Coffee Break

A neat and largely unplanned semi-event that arose from the words "macchiato goo girl". Caution, silliness within.

Rihko is sitting, out in the lot, at the base of the hill the den is dug into. She's leaning against the brick wall, knees pulled up and her arms and tails loosely curled around her. The kitsune is smiling, and seems to be just observing people coming and going today.

A winged shadow flits across the Lot, heralding the arrival of an airborne visitor; Caeli glides in for a landing, headed at first toward the den's entrance but quick to change her angle of descent once she spots Rihko. About ten feet from her goal she folds her wings and drops neatly to the ground, landing easily and covering the rest of the distance at a walk. Only then does she speak; "Hello, Rihko," she greets. "I was hoping I would find you here."

Rihko looks up at the arrivial, and then smiles when she recognizes it's Caeli. She raises a paw and gives the girl a wave. "Hi, Caeli!" she calls out, then rubs her shoulder against the wall behind her. The kitsune's head tilts to the side. "You were looking for me? What could I do for you?"

Caeli pauses to regard the seated kitsune closely, monetarily distracted by a stray thought; she seizes control of the space beside Rihko, dropping into a sitting position and leaning against the brick wall, which turns out not to be soft at /all/. None of her disappointment at this shows through as she replies with a question; "Do you remember taking me to that pretty place at the top of the mountain?"

Rihko continues watching Caeli as she comes over, still smiling. Her smile widens as she thinks back to that day, and she nods her head. "I do! That was a good day," she says. Her ears flick. "Well, the part of the day before that wasn't, but I had a good time and it made up for it." The kitsune's tails wriggle and twitch.

Caeli nods her agreement. "Yes, I enjoyed going there with you very much... and I want to repay the favor." Curious emerald eyes are drawn to the twitchytails, but soon politely return to Rihko's face. "That is, if you would like to... The place I wish to take you will require a long flight, across the city. I would understand if you do not wish to go."

Rihko links her fingers together, palms out, and stretches her arms; then she arches her back and stretches her shoulders. She shifts the position of her legs, and then rises up to her feet, brushing grass and dirt from her jeans and her fur. She shakes her head. "I would be delighted, Caeli." She giggles, and then brushes her paws together for a moment before she slips off her jacket, opens the vents in the back, and then puts it back on. She focuses, and grows out her wings, then grins. "Lead the way, then."

Caeli watches her kitsune companion closely, then likewise stands, albeit with less stretching. "That is an impressive ability," she comments as the wings appear. "I am unable to fully retract my own..." She peers at her own pair over one shoulder, then shrugs, dismissing the thought. "Please take care; the site lies at the edge of this region's infection zone, so flight will become more difficult." She breaks into a jog, extending her wings to their full soft, pinkish glory and launching herself into the air.

Caeli quickly gains altitude, opting for a nice, scenic view of Fairhaven and a good buffer of distance between herself and any flying ferals that may be nesting in the city below. As it turns out she wasn't exaggerating; their lengthy flight over the ruined landscape ends at the city limits far from New Ireland, where the buildings - and the everpresent bubble of nanites - start to thin. Your destination becomes increasingly apparent as Caeli angles into a descent toward... oddly enough, an abandoned automobile dealership.

Rihko follows along after Caeli, enjoying the scenery and the exercise. It's a little odd to be using muscles one only has on a temporary basis, but the rest of her is involved as well. When Caeli descends, she follows after, dipping down through the air and then pulling up at the end to drop into a crouch, glancing around the lot.

Having executed her own graceful landing nearby, Caeli moves to Rihko's side and gestures with an outstretched arm at the vehicles clustered thickly around the lot - trucks, cars, SUVs, and even jeeps all gathered under the proud banner of 'Al's Pre-Owned Vehicles'. The end of life as most knew it apparently didn't hit this place quite as hard as most, with most of the mechanical specimens in pretty good shape considering three years of neglect. One of the nearest trucks is in an odd state, however, half-disassembled down to the internal frame with the myriad component parts laid out neatly beside it. "This place is filled with treasure," the android says with a bit of wonder in her tone. "I wanted to show you before I touched anything else... You can have any that you wish, there are enough for both of us to study."

Rihko grins, her tails waving and flicking as her wings tuck up against her back. She whistles. "Yea... it doesn't look like many people come out this way..." she says, taking a quick look around. Then her attention settles on Caeli. "You've been studying... all sorts of things. How is this set going?" she asks, gesturing at the truck.

Caeli's monochromatic gaze is briefly stolen by the fancing tails, but she soon refocuses it upon the kitsune. "This vehicle has much to teach me - I have theories relating to how the engine works, though my attempts to start it have thus far failed. I believe the problem may lie in the fuel source... Many of its parts are difficult to remove, and covered in grease and residue that I cannot avoid, but I enjoy the work, and hope I can bring at least some of these machines back to life." She sounds remarkably enthusiastic, clearly enjoying the thought of fixing things.

Rihko looks back at Caeli, and nods. "Possibly. Some dealerships only sold cars, some had a few inside in a showroom. Some had mechanics and parts on hand." The kitsune nods again, appreciating Caeli's handiwork. "And Sorien is a mechanic. She spends most of her time during the day working with Zephyr, keeping what trucks they have running and repaired. I know the theories behind it and could probably figure out how to repair one, too, but I haven't actually worked on one before." She looks back up at Caeli and grins. "It is certainly possible to bring these back to life, it will just take a lot of work. And I would gladly help you out, if you wanted." She looks around again, then nods towards the building. "Want to go check it out?"

Caeli listens intently, nodding along as she absorbs the new information. The offer of aid brings a small smile to her lips; with her habitually limited expressiveness, she may as well be beaming with delight. "I would enjoy working together very much, Rihko. Thank you." Growing bold with excitement, she reaches out to take Rihko's hand and begins leading the way through the maze of rusty cars and trucks, finding that proximity offers a better glimpse at what lies beyond the windows - which, as it turns out, is indeed more cars! The main entrance is unlocked, so she lets herself right in, holding the door open for Rihko to follow. The inside of the building is lit only by the light pouring through the walls of windows, and silent save for a strange, quiet humming sound.

Rihko lets Caeli take her hand, and happily follows along behind the cyborg girl as the approach the building. She glances through the windows as well, and then gives Caeli a little curtsey before slipping past her into the building. "Thank you," she murmurs, politely. Her ears perk and twitch at the humming, and she tilts her head to the side. "Huh... sounds like something is on..." she says. She spends a moment tilting her head and twisting her ears, trying to locate it, then begins moving towards the source of the noise, eyes scanning the dealership's interior.

The showroom is spacious in the way only a successful auto dealership can be, and holds what was once the best 'Al' had to offer, in far better condition than their exposed bretheren outside. Up front and center and demanding attention as always is a monstrous yellow Hummer H1, easily recognizable to even the uninitiated in the world of automobiles. The others on either side are less recognizable, but no less noteworthy: a '97 Camero with a deep purple-black paintjob and a red-with-white-stripes Dodge Viper, the latter of had the misfortune of being parked beneath a light fixture which was clearly not secure enough to survive a nanite apocalypse and demonstrated this upon the vehicle's roof. Tucked way in the back is one last treasure, a 1968 Pontiac GTO that might be the most interesting thing in the showroom if not for the /army/ of coffee machines assembled in a haphazard row along a series of pushed-together desks. The 'hum' becomes more distinct as the pair approach, likely caused by whatever all those power cords running back behind the desks are connected to. "These machines have power," Caeli observes, perhaps unhelpfully, immediately approaching one to begin an inspection.

"Ooo..." Rihko says, quietly, as she passes through the interior showroom. "Pretty. These are classics, Caeli." Still, her attention is drawn to the... enormous, boggling array of coffee machines. She frowns and begins moving closer to them as well. "Yea! That's... unusual." Her head tilts to the side and she looks at the power cords, ears flicking. The kitsune's tails twist and weave around eachother, and she bends over, peeking under the desks. "Most curious... what do you make of this, Caeli? Have you seen anyone around here before?"

Caeli shakes her head, poking at the nearest machine with divided attention as she replies, "I detected no one on my previous visit, though I never ventured beyond the truck I showed you outside." She jabs a button on the nearest machine, and in short order the sounds of boiling water can be heard; her curiosity prompts a lifting of the coffeemaker's lid, which sees her rewarded with a faceful of hot steam. The coffeemakers are hooked up to a makeshift powerplant of car batteries and a power inverter, and while there is no visible means of recharging them they certainly seem to be doing their job. "What makes a car a classic?" Caeli asks, rejecting the machine that spurned her advances in favor of its expensive-looking espresso maker neighbor, the android apparently unconcerned about the possibility that they might be intruding.

Rihko winces and takes a few quick steps towards Caeli as her friend gets a face full of steam; when she seems unaffected, though, the kitsune relaxes again. She thinks a moment, and then shrugs. "I had a couple of friends that were enthusiasts. Technically it's just age... there's a time period of a few decades, and any car made in those years is a classic, as opposed to vintage or antique or modern." She shrugs. "My friends, though, they said a real classic had to have... the right attitude. The right soul. They complained about the people designing modern cars not having the same creativity, spark, or vision." She shrugs, and sniffs at the air, smelling for coffee as she moves up to start looking at the mass of coffee machines. "Jen was great. She'd spend hours talking about the attitude of the cars we saw, what sort of feelings she got from them." She glances around the room again. "Hello?" she calls out. "Anyone here?"

Caeli abandons her examination of the espresso machine to listen to Rihko's explanation, her eyes wide with interest. "I am modern, and I have a soul," she notes with some small measure of pride. "Do you think I have the right attitude and soul? What do you think Jen would say about me?" Her curiosity is insatiable, but the scent of coffee is rather thick and distracting; one whole desk on the end seems entirely occupied with scavenged goods, from ground-up prepackaged beans to filters to coffee mugs of all shapes and sizes. Rihko's words recieve no immediate reply, but just when it seems the building might be deserted after all there's sudden movement down at the other end of the desktrain; a head peeks out from behind the mound of coffee supplies, silently staring at Rihko and Caeli with wide, unblinking eyes. It's hard to tell in the dim lighting, but while the head appears quite human her skin and hair are oddly colored, a light brown with whitish swirls and marbling.

Rihko quietly giggles, her ears twitching and her tails swishing. "I think, Caeli, that she would like you very much. She was always a good judge of character, and y-" she cuts off as she sees the head, and she pauses, giving the person a little nod. She immediately moves closer to Caeli, giving the little robot a nudge. "Hello, there," she offers, quietly. "Is this place yours?"

The head quickly withdraws as it is spotted and addressed, though not before Rihko brings it to Caeli's attention. "Goo life form," Caeli announces quietly to her kitsune companion, staring thoughtfully at the place to which the goo disappeared. There is no response, though a very faint liquid squelching sound can be heard amongst the hum of the power system.

"We're not looking for trouble," Rihko calls out again, watching where the coffee-goo had vanished. She crosses her arms and thinks a moment, glancing back at the coffee and coffee makers, then over at Caeli. "I think we may be intruding on someone's home," she offers, quietly.

"I believe you are correct," Caeli replies in a likewise hushed tone, head slightly tilted as she listens for more sounds of movement. The liquid sounds stop, and without warning a small *ding!* sounds from the machine Caeli unintentionally activated, signaling a fresh brew; a split-second later the still air of the dealership is pierced by a shriek of "EEEEEEEEEEEEE!" as the goo girl springs up over the coffee makers, revealing herself to be totally nude, entirely milky brown in color, and decorated with more swirly patterns of white all over her body. Her leap aims her right at the pair of intruders!

Rihko growls, twisting and jumping back with an assist from her wings, moving to the side and out of the path of the goo girl. "Watch out!" she calls, as her mind catches up with the action; the kitsune plants her feet in a ready stance and the air around her shimmers as the temperature immediately around her spikes up. The kitsune's tails fan out behind her, helping her balance, and she makes another growling noise, a threat and a warning to leave her alone.

Caeli's reflexes are up to par, neatly mirroring the kitsune's evasive maneuver; the strange goo impacts a moment later, deforming slightly as she crouches and stares around wild-eyed. "Minegoaway!" she cries, spinning and seizing the decanter from the freshly-used coffee maker, cradling it against her bust as she sprints away from the pair toward a nearby support pillar, which she dives behind to hide.

Rihko blinks, and her ears flick. She starts to answer, showing her open, empty hands, then glances over at Caeli. And sees the espresso machine. Her tails slowly sway back and forth, and she inclines her head. "Caeli. Please, leave the espresso machine; it belongs to them, and it is wrong to take things that belong to other people. If you want one to study we can find our own somewhere." She speaks just slightly louder than she needs to, so that the goos can hear; there is no point in picking a fight

Caeli's blush is mostly hidden by the dim lighting; she nods biting her lip and slowly lowering the machine to the floor, setting it down with care and whispering, "I will rescue you later," apparently to the device itself. As Caeli steps away a creepy, high-pitched giggle spreads throughout the showroom, echoed from at least a dozen if not more goos; then an engine begins ticking and, miraculously, the hummer roars to life with a crazy-eyed goo girl grinning broadly at Rihko from behind the wheel. With an unhealthy-sounding growl the vehicle lurches forward, careening straight toward the kitsune!

The kitsune snarls at the new, blatant attack; she uses her wings to help her jump again, pushing herself into a quick leap aimed at the roof of the hummer. Rihko's knife flashes as she draws it from its sheath, stabbing down at the roof in an attempt to anchor her, and once more Rihko starts feeding energy into the nanites in the air immediately around her, exciting them and pushing the temperature up as fire begins to gather around her.

Blade meets metal roof and punctures without too much difficulty, lodged securely in place by kitsune strength. Rihko is spared a direct impact, but now a new problem arises in the form of a well-placed support pillar - the very same one the first goo girl hid behind, and is now peeking around to see what that fast-approaching roar might be. Caeli is already in motion, abandoning the espresso machine in an attempt to do /something/, though she's too far away to be of any direct aid.

Rihko takes quick stock of the situation, attention focused on the looming pillar... the threat it presents is rather more important to Rihko than trying to perform some act of retaliation, so the kitsune quickly wrenches her knife back from the hummer and snaps her wings out behind her. Her gaze sweeps the dealership, gauging airspace and trajectory; if there's room to let the hummer throw her past the pillar towards the exit she'll gladly take the strategic retreat, but if not she'll just try to steer clear of the obstacles or, worst case, use her wings as an air break to slow herself down.

Everything happens so quickly that neither intruder has much time to think; the kitsune disengages just in time - a massive *BANG* tears through the dealership half a second later, louder than a gunshot as the vehicle slams into the vertical obstruction. The hummer hadn't the space to accelerate to full speed, but its powerful engine and sheer mass gave it enough force to dislocate the bottom of the pillar and splatter the driver all over the dashboard and windshield. But the damage extends to the building itself as a large section of upper floorspace above the pillar finds itself bereft of support and decides to come right on down to investigate the disturbance, collapsing upon the hummer and its immediate surroundings.

Rihko straightens up, from the edge of the impact zone, throwing debris off of her with a snarl. Her wings spread out and her tails fan behind her; the kitsune's tails are alight with blazing flames, and flickers of fire and glowing sparks flit in the air around her as she slowly gives the rest of the room a -very- angry glare, her posture -daring- the next goo to come for her and, as she sets a foot down on one of the bits of the floor above, the angrysune takes ownership of the fallen cieling... claiming the destruction visited on the hummer as her own. She feels no need to resort to words, letting her glare and her posture speak for her.

This setback sends the remaining goos into a frenzy of activity - most are panicking, but several of the most energetic and coffee-crazed members of the small tribe seek to avenge the damage to their building. Another battle-shriek sounds from behind Rihko as the original macchiato goo girl springs toward Rihko from the side, wielding the (now empty) coffee decanter she rescued from them before. She is joined by the quickly-reforming driver of the hummer, who stumbles drunkenly out of the vehicle's half-buried wreckage to launch a less-than-coordinated assault upon the kitsune. Meanwhile, the settling dust reveals where Caeli has gone to - the android is picking herself up from amongst the opposite edge of the collapse, a task made slightly more difficult by the heavy sport motorcycle delivered from on high to crush one of her wings. She pulls her damaged limb free just in time to look up at the goo guy approaching her with violent intent.

"Why can't you take a hint?!" Rihko snarls out, turning to try and keep both advancing goo girls in line of sight. She raises a hand and calls her wisp-fire into existance; the dancing globs of etherial blue kitsune-fire dart forward, trying to bury themselves in one of the goos as they burn brighter and hotter, and then the kitsune glances at Caeli. She knows the cyborg is tough, and she only has the one to deal with, so her attention returns to the other goo girl and she lunges, knife-first. Although she knows her blade will be of... reduced effectiveness against a creature made of goo, the flames and sparks swirling around her coalesce around her arm and her blade, ready to deliver searing heat.

Seasoned warriors these goos are not - the kitsune's first attacker dodges one fireball only to move her head directly into the path of a second, getting a mouthful of flame; she immediately collapses to the ground and writhes in silent panic, realizing far too late that she's trying to bite off far more than she can chew. Rihko's second target stands her ground while swiping at the kitsune with a multitude of insanely fast goo-tendrils, showing about as much concern for self-preservation as she did whilst driving the hummer. A short distance away Caeli opts for a less flashy approach to deter her own foe, scooping up smallish chunks of debris and throwing them with considerable force, each makeshift projectile burying itself in the goo guy with a satisfying splat. Oddly enough, very little of her attention seems to be on the goo - she's fiddling with the motorcycle with her non-throwy-hand, eyes darting between it, her target, and Rihko's situation at intervals.

Rihko narrows her eyes and uses her free arm to keep goo-tendrils away from her face, snarling and slashing and burning her assailant until it either gives up, or it seems like she's boiled as much of it as she can. In her assault the kitsune pushes more power into the nanites igniting the air around her, until she is nearly cloaked by a wreath of flames and the shimmering heat-mirage of the air around her.

Caeli manages to hold off the goo guy long enough for Rihko's impressive display of pyrotechnics to send the two goos she hasn't nearly obliterated with her flaming knife-strikes into full retreat; they underestimated her to a very unfortunate degree, and only upon putting plenty of distance between themselves and the burning kitsune do they turn back to face her. A quick glance around shows that the danger has not quite passed, however; the small army of other goos has had a chance to regroup and encircle Rihko and Caeli. The latter abandons the fallen bike to move closer to her friend, quietly stating, "Rihko, further fighting may result in further damage to the machines in this building. I advise a retreat." She glances up toward the gaping hole in the ceiling and adds, "A vertical departure would offer the least resistance." How she plans to get up there with a damaged wing is left unstated, assuming there's a plan at all. The goos close in steadily, locking arms and starting to melt together into a continuous ring of coffee-flavored goo which sprouts more and more random tendrils as they converge.

Rihko stomps once in the puddle of one of her defeated enemies, then glances around. She briefly considers just punching a hole through the encircling goo-people, then nods her head at Caeli. "An excellent suggestion," she agrees, quickly exerting control over her desire for more carnage. "Will you be able to make it up there?" she asks. She glances around again and her wisps return to circle her, the kitsune's fires dieing down to a more conversationally reasonable level.

Caeli spreads her wings - unevenly, as the injured one fails to reach its full span - then shakes her head. "I cannot," she says in her default stoic tone. A particularly lengthy goo-whip lashes out at them from the giggling, many-headed and ever-thickening amaglam of foes, passing within a foot of the surrounded girls. Overhead the giggling is echoed as more coffeeheads peek down to spectate.

"I see," Rihko says, nodding once. "Then that is not an option," she says, decisively. "We are leaving!" she calls out to the goo-things. "I strongly suggest you get out of our way!" Her tails flick, tossing licks of flame in either direction, and then she nods her head towards the window. "Throw something at the window to open a hole, then follow; I'll try to burn my way through the circle and make an exit for you." She pauses. "If I get stuck, feel free to run into me and push me the rest of the way through. -We- are leaving, together." She flashes Caeli a grin, then turns and sprints for the ring of goos, wisps flying ahead of her and her fire gathering around her again as she focuses on tearing a opening in their trap.

Caeli listens and nods in understanding, presumably ready to follow behind Rihko; the goos the fox is aiming for shriek in unified terror at her rapid approach, melting away long before the unnatural heat has a chance to touch them. But something is off - no footfalls echo Rihko's own, the kitsune finding herself alone in the dash toward freedom! The reason for this is soon made clear by the loud, almost vicious-sounding growl of an engine coming to life, followed by a screech of tires as Caeli commandeers the motorcycle that thwarted their first escape plan to aid in their second. The compact vehicle becomes the primary target of the goos, who attempt to batter it with their pseudopods only to meet more of the robogirl's formidable AEGIS system. A lone missile ignites in Caeli's wake, instantly overtaking her on a direct path to the nearest window as she aims the bike toward the hastily-formed gap.

Rihko only spares one glance behind her at the roar of the bike, not wanting to miss a step; the kitsune begins laughing, or as much as she can while sprinting for the escape point. She dives through the window, or whatever is left of it, waiting only long enough to make sure Caeli had also made her way out before continuing across the lot, putting several cars between her and the dealership.

The goo monstrosity is unable to catch the speedbot, though it's not for lack of trying - having morphed into a distressingly massive coffee-colored and milk-swirled tide they surge after the motorcycle, squelching and sliming through the once-window and over the shards of broken glass scattered outside. Caeli was fortunate to have a full-sized floor-to-ceiling window to exit through, but her luck runs a bit short when it comes time to actually stop - she hits the brakes too hard and puts herself into a skid, the back tire swinging out and around before android and bike crunch none-too-gently into the side of one of the parked cars in the lot. Seemingly undaunted, she says, "Vehicle handling parameters adjusted. That was intentional. It will not happen again. Please board the vehicle, Rihko." She gives it a little gas, pulling a few feet away from the freshly dented car with a meaningful glance back toward the still-oozing threat pursuing them.

Rihko laughs again, and hops on the bike behind Caeli; she clings tight to the cyborg, enough that it might be possible to feel her heart racing with the thrill and excitment. She does, of course, extinguish her flames first - except for those floating globs of fox-fire that hover around the pair at a safe distance. "Alright, let's go, Caeli!" she calls, tucking her wings tight against her back to avoid messing with the vehicle handling any further.

Caeli proves to be a remarkably fast learner, quickly bringing the scratched but otherwise fully functional bike around to point toward the narrow gap between two cars in the row beside them; the engine roars, and they're away, weaving nimbly through the narrow but mostly straight path toward the edge of the lot. A shower of a dozen feathers are left dancing through the air in their wake, missilizing and scattering almost at random in the general direction of the goo-golem, yielding a series of small yet satisfying blasts to discourage further pursuit. She slows considerably (and with much more care than before) to make the sharp turns necessary to hit the highway leading back toward the city proper, then stops a few yards away from the dealership, letting the engine settle to a quiet rumble. Her heart is pounding every bit as quickly as the kitsune's, as she looks back toward the destruction they've wrought, and the wounded, multiheaded googiant sludging and slopping its way over the rows of cars toward them, too distant to be a threat for at least half a minute. "You are not injured, are you, Rihko?" she asks, sticking firmly to her priorities.

Rihko takes a slow, steadying breath, her arms still wrapped around Caeli. After a moment, she shakes her head. "Some superficial scratches and burns, I'm sure they've healed already." She pauses, and her attention turns to the pink-feathered wing in front of her. "You, Caeli? I assumed you'd be able to repair yourself fairly quickly; are you alright?"

Caeli nods and confidently replies, "I am fine. My thrusters and internal wing structure are more complex and difficult to fix than a simple cut or burn, but once we have reached a secure location I can make the necessary repairs." Her emerald eyes focus on the largely open road leading back toward Fairhaven, her characteristically inexpressive voice holding what might very well be a hint of giddiness as she states, "I advise using this vehicle to return to the city. Shall we go?"

Rihko thinks on that a moment, and then nods her head. Her own wings start shrinking, the nanites restructuring the kitsune's body and reabsorbing the organic matter, some of it dissipating into the bubble itself. Rihko gives a little shake and rolls her shoulders at the odd sensation that she never gets used to, then gets comfortable on the back of the bike. "That sounds fine to me. Let's go."

Caeli revvs the engine, and in minutes Al's dealership and its myriad 'treasures' are lost to sight; a return trip may not be in the cards, but at least in the android's mind the experience - and her new bike - are well worth it.