synopsychic | A pacifist and a lion walk into an alleyway...

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A pacifist and a lion walk into an alleyway...

... I hate to interrupt, but I was wondering something.

Is there any precedent for a companion - that is to say, a spirit animal, a pet, or similar - infiltrating when the person they are bound to is not?

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For that, I'm uncertain, but I have personal knowledge of the opposite. Lady Shirogane's cat, Magnus, is himself, while she is infiltrating as a Manticore Knight.

Usually happens the other way round, doesn't it? When they end up hangin' back in Liminal? But ... man. That's a good question.
What's up? Worried about Marzocco?

I was aware that such things could happen the reverse, as Marzocco has been himself more than once when I have infiltrated, but...

[There is a growing sense of discomfort over the Network.]

That is the trouble, figlio... I just saw Marzocco. And he did not recognize me.

Hm...now that you mention it, I wonder what happened to Thorne's Spirit Companion when her overlay died...

What details do you have of this situation?

[Tybalt is more curious than interested in helping, per se, but he won't rule out helping.]

My spirit animal, Marzocco. He is a large, white lion. He... normally he is with me in some capacity, as a white cat or as a robot or as-- something befitting the situation, even when I am investigating. But this time he did not appear with me, and when I looked in Liminal Space for him... he wasn't there.

And I... I think I may have found him.

You mean Selene? Where was she seen last?

...shit. How - no, you'd know, he wouldn't lie about this? Would he... ugh...

Where is he? I can communicate with cats easily, so I might be able to get to the bottom of this strange event.

[And, well, if he's going to get in a fight with Manticore and he wins instead of having to flee, well, there needs to be a cat-spirit or something similar to take care of the cats in Newport. Tybalt won't leave them leaderless, if it comes down to it.]

Ryo's never done that. He's ended up waiting in Liminal a few times while I infiltrate, but he's always himself when I investigate.

...I don't know if he ever actually has infiltrated,come to think of it.

She's still Infiltrating. She's a Spirit Spirit right now.

I tried to chase him but he somehow disappeared. Perhaps he was just too fast, or...

[He briefly sensory livestreams his location, taking great care to look at the nearest street sign for reference.]

This is where I saw him last, in this alley.

He does not lie, much like I do not lie. He can obscure the truth, but he didn't... he didn't even look my way when I called for him.

... what does that mean? She's just... floating around by herself?

Marzocco has infiltrated once as a robotic lion, because Blitzkopf did not have the presence of mind to take care of anything alive. He barely took care of himself.

[Undead, on the other hand...]

I will call the cats that have chosen to work with me here, and we will start a search from that point. If we find your lion, I will report back.

[He is indeed going on a lion hunt with all the cats he's gotten to listen to him. Tybalt himself will just make a few hops through shadows to get there in a couple minutes, popping out of one of the darker shadows in that very alley and brushing ice crystals from his hair. If Leo hasn't moved on by then, well, he'll get an interesting sight!]

No, she made herself a body. Last time I checked she was a black and white spirit rabbit with monarch wings on her back.

But I mean, while I was Infiltrated, she was Infiltrated with me as Newport Thorne's bonded spirit. We were manifesting separately when I got killed during interrogation, so even though I died she just had our bond snap.

Huh. That had to have been weird for him...

[There's a pause.]

That Jaunt really sucked.

Damn. I'll ... I'll look for him. [Can he call up a thread to the lion? Could he if he was normal? He's not sure, but ... it's got to be worth a try.]

At least this answers a technical question about conjured demons and spirits I'd been wondering about. They really do count as separate for Traveling purposes, regardless of where they come from.

I suppose it also is the real explanation for why I can't pull any of mine from home...

Yeah, that makes sense to me. Sorry, Bea. But hey, at least you have the goats.

[Well that's... certainly an interesting way to get around.]

Are you all right?

I appreciate it, Kanji, I... I really do.

[What a good son]

... the goats-- never mind. I don't want to know, do I?

... indeed. I think the phrase most of you modern Travelers use is "tell me about it"?

Heh. No problem. [He doesn't want to see any lions lost around here either.] Anythin' else I can ... do? While we're talkin'?

Yeah, that's about as perfect a use for that phrase as any.

Bea used to have bunch of extremely buff dudes--they had more muscles than even you, Leo--with goat heads and tuxedos working for her. She can now summon one here from time to time.

It's a wonder the city stayed afloat at all, to be honest.

[Blitzkopf certainly didn't help matters...]

I...

[How is he supposed to feel about this? He's pretty sure he's supposed to feel worried about this. But now he's really got to see one.

At least he's forgotten about his lion problems for now?]

... just assure me that I haven't unknowingly turned into an Adversary.

[That would be the only other reason Marzocco wasn't speaking to him.]

I could show you a memory? Or hell, Bea could summon one next time you're both in the same place in Liminal to show you.

Adversary? [There's a stunned pause-]...No. I've been one. [Well, Kei'd been one while he wasn't in his mind. Close enough.] And you ain't doin' anything that says you're going down that road to me.

[And even if he had been at one point, Kanji doesn't say, those days seem to be long gone.]

Yeah, I'm...honestly not sure how that happened.

Sheer dumb luck. That is my best guess.

Thank God. [He seems more relieved that he probably should be, in truth.]

[Tybalt gives a brief shake to his arms to get the ice crystals out of his sleeves.]

Perfectly well. These Trumps have made going through the shadows more tedious, but not completely worthless.

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A pacifist and a lion walk into an alleyway...

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