(Author's note: This was intended to be the preamble to a longer chapter, but my schedule didn't allow me to complete as much writing as I had hoped. As such, I'm posting this as a half-chapter, with the main chapter pushed back until next time.)
99.1 Interlude Tetra
Tetra smiled as Parian explained the details of her role in the upcoming show. She already knew everything from Survey's records, but she nodded along with the explanation as Parian used her power to adjust the dress to better fit Tetra.
That was much more interesting. Tetra hadn't been able to see that many parahuman powers at work and it was always fascinating to see the mechanics behind them. Her perception went beyond even the detection abilities allowed by Analysis sensors thanks to the Bifrost aspect of her construction.
She could see Parian's passenger. Well, referring to it as seeing wasn't quite accurate, but there were a lot of aspects of her power that couldn't be accurately described by simple English terminologies. It was easier to say she was seeing through to Parian's passenger than to get into how her physical form was intrinsically split across dimensional barriers compounded with her fundamentally unbreakable connections to grant her what, to her understanding, was a completely unique perspective on the multiverse.
New abilities, new awareness of the world, made possible from the procedure that allowed her to become who she was. The difference from her previous existence was staggering. Everything she had been waiting for, hoping for, was suddenly available to her, but it wasn't limited to that.
She had never imagined being able to hold onto the connection she made or extend herself through dimensions. She hadn't understood what it would mean to be able to connect to someone through links of spiritual energy as a Teigu. She had badly underestimated how significantly the 'quality powers' used would enhance her. All of that was incredible, but it was built on the foundation of that first desire, that intention to become what she knew she was supposed to be.
To the extent that anyone was supposed to be anything. Joe had explained that. How he also felt about the powers that had been granted to him, the direction he was struggling for as he dealt with a constantly changing existence.
Change was one thing she understood very well. She remembered everything. There was a constant line of perfect recollection extending back to the moment she arrived, or was created. The most popular theory was that she had come from another universe, but in her perception that didn't seem likely. There was nothing before her first memory in the workshop.
There wasn't much to her first memories of the workshop. She could remember perfectly, but that memory extended through multiple stages of very aggressive mental development. At first, she had functioned on an instinctive level, not caring about anything but feeding and growing stronger.
It was… strange, having a memory of a time when you were so fundamentally different. Different thoughts, different drives, different objectives, a different way of thinking that was barely even thinking. She could understand it, but she could barely relate to it anymore.
She had tried to explain it to Aisha. Aisha had compared it to childhood memories, the way people can think back to when they saw the world in a simpler way. That wasn't a bad analogy. Aisha was generally good at coming up with analogies. It was like she was constantly trying to relate everything that happened with the Celestial Forge to some comparable human experience. It wasn't always a perfect match, but it definitely helped. It helped Aisha understand what was happening and helped the rest of them relate their experiences to how other people might view them.
It also helped Joe. It showed him that what he was dealing with wasn't as disconnected from the rest of the world and who he had been before getting all of his power. That was important. Tetra knew about the importance of connection and how easily they could be broken.
Early memories, that initial perception. Everything was hunger, growth, and energy. The world wasn't a distinct place. She hadn't had the ability to distinguish that kind of detail and couldn't have processed even if she had. There was emptiness with her senses limited to important and not important and a time defined by flares of connections.
It had been a slower process than it had seemed. That was the stasis field at work. Without that the experience might have been completely different. Instead the hours of isolation just hadn't existed. It was a time of excitement. Constant growth, new experiences, connections, even beyond the one she had made with Joe.
She remembered the computer. The first time she had actually needed to think. When instinct hadn't been enough. Everything that she was built for was meaningless in a mentally driven computational space. She was connected to Joe, and Joe was connected to his neural link. Her world until then had only been physical. Abstract thought was an alien concept for her, but suddenly she was in a world defined by it.
It had been frightening. The fact that it had been frightening was on its own a major step. Proof that she was capable of something beyond hunger and aggression.
She remembered all the major steps, the points where her way of thinking had changed. The first time she had felt something other than hunger. She remembered exactly what had happened. The first sustained point of contact she ever experienced. The way she had moved, torn through everything in her way and just sought out the source of energy. She wasn't even oblivious to the damage she was doing. She literally had no way of processing it. That part of her mind did not exist at that point.
She had connected to Joe. Primarily to draw energy, because that was all she knew how to do. He was refilling faster than she could drain, which was the closest thing to equilibrium she had ever experienced. It was stability within the bounds of what she understood.
And then Joe had extended the healing to her. Nanites capable of infinite biological restoration flooding her body and replenishing reserves that should only have responded to feeding. She didn't need to feed. She had enough. In that moment there was suddenly something else. Her connection to Joe, it wasn't just about predation. It was capable of being something more.
And it had continued to develop. When she was training with him while Garment moderated their connection. Those initial terrifying moments of mental void when she connected to the computer core, gradually easing as she developed new capabilities to address the unfamiliar environment. Meeting Survey, back when she was still in the early stages of her own development. Survey and Fleet who understood the complexity of trying to construct a working mind out of nothing but base drives and computational resources, or the equivalent of them.
She could remember adapting, building her own mind, and expanding into new ways of thinking. Ways that brought new experiences, new ways of interacting with the world, and new connections. Connections not based on feeding or energy transfer. The full range of experience slowly opened to her. Understanding Joe, or Apeiron's growth as new abilities allowed new ways to connect, to understand each other.
From her perspective it all happened in a flash. One new experience after another. It was like her entire life was nothing but care and development. That had been the stasis field. She recognized that now. She had partially been aware of it back then as well as her understanding of the world slowly expanded.
It could easily be seen as a trap. A prison or means of containment, but that wasn't how she experienced it. She would spend time with Joe, with Garment, with Survey or Fleet and then she would go back to the field and they would take her out again. Yes, time had passed. Yes, she had been isolated and cut off, but that hadn't mattered to her. It still didn't matter.
She had tried to explain it to Aisha when she had finally moved out of the Laboratorium into her new rooms in the Housing Complex. Aisha had helped her, even though it wasn't really necessary and the other girl was less comfortable in the Laboratorium than Tetra was. Like every moment of her life, that conversation was something she could recall perfectly, but it was more than that. The past, or all the past after she had changed, was something she was connected to, and connections did not break. It was more than memory. Every word, every inflection, even every bit of information from senses that went beyond what humans could accomplish was open to her. Even while engaging with Parian, she could recall the conversation without losing focus. She could practically walk back to that moment, or any other moment. After all, it was easy to stay connected to the past.
Her spatial awareness added to that even more. Time wasn't exactly a spatial dimension, but she could perceive it through the Bifrost effect. Dimensional fabric splitting and shifting, bending into a spectrum of colors that weren't exactly colors. Just as she could see and touch bordering dimensions, she could observe the passage of time from the infinite potential to the immutable certainty of what had happened, leaving her connected to all of it.
At least all that extended back to the moment of that incredible procedure. The act of divine craftsmanship and wonder that she had been afraid would never come. Constantly pushed further into the future as abilities were gained and new possibilities opened up. The excitement of every burst of growth that Joe experiences was dampened by the knowledge that what she wanted, what she felt she needed, was being pushed further and further away.
And then there was the reason why she needed that. Why she couldn't connect the way she used to be able to. She remembered it perfectly, but in this case she was grateful for the absence of a perfect unbreakable connection to the event. Perfect recollection was more than enough for that battle and the aftermath that followed it.
She had been so excited. Being able to fight, to run, leap, strike, and move the way they had trained, but now with purpose and drive. She hadn't understood exactly what was happening, but she could feel Joe's conviction and determination. The elation and relief following every accomplishment. She knew what they were doing was important and that she was helping. Helping so much. Making it possible for them to do so much more than they would otherwise be able to accomplish.
She had reveled in it. Drank in his excitement and fed it with her own. The energy that defined her existence cycled between them, growing stronger and stronger. And then it happened.
The attack. The pain of a force like nothing she had ever conceived of, but not one delivered in a way that could permanently harm her. She recovered, but it was wrong. Near indestructible flesh stood in the way of her regenerating fibers. The material was too strong for her to move, but her regeneration couldn't be stopped. It led to a fusion, a painful combination of matter in a state that had never existed before. She could barely understand what she was, only that there was blood.
That had been too much. Too much for the rational mind that she had grown and developed, but something perfectly suited for her most primal of drives. Drives that had been supplemented, moderated, but not replaced. She was hurt. She was angry. Joe was hurt. Joe was angry. She could feel the energy in the world. The blood fed her powers, driving her to levels she never imagined. She could help. She would help. Everything that threatened them stood as an open well of burning energy, drawing her rage.
She had loved it. Loved it in a way that shamed her, scared her once the reality of the situation had set in. When she was slowly killing Joe by inches over the course of the entire night. Where everyone worked to save her. Not Joe, but to make sure that she would survive intact and whole, despite everything she did, despite being the cause of the problem.
And they had done it. They had saved her. The process deconstructed them into a fundamental state and reconstructed them as separate entities. Mostly separate. She didn't know what Joe experienced or what exactly had happened, but that memory of the white space and the smile… it was something she was glad she wasn't still connected to.
After that connections were harder. There were more of them, but they were different. Not the true merging of energy and purpose that was so natural to her. That wasn't possible. Instead she could form social connections. Human connections. She could interact with other people, not just Survey and Fleet. She could exist on her own, and that was apparently a good thing. Well, it was good that she could, not that she had to.
It was a human perspective. Human interactions. Human needs. Human mindsets. It was something she could understand, something she could emulate, but she wasn't human. That might be why it was still hard to form those connections with Aisha. She was more human than anyone else in the Forge. It was how she saw things, and it was important that someone saw things from that perspective, but that wasn't what Tetra was. It wasn't what she wanted to be.
It was nice that Joe understood that. He knew what it was to be human, and to not be human. It was important to him that she have the option, which was why he included a perfect human body, but Tetra wasn't her human body. She wasn't her spindle form or her robot mode or even her Kamui. She was the sum of her existence, all at once. The limits, the boundaries between those expressions didn't really exist.
It was something that Joe also understood very well.
She loved her human form. She loved the care Joe had put into it and how it let her make so many connections to people and places and experiences that she would never have imagined. But she also loved how she wasn't limited to it. Joe hadn't turned her into what he thought she should be, he'd helped her become what she needed to be.
Even if he wasn't sure at the time.
That uncertainty hadn't impacted his work. He said he would bring out everything he could, every resource, power, skill, and ability. Powers that compounded on other powers. Synergies that they hadn't expected. Enhancements from recent upgrades that were never properly calibrated. Survey had to revise her estimates four times during the song alone.
But it was done. She was what she needed to be. Life Fiber, Kamui, Teigu, machinery, and even human when she wanted. Everything she had hoped for without closing off anything else. And now the world was open to her in a way she never dreamed.
Seeing new places. Meeting people. Talking to them. Forming connections. All types of connections. Everything from feeling someone's presence through the Dragon's Pulse to making eye contact across a room to exchanging a few words to a full introduction with physical contact. Those steady connections, the strongest she had to anyone outside of the team were incredible.
She could feel each and every one of them. Blasto and Poison Apple, or Rey and Lauren when they were alone, working in his lab through the morning as they planned out how to manage their team and convince Barrow of the attack on the ABB backers. Dauntless, more rested after the national office had ordered him to take a nap, standing with the other Protectorate heroes watching the mayor on stage as he spoke to the progress of the recovery efforts. Uppercrust, waiting in the wings and speaking with Yellowjack. The scattered guests and staff members that she had been introduced to and been able to greet or assist. The multitude of lesser and lesser connections extending out like scattered sparks around a roaring fire.
It was an incredible power. Survey was envious of it. She didn't say as much, but her analysis was very thorough regarding its usefulness. Tetra could have pushed herself further. Covered the city and tracked every person through the Dragon's Pulse. Infiltrated to establish connections to priority targets, gang leaders, super villains, or even the Slaughterhouse Nine. It was something she could do. Something she would do, but Joe had wanted to ease her into things. Avoid taking any drastic steps until they were certain of exactly how the power would affect her.
She had wanted to push further, to take on everything she could, but she still remembered the last time. How badly things had gone. They were easing into things on the order of hours, not days or weeks. She could wait and she would be ready. Ready for anything.
Including a modeling performance. Tetra had kept her apparent full attention on Parian. It was like how Survey appeared to be giving her full attention while remotely operating the replica droid from her scrying chamber. It was kind of funny that they were interacting in the same way but through completely different mediums.
The old argument regarding life fibers and cybertonium. An argument that Survey thought she had won since Tetra had cybertonium transwarp energy integrated into her life fibers, even though life fibers were clearly the superior medium for both biological and technological emulation.
Though replica droids had kind of undercut the arguments about biological emulation. That was Joe's power. Even they weren't safe from being overshadowed. Living metal might have been able to emulate certain biological functions in a manner that would be difficult for life fibers to match, but a properly constructed replica droid could perfectly emulate organics to the point where both Tetra and Survey were incapable of detecting them as anything but an authentic life form.
It was like the replica droid Fleet was piloting. Currently, it was in the back of the moving truck they had sent to the Slaughterhouse Nine being 'tormented' by Cherish while Shatterbird drove back to the Nine's warehouse. Fleet was acting out responses to both the situation and Cherish's power in a way that was completely authentic. Even through her connection to the droid she couldn't detect anything artificial about it.
She was connected to the droid, to the truck, and to everything that had been packed in the truck to sell its authenticity. It was like she was there. There as much as she was anywhere else. She could see Cherish as she attempted to torment the droid with waves of emotion. Her power flowed over the construct, doing nothing but providing more information on the mechanics of her abilities and giving Tetra a better look at her passenger.
'I think I have enough information to map out the location of Cherish's passenger.' Tetra sent to Survey while explaining to Parian that she would absolutely love the chance to ride one of her puppet animals in the show.
There was a spike of pride that radiated from Parian as she continued to explain the elements of her display while Survey sent her own reply.
'That is fortunate and will likely be of great assistance to Passenger Space exploration and attempts to counter the Nine. It would be ideal if we could acquire similar information for Jack Slash, but behavior models suggest his most likely response will be a reprimand towards Cherish and Shatterbird and subsequent termination of the captive.'
'At least something good came from this delay.' Joe transmitted. 'The 'Final Frontier' will still be prioritizing Aisha's passenger for the call bead testing, but the more coordinates we have the better.'
'I'm sorry it's not as easy as just looking at a cape.' Tetra sent back as she nodded along to Parian's explanation. 'I can kind of see, but if they aren't using their power in a really active way it's hard to make out.'
'No, you're doing fantastic.' Joe said. 'This is incredibly helpful and will make a huge difference when we try to recreate the breach.'
He sounded a little nervous about the prospect and she could understand why, but she was excited about the project, and not just because she could finally connect to the Final Frontier, or because she'd have an entirely new universe to move between. This was going to be their first major work with dimensional technology, and she'd be a key part of it.
Because she was Bifrosted. Because she was built with properties far beyond what should be possible. Because she had the most advanced dimensional capabilities that Apeiron was capable of creating.
She was going to be able to work with Joe, not just through the connection of life fiber energy, but through abilities unique to her. A specific way she could help and contribute that wasn't related to speed or power or energy. All things she relished, but not things that she was limited to. Not anymore.
'And we probably aren't going to do much with the location of Parian's passenger, but it's good to have that information.' Joe continued. Tetra smiled widely, and fortunately it matched up with the completion of Parian's explanation and the modification of the dress.
'It was easy to find.' Tetra said. Between her connection to Parian and the amount of power used it would have been hard not to map out the location of her passenger. Well, that actual mapping out was thanks to the work that had already been done by the passenger space carrier. Without the Final Frontier providing context she would have been able to recognize the source and dynamics of the power, but not track it back to a particular spatial coordinate. 'And it looks like it's time to start getting ready.'
'Do you need any help?' He asked. 'I mean, from my end? Any power related support for you or the show?'
'The duplicates are helping me.' She said cheerfully. 'They said that it should be a surprise for you.'
'…great.' He replied. 'Well, let me know if you need anything. Either of you. I want to make sure this goes as well as possible for Sabah.'
'Thank you. All parameters appear to be under control, but we will inform you if any additional assistance is required.' Survey sent back.
'Thanks.' He said before disconnecting. Tetra glanced at Survey's replica droid as Parian was explaining aspects of the dress.
'You know about Parian, right?' She asked silently.
'I was aware of Parian's civilian identity and her connection to Apeiron prior to our initial meeting.' Survey responded without giving any indication from the face of the droid. 'I will admit that I had underestimated the level of emotional significance that she represented. Aisha is also aware of her identity and has been fairly direct about the manner in which this should be handled.'
'You done talking about the stuff I don't want to know about?' Aisha transmitted from her location at the edge of the main hall. 'So this is about Sabah, right?'
'It is.' Tetra said. 'And it's alright for me to model for her?'
'Joe doesn't want part of the show Sabah worked on to be screwed up. This is pretty much an extension of that. Plus you don't have a way of backing out without admitting what you know. And believe me, he doesn't need to be blindsided with this right now. On top of that, he really doesn't want to know this kind of stuff.'
'It is possible for behavioral analysis or related thinker powers to determine if a person possesses privileged information that would affect their responses to a situation. Given the amount of scrutiny applied towards Apeiron's actions, it is a safer option for him to adhere to the unwritten rules with respect to civilian identities to prevent adverse public reactions.' Survey explained.
'Give no hint that he knows, got it. Sorry for nearly fucking that up earlier.' Aisha said.
'It was an understandable oversight and was amended in time to prevent adverse consequences.' Survey responded.
'Yeah. Look, Tetra? You do want to model right?' Aisha asked.
'I do!' She sent as she nodded along with Parian's slightly inaccurate explanation of the design elements of her gown. 'It sounds like a lot of fun and I'll get to meet people and help with the show and apparently I also get to ride the puppet elephant.'
'Well, go ahead. We all want this to go well, even if it's that part from Joe's not-even-an-ex.' There was a significant degree of humor in her voice.
'Thanks.' She sent to Aisha before carefully accepting the dress from Parian. "Thank you." She said in the careful emulated accent that perfectly matched the mode of speech Survey used as Delphine Mertens.
"You can get dressed in there." Parian said, pointing to a changing room. "One of these pairs of shoes should fit you, and let me know if you need any help with the hooks. They can be tricky."
"I should be fine, but thank you." She said as she moved to the changing room. Behind her Parian shifted slightly closer to Survey's replica droid.
'She is extremely attracted to your civilian identity.' She transmitted to Survey as she entered the changing room.
'I am aware.' She responded as she had the droid engage in small talk with Parian. 'It has happened with many people that I have interacted with, though most individuals have few avenues of access compared to Parian. I believe that has allowed for the development of a more extensive emotional investment.'
'How are you planning to deal with it?' Tetra asked as she checked over the dress she had been given.
'Given the highly compressed timescale, this is likely an infatuation that will fade as we begin to work on separate projects. I believe the natural course of events will address this matter.' She replied.
'I don't know.' Tetra said.
'Do you possess additional information relevant to the situation?' Survey asked. 'Something your connection enabled you to become aware of?' There was just the slightest hint of envy in Survey's tone.
'There's the Dragon's Pulse, and biological data, and levels of emotional sensing. I don't think this is just standard attraction.' Tetra said.
'The timeframe would suggest otherwise, but I understand the propensity for outliers in these matters. I will attempt to moderate my behavior.' She said.
'That might be a good idea.' Tetra said, setting down the dress.
She considered the situation as she looked at the dress. It was really, really wonderful to be able to be here and to actually take part in the show. Really, so much had been wonderful since she had been able to get out in the world. Everything she had been able to experience, all the options open to her, it was fantastic. The limits she had been struggling with for so long had just fallen away.
But there were limitations staring her in the face right now. She could recognize limitations in the design of the dress. She had worked with Garment enough for them to be obvious. It was clear what the design had been going for, what elements were the focus of the dress. And it was also clear how it had turned out.
It was the fit. That wouldn't work. And not just because it had been altered for her. Aspects of the way the fabric was cut and sewn meant it wouldn't hang or move the way Parian had clearly intended for it to. It was a dress that looked good on a hanger and could handle simple movement on the catwalk, but it just wasn't designed for the kind of show that Parian was putting together. Those kinds of movements would bring out unflattering angles and cause the fabric to bunch up in an unfortunate manner when interacting with puppets.
She considered again, then reached out to the duplicates. Then she reconsidered and flickered into the workshop, enjoying the heady shift as time accelerated by a factor of ten. Before she could even get her bearings Joe's first duplicate was already nodding to her.
"Yeah, we saw." He said.
"So there's something we can do?" She asked, looking up at him.
"There's a lot we can do. A lot less if we don't want to be noticed. I don't think we can redesign Parian's dress without her noticing." He explained. "Best option would be to control the externalities. Same dress, but some controlling aspect keeping it under control. Do it subtly enough and it'll look like you're just wearing it well, rather than altering the design."
"Oh." She said, and a smile spread on her face. "I can do that."
"Really?" He asked. "What are you planning? Because we could rig some magic, or low-grade telekinesis if you want to go undetectable…"
He trailed off as Tetra's clothing blurred into a mess of red fibers, then reformed into an exact copy of Parian's gown.
"Yeah, that's a controllable expression." He said with a smile.
"Right." She grinned back. "After all, it's kind of silly for clothes to wear clothes."
"Right, clothes." The duplicate nodded. "Kamui, fibers, robot, and girl. Whichever you want, or all of them, or none." He glanced over at the Spiritron core where the second duplicate was connected. "We can get you some instructions for expression. Specific folds and movements of cloth to really bring things across well. I mean, without going overboard."
"Really?" Tetra asked. "Didn't Aisha say something about you guys starting at overboard and the challenge being keeping you in the same ocean?"
He huffed and shook his head. "She's just stuffy about us including an accurate progression of geological strata and plate tectonics for her portable workshop." He made an emphatic gesture. "Seriously, what if she wants to dig for fossils? Are we supposed to leave everything random in there? Just nonsense geology all the way down to the mantle?"
Tetra could tell he was joking, but also serious, which is what made it so much fun. "Thank you." She looked down at her dress. Well, her perfect emulation of Parian's dress. "I'm really looking forward to this, but I guess we should keep things believable?"
"Yeah, we'll rein it in." He promised. "Do you want us to stash the other dress for you?"
"I can handle it." She said. The Transwarp energy was more than enough to hide it in a pocket dimension, and after the fact she could even make it look like she had worn it. And if anything happened, her fiber emulation would hold together more than long enough to pass inspection even if she had to separate herself from it. "And thanks again."
She paused as there was a rumbling through the Workshop. The ground shook and she could feel a new space appear. A building that she wasn't connected to, because it hadn't existed before now.
"What was that?" She asked.
"Workshop Equipment." The duplicate said. "Set of tools specific to the whole Cthulhu Werewolf thing." He added with a grin as she perked up. "Some good stuff there, but nothing critical. We can circle back to it after the event has wrapped up."
"Okay." She said, "But I should be getting back."
He waved her off as she shifted back to the dressing room. Only it wasn't really a shift. She had never really left either location. It was more a matter of where she was expressing herself. The change in nature of expression still caused the rush from changing the flow of time, which she couldn't imagine ever getting tired of.
She quickly stored the other dress and pair of shoes in her subspace pocket before reaching out to check on how Survey was managing things.
'Parian has interpreted my attempt to maintain emotional distance as concern for you. She has been offering comfort and assurances that you will 'do great' in the upcoming show.' Survey replied. Her response was clinical rather than frustrated, but it did seem like Tetra had been right about things.
Not that she would be smug about it.
Tetra stepped out of the dressing room and made a point of swishing the dress around her. Just the slightest level of control through her fibers was enough to ensure the perfect movement of the cloth for the display.
"It fits perfectly!" She exclaimed. She could feel the pride coming from Parian as she turned to Survey's droid.
"Your modifications to the dress were flawless. This is excellent work." The droid said as Survey had it examine Tetra. In reality the modifications weren't quite flawless, but they were close enough and performed faster than any unpowered designer could hope to emulate.
"Well, I'm just lucky to have found someone to fill in at the last moment." Parian's power flowed over the dress, checking fit and making tiny shifts. It made Tetra glad they hadn't attempted any modifications. As it stood, her fibers had copied the dress down to individual threads, even including some quirks of the design that had been very tempting to alter.
Apparently finding everything in order, Parian turned to Tetra.
"We'll need to get you to hair and makeup." She said before looking over at her again. "Not that there's much to do, but some touch ups, especially for the cameras."
"I understand." Tetra said.
"And I'm afraid I have to return to the show floor." Survey said. "I look forward to seeing your performance." She mostly made the statement to Tetra, but Parian nodded in response.
"Thank you for your help. I don't know what I would have done without you." She said, "I guess I'll owe you for this."
"Please don't concern yourself with that, and let me know if there are any other issues that need attention." She said with a nod before departing.
Parian watched her leave before hurrying back to her team with Tetra trailing behind her.
"Right. For events like this we sometimes use a portable makeup station, but the main dressing rooms here are better for that kind of thing. You don't have any allergies or reactions to cosmetics?" She asked quickly.
"No, I'm fine." She replied as they breezed past stressed looking college students that Tetra would have liked to have introduced herself to, but there apparently wasn't time.
"Great." Parian pushed through into a much larger dressing room where three other young women were waiting in similar dresses to her own. "Everyone, this is Tetra Mertens. Emma couldn't make it, so she'll be filling in." There were looks of concern, but also the odd spike of relief. "Max, could you get her ready?" Parian asked a lanky girl with a pixie cut and multiple piercings in one of her ears. "I'll be prepping the puppets for a dry run before we go on stage."
"Got it." The girl said, gesturing to a chair next to the other models. "Hop up, we'll get you sorted."
Parian gave the room a final check before she quickly departed. Tetra could feel her begin to use her power on pre-cut sections of cloth, shaping them into cartoonish animals before filling them with the energy of her power. The mechanism behind it was fascinating to watch, particularly compared to the smaller uses of her power. Tetra kept a portion of her attention on it as Max began working her hair and styling it into place.
"So, you're our replacement model?" She said. Cocking her head to the side, she indicated to the other chairs. "These are Sky, Connie, and Amber, your coworkers."
"Hey." The first girl said.
"It's nice to meet you." She replied, but couldn't properly introduce while Max was working on her. It was mostly just light hair spray followed by some powder, but it still kept her pinned to her seat.
"Huh. Some accent." The second girl, Connie said. She had dark hair and almond shaped eyes, but a slimmer figure than the other two models. "And Mertens? Any relation to the scary lawyer lady."
"She's my sister." She answered with a smile. "She was the one who found out about the other model. Parian asked me to fill in for her."
"Ah, family connection." The first girl said, earning nods from the other two and Max.
Tetra scrunched up her expression. "I wasn't trying to take advantage of anything. I just happened to be there, and Parian asked if I could help."
"Don't worry." Max said as she ran a brush against Tetra's cheeks. "Half the industry runs on nepotism. If your big break ends up coming from family connections you'll be in good company."
"Big is probably an understatement." The third girl, Amber, said. She lifted her phone and showed the live stream from the main hall, specifically tapping the view count.
"Shit, it's still going up?" Connie asked.
"Hasn't stopped." She said, "Probably is going to peak right before the auction." Her voice was a bit dour.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Tetra asked.
"Generally, yeah, but it's a bit more than I was expecting when I signed up." Connie explained.
"Yeah." Said Sky. "A national audience kind of jacks up the pressure."
"I'm sure it will be fine." She said with a smile. A somewhat endearing look was shared between the other models.
"Sure. Hey, have you done any of this before, or are you going out there raw?" Connie asked.
Tetra drew on the extensive backstory that had been constructed by Survey for both of their identities. "I've done amateur shows, and some plays at my boarding school. Oh, and Delphine took me to Paris Fashion Week last year."
"Shit, really?" Amber asked, setting down her phone.
"Yeah." Tetra said. "I wasn't modeling or anything, and my sister was working most of the time, but it was still great being there."
"Industry lawyer for a sister. That must be lucky." Connie said smugly, then saw the expression Tetra was putting on her face. "What?"
"Lawyer for a sister." She said flatly, leaning into some of the more specific details she had prepared with Survey. It was definitely better to draw from experiences they already shared.
"Ah." Max said as she touched up Tetra's makeup. "She must be fun to argue with."
"If by 'fun' you mean completely incapable of admitting she's wrong or ever dropping an argument, then yes. It's fun." Tetra said.
Sky chuckled at that. "You don't need to be a lawyer for that. You're basically describing half of my family."
The other girls shared a laugh with Tetra joining in. After things settled and Max had finished her immediate work she turned to the other girls. "Sorry that Emma couldn't make it."
"Ehhh…" Connie said.
"What?" Tetra asked, looking between the models and Max.
"Yeah, I'm staying out of this." Max said. "Consider me deaf and blind for the next five minutes."
Tetra nodded then turned back to the other models. "Is there something wrong with Emma?"
"Well, I've never worked with her." Said Sky, "But from what I heard…"
"She's a bitch." Amber said flatly, leaning back in her chair. "Totally full of herself and causing trouble whenever she could get away with it."
"Loved rubbing her work in people's faces." Connie said. "Would always cut someone down if she found out they did normal work like car shows or promotional events." She looked at Tetra. "Modeling isn't all prestige and high fashion."
"I know." Tetra said. "My sister's represented a lot of models. I know what the industry's like."
"And what, you still want to break into it?" Sky asked.
"I don't know." She said, "I'm just trying to help out, and it's really nice that Parian asked me to be involved. She's explained everything, so I hope I don't mess things up."
"That's a solid attitude." Sky said. "So, did she break down the show for you? Most of it is just smiling and waving and staying out of the way of the animals."
"Yeah." Tetra said. "Parian explained everything. I'm in the front spot, with the elephant and the giraffe."
"Wait, you're actually dealing with those things?" Connie asked.
"The puppets? Yeah. Parian asked me about it. It sounds like fun."
"It sounds like fun, the first time." Connie said. "Those things, they look all squishy, but they have no give unless Parian remembers to flex them, and she usually doesn't." She glanced towards the stylist, but Max was apparently willfully oblivious to the conversation. Still, Connie dropped her voice. "The first time I tried riding one of them I ended up with bruises on a very uncomfortable place. It's like being bounced on a steel trampoline."
"Yeah." Amber said. "I mean, Emma always dealt with that, but she was big on showing how tough she was." The other girls rolled their eyes. "You might want to be careful."
"Thank you, but I think I'll be alright." Tetra said.
"Of course." Sky said with a grin. "Parian's not going to let anything happen to the pretty lawyer's adorable little sister, is she?" There were a few giggles from the other girls.
"Ah." Tetra said. "So you know about that?"
"We've got eyes." Max said, leaning down to do a final check on Tetra's hair and makeup.
"And she wasn't exactly being subtle." Sky added.
"It's fine." Tetra said. "I know how people can get around her."
There were some understanding nods from the other girls and a couple of mutters of "Sisters, right?' "Right."
"Alright, I think we're done here." Max said. "Parian wants to do a couple of dry runs before the show."
"Got it." Connie said as she and the other models climbed to their feet. Tetra hopped up and fell in with them.
Their dresses weren't quite as swishy or precisely controlled as hers, but they should be fine for their portion of the show. And she would do her best to make sure that they looked good. And that things went well for Parian and for Garment, and the event as a whole.
She stepped out into the bustling section of the backstage area where a set of giant stuffed animals had finished inflating and were beginning to totter around. The final details were falling into place with the duplicates feeding her advice and correcting at an inhuman pace. The clock was ticking down and everyone around her was pulsing with tension and excitement, and she was part of it all, connected to it all.
She might not be human. She might never be able to see the world in a purely human way or totally understand humanity, but right here and now she could be part of a very human experience. And that was something worth connecting to.
She put on her best smile as she joined the other models and prepared to meet the world.
Jumpchain abilities this chapter:
Workshop Equipment (Bloodborne) 300:
This is actually a package deal containing a variety of workshop tools. The first tool set has some basic tools for repairing equipment and some more specialized tools for upgrading weaponry with varying Blood Stones.
The second set of tools allows for the slotting and removal of Blood Gems, items that as previously mentioned can greatly empower weaponry. The last set of tools allows you to etch Caryll Runes into the mind to attain their wondrous strength, or remove them just as easily.
Runesmith Caryll, student of Byrgenwerth, transcribed the inhuman utterings of the Great Ones into what are now called Caryll Runes. Etching these runes into your mind can provide a number of benefits. Benefits can range from resisting certain types of damage, increasing resistance to various poisons or increasing stamina and vitality, among other effects. You may etch up to three runes into your mind at a time. These runes can be found scattered around this world.
Curious Goggles (Bloodborne) Free:
A curious pair of goggles with a leather strap, thick lenses and strange frames made of thin tubing and metal, all coming in your choice of colors. These goggles, strange as they may look, are an incredible invention allows for those who wear them to see that which evades the notice of others. To put it in simpler terms, it allows you to see things that would normally require "Insight", though does nothing to help perceive these things in other ways such as hearing or smell. Can be freely worn by anyone, allowing allies to see things they may wish they hadn't as well.
("Insight" - You have seen things, heard things, learned things, all very strange things. . .and its had a noticeable effect. You have lined your brain with eyes and gained the ability to perceive things others can't. Dolls will begin to talk, you can see what some would call divine beings, you can hear singing and crying you wouldn't have heard before. Even in other worlds your senses may perceive that which the senses of the mundane may not. Beware, these things you can see and hear now can sometimes be a bit. . .much. Remember as well that your insight and uplifted senses allow you to learn of and perceive strange and unsettling things, things others would have a hard time believing in. Just be careful who you talk with this about, they may think you more insane than insightful. They're probably wrong though, probably. Lastly, good or bad, a side-effect of your new insight has cleansed your beastly idiocy and heavily weakened the beast inside.)