keep trying. That backup... let it have the blissful ignorance of never knowing that I don't even believe my original home even existed now..."
Jeremy says, "I know you're being hypothetical, but casualness about death disturbs me greatly."

Kehari nods slowly and looks back at the baffle ball board. "I'm sorry, I'll stop now."

Jeremy is uncomfortably silent, troubled, and definitely uncomfortable.

Kehari nibbles her lip for a moment, makes some quick computations, and flicks the plunger. "Hey, look at that, first try."
The ball rests neatly in the baffle spot.

Jeremy says, "...that's pretty good. Cybernetic enhancements? Sort of makes the game pointless, really... (he smiles when he says that.)"

Kehari shakes her head and looks back at you. "Nope. Oh, I figured out the angle and force required, but in the end it was all this." She holds up her hand and wiggles her index finger at you.

Jeremy grins a little. "All in the fingers, is it?"

Kehari smiles and takes the ball and places it back in the chute. "I don't know. Let's see. The ball's been there once before, it should know the way back, right? Let's watch." She turns and stares at the ball patiently.

Jeremy watches as well, perplexed for a moment. c.c

Kehari lets the charade go on for a moment or two before looking up at you. "Huh. I guess it needs my finger after all. But I bet it's a happy ball. I bet it remembers landing in the baffle spot. And look, here it is at the beginning again." She lays her finger on the plunger and quirks an eyebrow at you. "What do you think? Does it deserve a chance to try landing there again?"

Jeremy covers his eyes. "You're going to be insistent, aren't you? Let the ball know the way, you're saying? Give it the choice to know what lies ahead?"

You say, "I'm saying don't give up on the ball. Maybe it'll hit. Maybe it'll miss." She flicks the plunger and the ball goes wide, carroming off a bumper and landing in a doubles pocket. "But let the ball keep trying." She deftly plucks the ball from the pocket with her fingers and presents it to you with a smile. "After all, it's just a ball."

Jeremy considers the ball for a moment. He plucks it lightly from your fingers. "If my memories get better, then I'll certainly consider leaving my reborn self the legacy. I suppose since you know me, you'd just tell my reborn self everything anyway. Information wants to be freed."

You say, "Information wants to survive. Leaving your only backup as the fresh one made when you arrived only serves to do the next you a disfavor by denying it the memories it would only be able to gain second-handed from the people that decided to share them. How would you feel to have awakened here, disoriented and frightened, and find out that everyone knew you to boot?"

Jeremy says, "I hadn't thought about that..."
Jeremy frowns. "I'd be pretty angry at myself."
Jeremy says, "I still wish I could undo... some of what has been done."

Kehari smiles tenderly. "A lot of people wish for that, hon. I think it's the one thing the Mess won't deliver."

Jeremy says, "We... should move on... Life isn't a game." He sets the ball down into the tray. "...even if it has infinite plays.""

Jeremy heads west to the Sun Room.
Jeremy has left.
Jeremy takes you along with him, holding your hand.
Elysium Manor - Sun Room
The two outer walls and the ceiling of this chamber are missing, replaced by an ironwork dome webbed with with odd-shaped glass panels averaging a foot across each. A set of ironwork lounges, chairs, and a glass top table or two allows for unadulterated sunbathing. A large kaledioscope, with three separate wind-driven stained-glass wheels, mounted on a large stand, sits arranged with mirrors to project changing patterns on the floor and back walls from the sunlight if the residents so desire it.
[ Exits: mes Parlor (st), door Gardens (rth) ]

Contents:
Jeremy
Jeremy brings Kehari with him, holding hands.

Jeremy turns the gaslights up in here.
Jeremy looks out over the island from the huge sun-room windows.
Jeremy says, "I'll... go ahead and opt in a new version of myself when I next leave the island."

Kehari walks along with you, stopping next to you at the windows and looking out at the landscape. "Life is a game, hon. If you get a gutter ball, you just try again harder. Otherwise, sooner or later, you'll end up never leaving the chute." She turns with a smile and leans over, gently kissing your cheek. "Thank you," she murmurs.

Jeremy is probably ear blushing, but it's hard to see in the warm torchlight.

Kehari murmurs, "Would you want to forget that?"

Jeremy says, "...No. No, certainly not. Or your singing..."

Kehari smiles gently and noses your cheekruff again. "I'll forgo the rest of this philosophical discussion, then."

Jeremy says, "You aren't shaming me or anything... I should have considered the reprocussions more clearly."

Kehari shakes her head a little and nibbles on your cheekruff. "Mmmmh. I didn't mean to try to shame you. I just wanted to make my point, and I'm glad that I did..."

Jeremy smiles, slightly bashful about it. He suspects you have an infallible plan to make him want to save tonight in his memory.

Kehari does indeed have a plan, but it's a long-range one. This is as good a time to set it into motion though... She noses at you again, sifting through your soft fur. "Would you do me the favor of kissing me tonight?" she whispers, body-close to you.

Jeremy gets extremely warm, and licks his nose. He doesn't say anything, possibly out of nervous anticipation. He buries his nose in one of your cheekruffs. You think you feel something briefly touch there, warm, possibly moist. He sighs. At least /he/ thought it was a real kiss.

Yes, a long-range plan indeed... The vixen smiles and nuzzles against your cheek in return. "You're a good person, Jeremy. I just want to help you enjoy yourself. You've had a hard time of it and you deserve good things."

Jeremy doesn't know what to say. He's getting you wet though. You notice he's crying quietly.

Kehari's heart quietly breaks and she simply turns to hug you against her, arm around your back and the other around your shoulders, dipping her head against yours as her hand cradles your neck. She doesn't speak again, she simply tries to comfort you with her presence.

Jeremy doesn't even make a whimper. He just cries in the low light, eyes closed, breathing softly. Your suit is getting a bit damp on the shoulder. His feet shift slightly, but his tail remains unmoving. He strokes your back softly, rhythmically.

Kehari's suit doesn't do any of the nifty tricks it can do like dry itself or wipe your eyes or anything. It's just a suit, much like she's just a vixen, warm body, friend, possibly more, here for you now, sole witness for your silent confession. Her hand gently pets you, over your head and neck.

Jeremy mrms softly, his crying abating slowly. He sniffles. "That felt good."

Kehari murmurs, "I'm glad..." She smiles and gently kisses your cheek.

Jeremy looks out he window. "It's late out... I shouldn't keep you to myself all night."

Kehari smiles a little at that. "I'm a pretty popular vixen, I'm finding."

Jeremy fingers the tags on the collar, just the slightest hint of a frown there, but masked strongly. You know he doesn't want to make an issue of it.
Jeremy says, "Vixens always are..."
Jeremy brushes your ear back with his fingers.

Kehari smiles gently, her ears wiggling a little. "Lysette's a wonderful person," she murmurs. "I trust her utterly."

Jeremy says, "I don't know if we've met or not. I'm sure that will eventually happen."

Kehari nods slowly. "I'm sure you will. Thank you for respecting my decision..." She gives you another little nuzzle.

Jeremy rests against you, and slowly relaxs. Over time, he grows heavier and heavier. Your suspicions are confirmed when he 'sznx'es in your ear. -.-

Kehari just grins to herself, finding the entire thing rather sweet. She gently scoops you into her arms and moves to the bedroom, tucking you into bed (still clothed!) and finding her way out. ^_^