Dionysus You sense a vague... discomfort from Quaigor. He senses the wild talents & such around him, & his loathing of them swells through.

• Sue thinks . o O ( Is something wrong? )

Dionysus The magical ones abound in this room. It is not an unsavory place.

Sue . o O ( That is true. Yet, it seems they think nothing of letting me play for their beloved princess. )

Dionysus They find you a novelty.

Sue . o O ( Such is the fate of a foreign musician. That is all I was until I said your name. )

Dionysus You are a child of void. You are more than they. Your heart beats with true power.

Sue . o O ( The power of void is something the world has long forgotten, mana-wielders and mundanes alike. Its engines have long slept, and your church holds sway far from the surface. But they will be reminded - they will be shown. )

Dionysus Yes. And you feel the power burn through you, though nothing permanent, it feels wonderful.

Dionysus And plus 6 to antivox for this song, while we're at it, given the surge you just got

Sue He doesn't look to me any differently than you described, right?

Dionysus His Gifted Sword leaks magical shadow, as does his daemonsteed, & his whole self, but otherwise, he is the same

Dionysus Next time, bounce it off the mantis.

Dionysus She dared enter our realm. Seething anger.

Dionysus You will be rewarded your service & dedication. Upon the moon that is mine, ask my guidance, & I will show you to its treasures.

Dionysus Remind me, the Queen of Nightmare will be at -6 when you all face her, if you face her, later.

Sue asks who she was.

Dionysus One who usurps. One who was once mortal, now nigh divine.

---

Dionysus Mux is standing between Tor & the cephalan when you arrive. Tor growls, "That won't work! I've been on one of these!" "But my figures--" "Fuck your figures!"

Sue "What are you arguing about?"

Dionysus Tor says, "This idiot's figures!" "They're accurate!" "But impractical. You gotta shield, & that lessens more than you account for, & you gotta figure in for people!" "But I did!" "Not enough! Don't underestimate!"

• Sue shakes his head. "Gentlemen, this boat is going to be our world. Our lives literally hang in the balance."

Sue "Professor, is it possible that there was some oversight in your data?"

Sue s/data/measurements/

Dionysus Tor snorts, floating in the air, & the professor sighs, "It's /possible/, but we can't know for sure until it's tested."

Sue Is anyone else around besides these two?

Dionysus Mux, other engineers.

• Sue nods slowly, lowering his voice. "We may not have time for a proper test before the voyage. We have to trust our guide for now. But I promise you, this will not be the last ship we build."
• Sue grins faintly. "Assuming we survive."

Dionysus Their eyes light up.

Dionysus The professor sighs, "Very well then. We'll try it your way."

Sue "Thank you."

Dionysus The progress isn't much, but it's only been a day or so since you were last here. Still, there's some work done. Tor asks, "Did you get that lead & uranium yet?"

Sue "I've been kept busy with state affairs. I should be able to go 'shopping' tomorrow."

Sue If there are no other arguments, Sue will inspect all of the systems, look over the new notes and schematics, and then go back to the airship to drop off his instruments and sleep.

Dionysus Tor bobs in the air in response. Things are moving along. A month, maybe, til this is done, unless you find some shortcuts.