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[As much as Naoki's wanted to say some of this since... well, since halfway through the mess in Misericordia, he decided to hold off and gather his thoughts first. As bad as that was for him and Kanji, it was worse for other people, and from what he's gathered the other jaunt wasn't exactly a picnic either. And then there was the party, and making that many drinks is more attention-consuming than you might think - and, well, no point in dumping that on people in the same moment as Armin-san's list of the departed. But he doesn't want this to wait until after the next jaunt.

It may not make a whole lot of sense to the new people, but hey, they can get explanations along the way.]

Okay. Now that we've all had a little time to decompress, I have a couple things I want to get on the table.

We need to start pooling information about where we've been, considering how often lately it's turned out to be where at least some of us are going. I know there's not much to be done about Moebius or anything that came before it, but... if we'd had more than half-panicked half-information halfway through everything in Misericordia, we might've been able to save some of our group a world of hurt. I'm not looking to cast blame for what's already happened, I'm looking to improve our chances going forward. [Alcuin and Ambrose tried, and it's not their fault things happened as they did.]

Whenever we can be prepared, there's no reason we shouldn't be. I'm sure some of us have been keeping private records, but we need something everyone can get to. If we can keep a log of the basics of these places - the nuts and bolts, maybe a note of what Trumps showed up if any - it'll help keep us out of a little trouble, anyway. I don't know the best way to do something like this, but I think we need at least one physical copy, since not everyone can work backwards on the network. Probably multiple copies of it, to cover for split groups and infiltrating and all that. A computer that people could Interface the information from might work, but that runs into the same storage issues, not to mention needing a computer for it in the first place.

Helena-san's trying to write up Purgatory as a story. We settled on trying that one because I know the most about it of anything I've been here for but she hadn't. Depending on how well that goes, she'll probably want to talk to people about some of the others, and either way I think we'll have a starting point.

If anyone's willing to help, donate notes, offer a place to keep everything, whatever - I'll take any help I can get with this thing. It's a resource we need, especially if the split-group situation keeps happening.

Another thing that came up in Misericordia before everything went to hell was the idea of trying to run a Sift on a familiar face. This one I'm mostly leaving to everyone who kept Sift - I bet the parameters would be tricky, from what Naoto's said about it before, but establishing a good set would give everyone a chance to try it, next time we run into one of them. All I can really offer on that end is my Assistance, if I'm there and myself when the chance comes.

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...I don't know who all kept it. One of Ambrose-san or Alcuin-san, since Ambrose-san was the one interested in trying it in Misericordia. I doubt they're the only ones, but we don't exactly have lists of these things.

I could definitely teach you Assist, though.

I like the sound of it. Is it useful for other applications besides just boosting Sift?

[Even if the use is limited, Lupa imagines that Gale would be very interested in learning Sift, and the idea of being able to help him with it is a pleasing one.]

It's the most effective on other Grid skills, but it can boost other things too. Not as well, though.

Naoto created it, actually. Or, well, her overlay did.

Then it will be very useful and I am honored to learn something she created.

Just let me know when.

Any time you would like to do it. There is very little I have planned to do, and improving myself is always a worthy effort.

Now would work for me. Where are you?

I'm in the room I created. The door is next to the door to the workshop, and is metal with a mandala decoration. It will be open for you.

I'll come find you.

Action

[It... takes some doing, with the stupid treadmills, but Naoki gets to Lupa's door before too terribly long, and knocks.] Lupa-san?

[Lupa's voice sounds from inside, along with a sound that's probably rain.]

Come in, Naoki.

[Inside is... outside, sort of. The door opens onto what appears to be a small courtyard facing a cliff. The cliff has been carved into, creating facades of what Naoki might recognize as temples set right into the rock. There are columns and sculptures, many showing at least minor damage if not major damage, and large steel doors like the one Naoki just came through, obviously much later additions. The ground of the courtyard is dominated by a large mandala, made of different colored inlaid stones, each about the size of a closed fist. The very center has been lifted and moved aside, revealing a ladder down.

Lupa, however, is sitting on a column that had fallen and shattered (the replacement is inelegantly repurposed steel beams), not at all concerned about the falling rain or how wet he is, and gives Naoki a small smile.]

I can change it, if the rain bothers you.

Someplace to sit out of it would be a little better, but it's at least a nice change of pace from that snow a while back. Nice place.

[Because it is, and for as fraught as Lupa's pre-Traveling life was, this has to be somewhere with good memories if he went to the trouble to recreate it.]

[Lupa nods once and then stands up.]

I think we might need to be outside while I change it. I cannot make enough space to get inside from here.

[The space limitations are a little bit frustrating, but Lupa knows he will master a way to make more soon enough.

He does take a moment to look out at the landscape his lack of skill makes inaccessable from here--instead it's blocked, one side of the door by a tank flipped and torn in two, and another by what appears to be a strangely glowing wall of energy. Seen beyond/through the obstacles is a ruined cityscape, with a variety of buildings. One skyscraper is still partly standing, although any glass is long gone, and it has a skeletal look, and there's plenty of damage and patchwork up repairs to be found. Strangely interspersed between the ultra-modern ruins are ancient buildings more in the style of the cave-temples behind. In the far distance can be faintly seen a massive tower, limned in pale purple light and ascending up well past the dark gray clouds dropping rain over the entire landscape.]

[That landscape is more than a little pause-giving, but Naoki has enough context not to question it. But he nods.]

That's fine. I'd imagine Kanji trying to do anything fancy with his space right now would take the same thing.

[Which means he might never get a chance to find out before he gets more space, the way Istas-san and Souji-san keep eating everything in sight there.]

It does take significant concentration.

[Lupa exits the door and waits for Naoki to join him before starting. He closes his eyes and the door seems to wobble in place, like it’s not sure if it’s there at all, or what it should be. When the door settles, Lupa opens it and it’s an inside space. Clearly one of the interiors of the cliffside temples, with columns along the sides, and the walls carved into to make stone benches. The center of the room boasts a utilitarian temple, set as if for a meal. Sort of. There are metal cups of water, at any rate?]

This should suffice, unless you need something in particular to teach the skill?

[Well, cups of water will do. Naoki's not going to think too hard about the probable nature of the meal, even though he knows Lupa-san can't help it.]

No, this should be fine. I was thinking about how to pass it on on the way over here, actually, and I think the easiest way would be to just Interface it to you. Good thing I picked that up a while back.

[The meals in this particular room would have been the most awful, bland rations and water. There’s a reason some of the Junkyard residents turned so wholeheartedly to their new diet. Flavor being a novel and tempting concept and all. Lupa, however, keeps the room in mind for a different reason than food.]

Interface is a useful skill. That should work.

[Lupa sits down as he talks, gesturing Naoki to take the place beside him on the stone bench.]

It is, but I had to pick it up after the fact. For whatever reason, I didn't leave with it, but what I did leave with's pretty great, I think. [Between Assist, the control panel thing, and the sweet cloak... well, okay, the last one was special circumstances.

In any case, he holds out a hand for the Interface. Ready when you are, Lupa.]

I am glad that we can learn and teach each other new skills. It is a good thing to progress and become stronger and more able to defend each other.

[Lupa goes thoughtful as he reaches out to take Naoki’s hand.]

I wonder if I could teach someone skills and magic I knew before I arrived?

...Maybe. I doubt you'd want to try to teach the whole demon thing, but I don't see why you couldn't teach something else. People tend to focus on things we pick up here, but that doesn't mean things we know from home aren't just as useful.

[Anyway, Naoki's got an Interface to be getting on with. Not even a full second after he starts sharing the skill knowledge, his eyes flash yellow for a moment - but only a moment, since he's not actively using Assist just now.

He wonders for a moment if it'd predispose Lupa to infiltrate with the Revolutionaries, should they return to the Grid - but then again, probably not. Who knows what controls that end of things, and besides, people have passed around other Grid skills.]

[The yellow attracts Lupa’s attention, but he knows that Naoki isn’t a Solid, and so puts aside the questions for after the information is passed on. He’s very quiet during the interface, willing to share in return if something is asked for, but mostly accepting and sorting through the information he’s being given. When it ends, he nods once.]

That is straightforward enough; thank you. Your eyes were yellow for a moment; is that related to the skill?

[After a short pause, he picks up the previous thread as if it hadn’t been temporarily dropped for the interface.]

Fortunately, the demons is a virus, and I don’t believe it can be transferred between people. Sera would know better. Mantra and magic might be teachable, though? I could also teach other skills, such as firearms, if necessary.

[Naoki nods.] Faction color. Miners were blue, Defenders red, Cryptos green, Automata purple, and Variables - the investigators - were white. The eye thing kind of freaked me out the first time I saw it - I mean, you saw Naoto's Shadow. But it's not a bad thing.

I'm sure you could find people who'd take you up on lessons of any kind.

Like the Junkyard, in a way. Being without our color is worse than being without armor.

[Not physically, of course, but Lupa doesn’t quite know how to explain the feeling.]

The Wolves are white. The Solids were yellow. Not the same shade, but there is still some similarity.

[The way something unhappy flickers over his expression is implication that the Solids weren't well-lked.]

If there is something I know that someone wishes to learn, I would teach it to them. They only need to ask.

[He has some reservations about some things, but even those he could overcome, depending on who's asking.]

I'm sorry you came in with bad associations, then. [He gets it, in a way, at least related to where the Grid's color scheme tends to pop up most now.]

And if people want to know, I'm sure they will.

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