@Lunaryon It looks like your vote count was by plan. Is that on purpose?
The plan vote you did and the "by line" plan I managed look like they agree on two questions ("learn magic" and "mind control security"), but disagree on the third (mine: "when did her company get taken over") (yours: "official ties to the police")
Seriously, I'm not sure how I've been "treating her like the devil"?
...Wait, I'm going to take a stab and guess you misread/assumed that "repulsion" as/equals "revulsion". And that I was talking about her, rather then the things around her?
I'm not sure "treating her like the devil" is the phrase I'd use, but you have been saying that her wealth is conclusive evidence (beyond a reasonable doubt) that she cannot be trustworthy, and you have been dismissive when people try to bring up reasonable doubts (up to and including the QM saying she is a Cloudcuckoolander at worst).
Meanwhile, the separation between her and her surroundings might be clear in your head, but it's not coming through consistently in your text.
Also, while I agree she likely has good intentions, she's been raised amongst wealth and probably doesn't realize the bad stuff is actually bad, and I don't expect anything she creates to be untouched by the larger issues.
Rather my issue would be that a) having grown up amongst this, such things are normal, and b) unless the company is completely separate from the rest of her families businesses, there's liable to be spillover.
Basically, I trust herintentions. I just don't trust her execution nor anyone connected to the business.
All three of these statements seem to be saying two things:
1. You believe that her desire to help isn't a lie, but you still don't trust her.
2. She is a product of her environment, and said environment is one in which ethics has been very thoroughly cleaned out years ago (if not longer), so there is no moral compass to be found even if she wants one.
> You don't trust her ability to help, and none of the contacts or assistants she could bring in can possibly be trustworthy.
That last post has you quoting (and presumably replying to) this one:
I admit that my knowledge of Pretty Cure is . . . lacking, but this is a crossover setting with several different mage factions, most of which have access to at least psionic empathy (direct and in-depth emotional scans that can only be wrong if somehow actively countered or blocked) if not flat-out mind reading.
(Admittedly, the Dark Kingdom doesn't seem to be making much use of the ability, but all of Jadeite's canon plots in the anime relied on a specific emotion as a focus for the life energy draining system, and very reliable emotion detection is a Required Secondary Power.)
In that sort of context, judgments of who is trustworthy have additional evidence to work with, and need to be adjusted based on that evidence; you have been refusing to do so.
Jadeite maybe. The rest of that organization? A global organization with the full support with all of the world powers is very feasible considering how terrifying the capabilities the group has shown is... And well, it would take a lot for him to match that...
1. You believe that her desire to help isn't a lie, but you still don't trust her.
2. She is a product of her environment, and said environment is one in which ethics has been very thoroughly cleaned out years ago (if not longer), so there is no moral compass to be found even if she wants one.
> You don't trust her ability to help, and none of the contacts or assistants she could bring in can possibly be trustworthy.
1) I don't trust her with business, I trust her more in general.
2) Not quite. Rather, she undoubtedly has a moral compass, but there's parts I'm wary of. Morality is relative and all that.
To give an example, japanese corporate culture has an expectation of overtime. She, having been raised where this is normal*, and will instinctively, automatically be biased in support of such things, and workers who engage in such things.
You can be the nicest, most pleasant person with a strong moral compass, and still cause harm. And this problem is worse with those she brings in, because for them we don't have supernatural assurance.
Basically: I expect her to act in the way she holds to be most moral, helpful and/or benevolent. Whether those actually are the most moral, helpful and/or benevolent ways is what I hold suspect when it comes to this particular field.
*I am aware this also applies to the Senshi, but they're not actually part of leadership that encourages and supports such things, and their Past Lives might provide an alternative perspective.
Basically: I expect her to act in the way she holds to be most moral, helpful and/or benevolent. Whether those actually are the most moral, helpful and/or benevolent ways is what I hold suspect when it comes to this particular field.
In all honesty I consider this more of an argument for extended exposure to Usagi from ye early days then an argument against it. We're going to need non-magic girl help sometime and what, are we just not going to hire any japanese with existing management skills when we do? I don't consider that likely. The earlier we start interacting with her, the more we can make sure this kind of thing doesn't become a problem later on.
So it occurs to me that I have at no point made sure to clarify that it will be two weeks before you can get the base, because you know... Beauracracy is a bitch. Alice is going to be telling you to meet her back here in 2 weeks in order to choose what potential office you want
That brings back memories. A few years ago I stubbornly thought I had the flu instead of something worse, I woke up one morning about two weeks in and had trouble breathing. It was a Lung Infection and I was on antibiotics for several weeks afterwards.
[X][Stardust] Heal those who are at the Cinderella Caravan
[X][Alice] Large Support
All three Senshi blink at that, and Mercury's eyes start to sharpen as she begins to realize what the girl in front of them may be offering. "I have outline three separate plans that I believe may be of assistance to the three of you, and I would like your input before making any decisions - Let us start with the smallest of the options and build larger, as each of the greater options builds upon the prior options."
Alice spends a few minutes outlining the different plans that she has hastily thrown together and the different benefits and disadvantages to each.
Sailor Moon slowly sips the cup of tea that Alice's butler had placed before her, before glancing over to Mercury and Jupiter. "Do you see any reason why we shouldn't accept?" She asks, putting the question to her allies.
[x]Would you like me to see if you can learn magic?
[X] You have seen that our enemies can both control minds and take the shape of others. We can currently prevent ourselves from getting controlled in this form, and break the control on someone after the fact, but that is currently the extent of our abilities on that front. What more mundane security measures do you plan to use to prevent them from infiltrating an organization we're supposed to trust, and potentially harm us? Are you willing to work with us on those measures?
[x]How exactly did your company get taken over, and when?
"Before we agree to anything," Mercury answers, "There are a few questions that I would like the answers to." The blue haired girl locks eyes with Alice. "How did you company get taken over?"
Alice sighs, but before she has a chance to answer, her butler Sebastian responds. "The... creature that later took on the form of Miss Shikan first replaced one of the security guards." The man's words were brisk and clipped, but the warmth and the sadness in his voice are evident to all listening to him. "We only discovered the infiltration a few days ago, when his... body was discovered by the man's neighbor." The man sighs before continuing. "Based on the estimated time of death, the creature has been taking his place for nearly a month now, before taking Miss Shikan."
"Miss Shikan is dehydrated," Alice intercedes, "But still alive. She is currently in the hospital and it will be a few days before she is released."
"So the Youma infiltrated into the company through the position of a guard, how exactly did it take over from there?
"Youma...?" Alice mutters quietly, something unnoticed by all but Usagi.
"To be completely honest, ma'am. We do not yet know." Sebastian reveals, "It wasn't until the company announced an entirely unplanned contest that we realized anything was wrong."
"That is my fault." Alice says quietly. "Originally, as the idea for the Cinderella Caravan was mine... I was relatively closely involved in the management and accounting for the business," The girl explains further, "But ever since the school year began I have been transitioning more and more authority to the local management and involving myself less and less, to the point where I have only been meeting with the leadership once a month now."
"I see..." Mercury answers, "This leads directly into my second question - And I go apologize for how this is going to sound. But you have seen that our enemies are capable of both taking on the forms of others as well a directly manipulating the thoughts of others. Our own magical abilities give us a resistance against this effect, and we have the ability to remove the control from others once we discover the effect, but that is at current the extent of our abilities on that front. What kinds of security measures are you planning on using in order to prevent them from infiltrating the organization that you are building that we are supposed to trust, one that could potentially harm us? And are you willing to work with us on those measures."
Alice looks to Mercury for a moment, an intrigued look on her face. "At the moment, the most secure locations of the Yotsuba group are secured using a fascinating technology that scans an individuals hands in order to restrict entry." Alice pauses here, glancing over to Sebastian. "Sebastian, we need to inform Father that the Palm readers are not as secure as previously believed." The girl turns back to Mercury, "My original thought had been to use those to secure the building, or... at the very least, use them to secure the locations within the building that would be for you and your allies alone." The girl pauses for a moment, her head tilting as she thinks. "I am more than willing to work with you on security measures, but I ask that if our cooperation discovers a means of discovering these... Youma, that I be allowed to spread this information to reduce the capability of your enemies from completing their objectives."
Mercury starts to nod, before looking to Usagi. "To be honest," The blonde says with a smile, "I would be more worried about cooperating with you if you wished to hide this information away." An answer that causes Alice to blink, before she smiles. "And even more, I have to admit that the idea of looking into what modern science can teach us about our magic has never occurred to me, but that is something that has a lot of potential merit. Oh, and actually that brings up a question that I have too!"
Everyone turns to look at the girl. "We know that not everyone is capable of using magic, however there should be a large per... Percent... What suffix would I be using in this case?"
"Percentage?" Jupiter asks, to which Usagi nods.
"Yes, that. A large percentage of the population should be capable of using magic, and we have learned how to awaken the magic in others. While actually learning magic would probably take years, if you are able to cast magic, then I could awaken it in you. Would you like that?"
"I..." Alice starts, sounding unsure for the first time since all of this began. "A large percentage?"
"To be completely honest," Mercury cuts in, to prevent the girl's expectations from becoming too high, "We don't have a solid idea of the actual percentage yet, but my own estimates are at minimum one out of every hundred, and it is entirely possible that the percentage may be higher than that, anywhere up to an order of magnitude higher."
"I..." After a moment, the girl shakes her head. "Not now. Maybe once we have worked together for longer, but..." Alice goes quiet for a moment, before sighing. "Okay. So, it is going to take me at least a week to find properties that will be able to work as a good base for you. Some let us reconvene two weeks from now, and I will have a list of properties, and from there we can begin working on customizing it to whatever specifications that you require. Oh, but before you go," The girl snaps her fingers, and Sebastian quickly walks out of the room, returning with a small suitcase. "You have done me, and the Yotsuba group a great service today, so here. A small token of my appreciation."
The suitcase is set on the table, and opening it reveals stacks and stacks of money. The Senshi of Love and Justice's eyes go wide, as her head begins to fill with images of the sheer mouthwatering amounts of candy that she would be able to buy with this much money.
[+15 FUNDS]
"Consider this a forward payment." Alice says with a smile, "Something to hopefully build a successful future on."
Jupiter looks up from the money to the girl giving it to them, "Just to make sure, you are saying not next week, but the Friday after that right?"
"Correct." Alice confirms, and it is only a few more minutes before the three Senshi carefully extricate themselves from the situation, but as they close the door behind them, Sailor Moon is able to hear something that she most certainly wasn't supposed to. Alice giggle madly, "Oh my god, I can't wait to tell Mana that I met actual superheroes!" After purifying the employees of the Cinderella Caravan of the mind controlling effect of the Youma, the three senshi go there separate ways for the night.
Usagi returns home, where part way through the evening she and her family watch a surprising news report, discovering that the Police have somehow captured a Youma.
The girl doesn't have any idea how to handle that thought, putting it out of mind for the night so that she can instead speak of it with her friends on the morrow when they meet to interfere with the last remnants of the Talent Show.
Exhausted, the girl heads up to her room, collapsing into bed. Saturday Morning, April 25th, 1992
School...
School is a thing. Usagi doesn't have the words to explain just how strange the half day of school is. Nearly everyone, student, teacher, and staff alike aren't interested in learning, not today at the very least. No. They are all far more interested in working on their different acts, many of whom have full on abandoned the classrooms they are supposed to be in in search of somewhere they can practice without being 'spied on'.
On the one hand, this actually irritates Usagi. If she has to go to school, then she might as well be actually learning something. If she's not going to be learning something, then she would rather be free to go and explore the city, to leap from roof to roof without a care, instead of having to stay in one singular place for hours on end.
On the other hand, this gives the girl a chance to show the spoils of her fight to her best friend. And of the spoils there is one that does really manage to catch the red headed girl's attention. "Oh~ What's this?" Naru asks, reaching into Usagi's bag and pulling out the heavy tome with it's unknown title. "Hmm..." The girl hums out, before flipping the book open, eyes sliding back and forth across the text with ease. "Well, this is interesting."
"What?" Usagi asks, everything is happening so quickly that the girl is completely unable to keep up.
"Can I borrow this?" Naru asks, before Usagi finally manages to raise any questions.
"Uh... Sure? But why, it's just gibberish?" The girl asks, trying to understand what Naru is asking.
"Gibber..." The girl looks back at the book, one barely shaking finger reaching up and tracing over a letter. "Huh. That's... not Japanese."
"No...?" Usagi confirms.
"Is this what it's like for you?" She asks, "When you first realized you could read that High Lunar bits of the Primer?"
And just like that, the words finally manage to click into Usagi's head in a way that makes sense. "You can read that?"
"Yeah," Naru confirms. "The Manual of Elemental Animation." She reads off the cover, before flipping the book back open.
"Huh." Is all that Usagi can say.
[Strange Tome revealed to be a Manual of Elemental Animation] Saturday Afternoon, April 25th, 1992
After a particularly pointless half day of classes, Usagi is more than ready to get out of the school building. There are still about six hours before the Talent show begins, which gives the girl plenty of time to go and check up on Shapelin Gym and whatever evil plans are being concocted within.
A ten minute train ride later, and the girl soon finds herself approaching the doors of the gym. Entering through the front door, the girl finds herself almost immediately met by the strange young man manning the front desk. "Welcome!" The young man practically cheers through a stunningly thick German accent. "Welcome to Shapelin Gym. I am Mister Heben," The man says, seemingly unaware of the way that his name causes Usagi to tense just a hair. "And I am, what you say, in charge of introductions and Memberships. Are you here for the free life-time membership?" The man asks, to which Usagi quickly nods.
"Good, good." The man rises from his seat, and Usagi is momentarily stunned, a part of her wondering if the Youma in disguise knows anything about what humans are actually like. The disguised form stands at just over seven feet tall, towering high above the mortal shell of Sailor Moon.
"Woah." The girl barely manages to whisper, before the giant of a man turns, heading deeper into the building. He leads Usagi to almost strangely normal room, before sliding a stack of papers over to the girl. The girl does her best to read over all the information in the packet, but much of it goes directly over her head. What she can follow is mentions of how the Gym uses special lighting that is supposed to replicate sunlight and thus as a part of the membership she is going to be given special suntan lotion that will prevent her from getting sunburns.
It takes an annoyingly long amount of time to get through all the paperwork, but before ten minutes are up, the girl is given her first tube of Soul Light Sunscreen. Usagi can almost feel her hands shaking as she is given the tube. It hasn't been something that she has been focusing on, but there is a strange magical effect covering the Gym. It is similar to the magical fields surrounding the Crystal Seminar and even the field surrounding the strange little shop,but it is very different all the same.
Particularly because passing into the field felt like a jolt of electricity down the girl's spine, and ever since Usagi has been at the border of movement, even moment left sitting in place feels wrong, like you need to move.
But now that is finally gone, and you hurry into the restroom, quickly stripping down to your underwear and coating yourself in the sunscreen. Following that, you quickly redress and head into the main room of the gym. All around you are all sorts of different machines and tools... You need to try them out.
Choose three: [ ][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[ ][Shapelin] The Treadmill! Run, run, run! Gotta work on your endurance
[ ][Shapelin] The Pullup Bar! work those biceps!
[ ][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[ ][Shapelin] Bench Press! The more weight you put on, the stronger your punches will be!
[ ][Shapelin] The Hyperextension lift! Gotta work the Gluts!
[ ][Shapelin] The Fly machine works your pecs!
[ ][Shapelin] The Vertical Climber! CARDIO IS GOOD FOR YOU! HOO-RAH!
[ ][Shapelin] The Salmon Ladder! A powerful workout that makes you look cool!
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] Bench Press! The more weight you put on, the stronger your punches will be!
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] The Hyperextension lift! Gotta work the Gluts!
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] The Hyperextension lift! Gotta work the Gluts!
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] The Treadmill! Run, run, run! Gotta work on your endurance
"Correct." Alice confirms, and it is only a few more minutes before the three Senshi carefully extricate themselves from the situation, but as they close the door behind them, Sailor Moon is able to hear something that she most certainly wasn't supposed to. Alice giggle madly, "Oh my god, I can't wait to tell Mana that I met actual superheroes!"
Maybe Naru is a reincarnation of someone from Elysium, and this is its language?
...while I'm kinda tempted to go train, as this reminds me a LOT of theCrystal Seminar (and its bonuses were very much real!), it's probably unwise...
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] Bench Press! The more weight you put on, the stronger your punches will be!
[X][Shapelin] The Vertical Climber! CARDIO IS GOOD FOR YOU! HOO-RAH!
[X][Shapelin] The Treadmill! Run, run, run! Gotta work on your endurance
Sounds like it can help a little with Usagi's Craven trait, maybe. Also cardio is foundation for everything else.
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] The Hyperextension lift! Gotta work the Gluts!
[x][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[x][Shapelin] The Treadmill! Run, run, run! Gotta work on your endurance
[x][Shapelin] The Vertical Climber! CARDIO IS GOOD FOR YOU! HOO-RAH!
