Welcome to Gaia! ::

"And he did what?" Mastema had to make sure he had heard right with Sho and Slayer, to make sure he understood the overall picture. It just didn't seem to fit together.

"You heard me," Sho responded. "He just showed up at mine and Slayer's place, consecutively, and told us he didn't want any more training. All I got was basically a 'thanks for the training, but it would be inappropriate for me to continue asking you to teach me to fight.' It was pretty weird; I'd have choked on my rice if I wasn't already done with breakfast."

"That is odd. I would not be able to really place a specific reason I noticed that would cause Thanatos suddenly cease his training regiment after so many months committed to it." Mastema had to ponder. He couldn't help but think of the conversation they'd had on the children's birthday. They said clearly he was an accomplished student, and now it was like the star pupil had decided the teacher could do no more for him. Was that what this was? Did Than believe he could train better without any assistance at all?

"I really didn't delve into his reason, but it was only fair of us to let you know. I don't think there is terribly much reason for concern," Slayer responded, seeing most of his business done here.

"Normally I wouldn't think anything of it too.... but the timing is so incredibly conspicuous....."

"How do you mean?" Sho raised his eyebrow.

"Last night, there was a tremor. Not a big one, but enough to merit attention. Now, I am getting new reports in from the surveillance satellites. An entire mountain range has vanished, not far from the citadel. The prototype has gone to inspect it personally."

"An entire mountain range? You must be bloody joking," Slayer scoffed, almost like Mastema was joking, though it was more what Mastema seemed to be insinuating than whether or not it was real, "That would have required massive amounts of power, and I couldn't sense one single power of merit anywhere near the citadel."

"I didn't feel any hairs pricking on my neck either. Whoever did it knew how to hide a lot of energy from being sensed, both by our own senses and your satellites." Sho did find it odd, but couldn't draw the connection between it and Thanatos in any rational fashion.

"I would have to say so as well. Still, it is no where near enough to go on..... I cannot draw any conclusions from it yet." Mastema sighed and reclined. Damn, something else he'd have to think about.

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Proto had spent several minutes in the area before he decided he'd seen enough and started to head back. Of course he already had thoughts of V5 in the back of his head. Perhaps it had noticed something strange in this area as well and that's why it had been out here.

Before Proto could consider it further, his motion detectors triggered and returned his attention to his immediate surroundings. Fluttering in the wind was...... a letter? Paralleling its path for a moment, Proto was eventually able to snatch it from the air and hold to it firmly. On the front, he noted that it was addressed to none other than Mastema. Without another moment's hesitation, Proto continued back to the citadel.

With Sho and Slayer having little more to offer, Mastema would be left to consider the situation for himself. As odd as Thanatos's refusal to continue training was, it wasn't the pressing concern of the moment. There was still more to be learned about whatever had happened to the vanished mountain range.

Even that, however, soon took a backseat in everything when Phia's letter turned up thanks to Proto. It didn't take more than ten minutes after Proto's return to have the letter in Mastema's hands. He would proceed to read it as soon as he received it, wondering why anyone would write him a letter of all things, unless Nana was writing him something for the sake of play.

Having delivered his letter, Proto would try and track down Thanatos to take care of some other things as well, not that there was anyone else in the citadel he could talk to. At the moment, Thanatos was not far from the mall Nana and her children were at.

"So, a drastic and sudden change in the topography of the area? Interesting." One had to muse over such a thing, as the slight tremors weren't entirely strange in their own right. The mining crews caused similar disruptions, though not of such an obscure nature. KB's smaller facility had been in place for some time now, untouched by Mastema's roving bots or other interlopers. For now the outpost could continue to monitor in peace, the surrounding forces having nestled in nicely. Out of sight and out of mind as it were, hibernating beneath the loose soil like insects awaiting the minstrations of their Queen.

Thoughts tumbled about for a few moments before finally becoming decisive action. "Send out four scouts to scan and take samples, passive scans. Weapon and shield systems are only to be activated in the event of hostile contact, keep them running under the radar otherwise." A simple message, a simple order to follow. KB merely wanted a heads up on what was going on around the otherwise simple battlefront HQ. "Oh, and I'd like a field test of the existing canister rifle and the newer augmentations. That is all." So it was, the connection cut out.

Four smaller crablike forms would scurry their way through underground piping, prying free of the core's warmth and breaking out onto the surface. The cool air caused for a playful shiver of the things, their chromed formed gleaming as they broke into a run in the direction of the newly formed plains. Multiple lenses swivelled and zoomed in and out, little limbs taking samples of all sorts as the chittered and buzzed to one another.

Something was fishy.

::Tyr was where he had spent much of his time since being in the citadel. He was waiting for something, a sign from someone or something that it was time to move. His lair provided the best place for the lack of action. However he was growing tired of his surroundings. Indeed he was growing tired of his situation in general. He was now restlessly pacing about his home checking all of his systems and making sure the backups were up to date at his old lair. Some data of course could not be sent back due to it's nature of relating to the Citadel however this had little value to him currently. After some time he would be waiting for that sign. He was trying to search for something to do now waiting for alerts from Zio or any other system that wished for him to have a task in his current home.::

Time... time time time... what to do with all of it, maybe I should just burn down a few things and see who pops up.

Mugiri had sensed Nana and the children pass long ago. He had not quite cared, as he had learned Mastema's children were boring and could get him in quite a bit of trouble with the mechanical gaurds. He just meditated now, the silence of the area helping his cause. He was debating whether or not to contact Mastema. He wondered whether Mastema would even respond, after so long without contact. "Mastema, my master..." he called out telepathically, "Will you give me a mission to carry out for you? I wish to serve."

*Boring of course to Mugiri; perhaps they would be more entertaining when they got older. Elsewhere, Nana and the children had reached the clothing section for kids. Already several pieces had been tried on, taken off, discarded in a pile, or neatly folded as something to take with them. Nana had gone to find a few bags once the piles were large enough to warrant them. Like wise, thier robes were also folded up and were placed at the bottom of the bags. Trilla seemed to like the dresses and skirts, and puffy frilly shirts. At the moment she had on such an outfit. Rusty red squared off buckle shoes, white stalkings, a dark brown skirt with a hint of rust color to tie in with the shoes, a red belt, and a white shirt with puffy sleeves that had frills on the ends as well as a frill right down the center with red buttons. She looked quite charming. Eecheb had found a few things too, mostly T-shirts though. Nana would have to make some slight alterations to what ever pants or shorts he chose, for his tail. However, the boy found a nice pair of dark blue jeans that had rolled up ankles, and a navy shirt with some sort of pattern print on the front, a decal of sorts. If the boy found a nice jacket or coat to go with it, he would be set. Unfortunately Eecheb didn't like any of the shoes that were his size, for those he'd need to look elsewhere. As for Micha, he had happend across a plain dark gray pancho. That would go over a plain black cotton turtleneck, and plain black cotton pants. A good pair of running shoes would also be found on his feet. All in all the children didn't look bad, and they each had at least two or three other outfits now aswell. Not only that, but if they wanted more, they knew where to look. This was only one mall of several though. Nana would take them out again perhaps in a week, to another of these places. The children could more fully develop their personal styles from there*

^///^
My, look at you. heart

Trilla: 4laugh Trilla is pretty!

^///^
Yes, you are.

Eecheb: Hmm, I need shoes.

^__^
We can get some of those for you at a different mall perhaps.

Eecheb: | >.> Ok....

Micha: . . .

*The three would be held together in a large group hug by Nana. It was nice to see their individuality growing. Nicer still was spending more time with them outside of classes*

*Finally after a few minutes more, Nana and the children would emerge from the mall entrance they had first arrived through. This time however Nana had a few bags in her arms, the children had picked out several articles of clothing. To think, in a few years they might all be hording things in bags out of these malls like-- well, appropriately like teenagers. One could only wonder what time would hold for them. In anycase, they were outside again, and they had their spoils. The four would begin a leisurely stroll back towards the tower. They'd have to drop off their other finds before doing anything else. Nana pondered a visit to Slayer, while they all chatted on the way back*