Cloudpiercing Veil

Pleasant humming left the mouth of the maid as she dusted off the cowers of the corner of the room. The large foyer of the hall had seen a hit of expectations in cleanliness in her time away and it showed how much of a difference the castle appeared to the eye upon entering a room when ever book nook and cranny was swept, wiped, mopped, dusted, and polished to the best of one’s abilities. The irony of living by the “cleanliness is next to godliness” and yet your half demon is something to chuckle about, or be amused by. And it was in some ways. A little tickle of bemusement when the chain of chores on her daily plate had trickled along in her mind every so often. But things felt great and normalized after she had gotten back into the swing of things and to be frank it felt  dry relieving to not be alienated by the Queen or much of the other staff. That aside from those who felt abandoned after her death and unsure of how they felt with her back again.

With the upper corner of the room finished, the sound of doors opening below her caused the demi dragoness to look down to see a foreign person stepping into the castle hall. With a brow raised, she watched a figure that from her angle was just a black top from the helmet and some black clothing accessorized with a pair of wings on her back. The mechanical nature made her wonder if these were just a means of travel or if she was of some form of a mechanical being, however all she could tell was that the metal of her armor and wings meant this could either be a blessing or a curse… for them anyway. ”Welcome!” She greeted from above, slowly descending before the armored guest until her heels clicked to the tiled floor. A smile graced the maids face leaning in to a curtsy as she bowed her head but for a moment and then focusing on the guest. ”Hello and welcome to Errings Rising, madam. My name is Sanguine, head maid of the guild and it’s a pleasure to meet you. Might I ask to whom I owe the pleasure of this time?” Her good attitude beamed from her introduction, leaning further into the curtsy before she returned to a static position straight up and her hands placed on her lap. ”Its quite rare to get a guest to come all this way on their own. How can I help you today?” She asked, seeming to be unphased by the appearance of the woman in any shape or form.

There was a certain... disparity between the expected greeting of a dark guild and the one that Riana actually received; this information was incredibly strange to her. Yes, this was not what she had intended at all, but nonetheless it was the situation before her. She had expected someone gruff and uncaring, considering the nature of this place. However, it was a welcome change, given that it was easier to carry a civil conversation with someone who was in fact being civil to begin with.

However, with the wave of a hand, all of that equipment vanished; cold steel gave way to flesh, blood and hair, leaving only the master of the steel beast behind. Inside was a woman who, with a thin face framed by bright auburn hair, took all that she beheld in with inquisitive emerald eyes. Those eyes, piercing as they were, carried a face that betrayed almost no emotion. It was evident that she was no stranger to the concept of masquerade; it became so much easier when you could spend much of your time hiding your face behind a helmet that was as dispassionate as the emotionas you concealed. Sanguine would probably be able to read all of this in the first few seconds of seeing Riana; the way she stood, one hip canted with a hand on it, scanning her surroundings first before addressing the human in front of her. This was rather typical behaviour.

"Well met. My name is Riana Maren. I come seeking guild membership."

The tone was only a few notes above robotic, but now that she finally regarded the person in front of her, Riana was taking stock and slowly adapting to the situation. It was absolutely interesting to be greeted by a maid, but stranger things happened routinely for the scientist; that was the nature of all of her work.

It was likely strange that she did not carry any actual equipment or belongings with her, but given the fact that she could dismiss and summon metals at her whim, there was likely the hint of being able to do the same with her items at the same time. It was just a shame she couldn't do that to an entire science lab.

There was an odd return of a realization that this woman had that was quite interesting to the maid. Usually when people entered the hall for the first time, they tended to be very.. forward with how they should perceive kind gestures of greetings. While on one hand seeing a maid among the evil and wicked would assume they were nothing but lowly servants, Sanguine had put a few in their place time and time again both of members and normal citizens as well. Oh well, there was a glint of amusement in the ones she had to teach lessons as much as there was when someone did the opposite. It's never a bad thing when someone treats someone well despite their occupation. Probably the main reason she had kept from trying to turn Fiore and other countries into a bloody version of Venice. Still, Riana introducing herself in such a way brought a light smile to the blood slayers face.

As Sanguine stood with her hands still rested in front of her, she had taken a brief second to glance over the woman. It was quite uncommon people approach the guild empty handed, but when she first arrived with her former Mistress, the two had done just that themselves. So when someone had shown up in such a fashion, it brought an extra bit of a joy to her experience. "That should not be a problem, Miss Maren. May I offer you a warm drink or meal before we move past some basic questions?" She had turned to her side and motioned to an assortment of furniture surrounding a few tables. "At least take a seat and relax, madam." Sanguine offered kindly, continuing to be as humble as she wanted to so long as it didn't sour into a need to become assertive. Then things may not end well for the guest.

"It's just a few static questions I ask people that think they want to join the guild. And first that would be what brings you specifically to Errings Rising? While there are guilds few and far between in both alignment and numbers, why seek us out?"

"I would like that very much. Tea, please, with a splash of milk."

With barely any further prompting, Riana took a seat, taking a moment to compose herself before answering what would inevitably be a barrage of questions for the necessities of membership.

"Simple: I would prefer to exist where typical rules do not apply," Riana began, choosing to mete her words carefully. While she had little to conceal and, frankly, no reason to conceal the truth of her nature, there was a certain wariness that accompanied those who would seek their own ends. "I am, first and foremost, a scientist. I perform research. That research requires a very loose interpretation of the law in order to be effective. Therefore, here I am."

Which was, strictly speaking, true. When it came to weapons research and testing, there was a need to test said weapons - typically on live targets. There was no denying the fact that Riana was rather creative with how she developed her equipment, and most of them had been tested at one point or another on human flesh to ensure its efficacy. After all, how else would one be able to ensure that a magitech beam pierced flesh and sent an enemy screaming to their death as the atoms that made up their bodies broke their bonds as painfully as humanly possible to annihilate skin, bone and organs?

"Consider this - Plumed Serpent reads like a madman's wild dream. The Wolf would not appreciate the use of my research as much as they would the coin that it generates. Every other Guild could not handle me and my methods, nor would I tolerate their droll nature," she gave by way of explanation. It was an unfortunate reality that most guilds were too good. Other guilds were not to her liking - as such, this was the best place she could potentially give for an answer. Was it ideal? Probably not. She cared less for the needs and wants of others. However, if she could make her way here, in a manner of her choosing, then this was a success in her book.

" As such, I am full prepared to offer to the guild the fruits of my research, as well as my combat effectiveness as a result," was the final answer she gave.

”Very well then. Madeline, dear!” The head maid called out a random maid by name, followed in part by a young looking woman with waist length auburn hair dressed in a similar styled maid uniform to Sanguine’s own. ”Would you please prepare a tray of tea for our guest and I? And bring yourself a cup as well.” She would flash the girl a smile, a genuine one at that. While she may slaughter and drain her enemies of their blood and continue to cause whatever mayhem she was asked or just felt as though she wanted to do, there was still that kind old nun she used to be that shined through and geared towards the maids under her steed. With a dark and somewhat perverted natured group of members about, these maids still do their job not only safe in mind but also happily in part of her guidance. And with only a nod and a curtsy, the maid departed to the kitchen to prepare the tea as asked.

Now left alone once more, Riana answered about her choice of Errings Rising. What piqued her interest was that she proclaimed herself a scientist. Seemed rather well to know with knowing the layout of the castle as she had, if she truly was as she told, Sanguine would surely be able to please this woman with something enticing. Without expecting such a start, the woman began to explain what it was she felt drew her away from others and closer to this. Each guild she named she quickly dismissed for one reason or another. It made her question what it was she experimented with and how these methods would be used or vilified for. ”I see.” She quietly replied, laying a gentle and rather uplifting and somewhat cheery look.

After a moment of silence to take in what she had been told, the blood slayer smirked and let out a light giggle. ”If I may be so Frank, the way it sounds, you come off as though Errings Rising was not a first choice. Maybe closer to a last resort~” She was joking, maybe jabbing a little in a manner meant to not be taken seriously, but the head maid simply let off a light sigh and placed her hands on her own lap. ”Worry not, I was simply joking. I don’t expect too many to always think of us first. Just knowing we were in the running is simply enough for me, though the Queen is.. well another story in it of itself.”

”Now about your advances in science…” Her lead in to the topic was met with a light placement of a tray filled with several cups of porcelain tea cups, a steaming pot of tea, and another with what would be the milk asked for. ”I know of an area in the lower section of the castle in which a laboratory looks like it was made but abandoned. We do have a dungeon with prisoners and nearly all of them are free to use for experimentation. Usually specially kept ones such as our other advisors children is kept isolated. Some of the time she is let out, however she’s… an odd one at that.” During which time she spoke, she picked the cup up with both hands. Small sections of her hair had picked up the pot of tea and another with the milk, preparing both cups and setting the steaming hot cup before the guest. ”So please, tell me more about the field of study you specialize in, if any. I’m rather excited to learn more, so please don’t hesitate details or terms with me!” With that, the maid would set the pots down and her hair return to its natural “lifeless” state and she would take the time to enjoy her tea.

Riana decided to let the comment regarding being last choice go; it was obviously a joke and her ability to read social cues was not that dull. However, the warning regarding the Queen was... mildly concerning, to say the least. Was she that volatile? Reports were inconclusive, but first-hand experience could not be substituted.

Fortunately, that train of thought was interrupted by information that was incredibly important. Not only did they have the facilities for Riana to set herself up, there were plenty of test subjects - perfect. As for her speciality...

"My speciality is a little hard to explain, so perhaps a demonstration would be more efficient."

With that, fingers trailed through the air for a moment, orange-red particles trailing through the air as she allowed the conjuration of three separate items to form - one, her Ebon Fury battlesuit as it formed helmetless, standing beside her lifeless. The helmet itself manifested between her hands, its finned edges and glowing panels a savage countenance in contrast to her own human features. Finally, upon the table, a small device; little more than a five-inch circle much akin to a drink coaster, but a smaller circle inside it appeared to be little more than a darkened screen.

"I study a field that, as I understand, is primarily unknown to most nations - magitechnicka. While countries such as Pergrande study high-tech equipment, and we here in Fiore have developments such as the SS Endeavour belonging to Meliora Vitae, it is only Fiore's most secretive mages that study a true fusion of magic and technology. Specifically, I am an expert in weapons development - particularly very high-powered weapons that, on a good day, tear atomic bonds apart. This is an extension of that research. My Ebon Fury is my pride and joy. I also have managed to successfully create a single artificial intelligence, who will now commence the demonstration. SOFI?" At that mention, a small transparent blue form about eight inches in height appeared from the screen of the projector that rested on the table, the screen itself now glowing a dulled off-white as it displayed the hologram. The redheaded scientist stared down at the artificial intelligence, their eyes locking for a moment before SOFI turned around and folded her hands behind her back. There was a smile on her face as the little figure stared up at the maid, with nothing but glee in her eyes.

Greetings, Miss Sanguine. I am the Subcutaneous Operation and Fabrication Intelligence, and I will gladly be addressed by SOFI - you may deduce my operational parameters by my designation. For your perusal, we will now commence the Ebon Fury unmanned combat demonstration. The helmet, if you please, Riana?

Riana complied, affixing the helmet to the neckseal with a hiss; as the interior of the human shaped battlesuit began to equalise its own internal atmosphere and flood with scrubbed oxygen, it came to life; the eyes and glow-panels of the black, red and gold machine began to glow that same orange-red that Riana's fingers had previously been coated with only moments before. As it did so, the wing binders on the back began to flex and move, jets of air emanating from them as vernier re-positioning thrusters began to fire off compressed air in order to repoisition specific body parts. Individual panels that were due to move began flexing back and forth, testing flight surfaces - then, in the next moment, a conical device between the shoulder blades of the battlesuit began to emanate the particles that had only moments before been dancing off Riana's fingers. At that, it began to hover a few metres off the ground, asa series of weapons formed across its body - rifles, missile pods, long cannons; self-manipulating equipment on a self-arming battlesuit was entirely handy to have. This demonstration carried on for some time, where it floated around the skies and attacked invisible targets with its weaponry in the distance.

Ebon Fury Mark One is capable of infinite self-sustained flight and near-infinite weapons use thanks to a revolutionary magitech reactor. These are advancements that will not be deployed to the public, though many of these weapons are available to the public - it uses the innate magical abilities of the wielder in order to discharge magiparticle attacks. As you can see, this is an effective way for a mage to channel their magic into a high-tech series of weapons that can keep up with the advances of other nations. Given the currently highly-volatile political climate, this has been considered to be the most forward-thinking option. At that, SOFI's form vanished, the screen itself vanishing later - and the armour itself not moments following.

That said, as Riana took the tea that was kindly proferred by Madeleine, she could not help but enjoy its flavour. This was precisely what she had asked for, but there was one thing that she was mildly distracted by instead: Sanguine herself. It was an interesting and rather mesmerising experience watching the maid's hair manipulate objects around it. While the curious part of her brain contemplated that it might be a technological advancement that she simply could not divine immediately, the logical part interpreted it very simple: magic was a very real thing. After all, she too had blended science and magic in her own ways, and this was no exception to the rule; the most highly likely method of strengthening one's hair enough to lift something so heavy as a filled teapot was that it was just plain magic.

"I must ask. What manner of magic is that?"