Week 79: directly after meeting with Yuki - an info-dump

It had only been about an hour since Silvia had left her brother (most of it spent studying the data he had given her) and now...now she was going to have to try and communicate everything she had learned to her friends. Or at least, some of it. Exactly how much to tell...she would decide that in a moment.

"Okay..." she said, looking around at the others. "I...there are a few things I should probably tell you all. Just...so that you're up to speed. First off...Yuki and I got on really well. It's...it's really good to see him again and...thank you, all of you, for...for helping me do that. I really appreciate it. He...he'd even named his daughter after me," she added, looking down at the ground for a moment in pleased embarrassment, still unable to quite get over that fact.

"Uh...the Resistance here," she continued, getting herself back on track. "It...it's doing pretty well. But...it's up against the Ai-Jinn, so it...it's not like this is really a winnable fight as things stand. What they want is...is basically to scare the Ai-Jinn into giving up control of Taiwan. Maybe getting the UIG to push them out, maybe even get them to declare it a free state...but that...that's quite difficult. So the...there's something important they're trying to do."

She hesitated, part of her reluctant to speak. But...this was important, and she'd likely be asking the people here for help anyway. "They want to contact the Cult. Well, the mainland Cult - they're already dealing with the Cult here. But they're often more...more peaceful. If they can make contact with some of the important Cult on the mainland, they could provide some really helpful assistance. They...they've asked me to go and find a couple of them and make contact on their behalf. I'm not going to force people to help," she hastily added, "but...any assistance you...you feel you could offer would be helpful. Um. If you want."

She stopped there, at least for a moment, looking around at the other Agents to gauge their reaction. Hopefully people wouldn't mind this new information too much...

Hugo had been a little... Not sad, but put out that Silvia wanted to address everyone at once, and not talk to him alone. Oh, OKAY, yeah, everyone had helped, but about her brother especially... Hugo was a little downcast. He trailed after her a little dejectedly, shaking his head. As she talked, however, he couldn't help but he happy and excited and smug about her brother, and... everything else didn't really matter. Her brother loved her, and it was nice, and they cared about each other, and he remembered her so much he even named a girl after her. Hugo was basically vibrating with emotions, and the need to talk to Silvia alone. But here, in front of everyone... "Cult... of Machina? Like, the robot people? They.. want you, with all your.. cybernetics.. To go talk to them?"

"Uh, yeah, gonna put my hand up here and say I ain't so well-informed 'bout the Cult but everythin' I do know about 'em suggests they're very much not the friendly sort of folks you just stroll on down to and ask for a favour," Stephen piped up, echoing Hugo's concern. "I get that you wanna help your brother, but, well... this don't strike me as a bright idea. You sure about this?"

"Only reasonable Cultists I've ever met were in Taiwan, back when the Ai-Jinn were in the process of trying to annex the abandoned Shi Yukiro territory in the wake of the Tsunami. Pretty much every other Cultist I've ever met was pretty much immediately hostile. They tend to exist so far outside of society, I don't see you convincing many of them to join in a fight that they have no real stake in." Han shrugged, spreading his hands wide. "Look, if this is a path you're really committed to, I'll help where I can, maybe see if I can put you in touch with one of the original Oracle agents, who specialised in dealing with the Cult. But honestly, if you want my opinion, then I think this course of action is a mistake."

"Despite that, I believe in what the resistance are doing, I'll be spending this week helping them any way I can, that they'll allow me, of course. After that though, I'll have to head back though."

Fenris looked at Han and Stephen, thinking about what they said about the cult. They seemed to know more than her, but she might as well be honest anyway. "Hell! All I know about the Cult, is the stuff the UIG tells everyone. They want to kill you for your cybernetics and are largely crazy and dangerous. But I don't know how they actually are. I mean, you say Yuki actually managed to make an alliance with them? So, I don't really know what to think about that..." The infiltrator glanced in Dani's direction. She hoped it wouldn't be too long before the nuke got a translator, but for now, her badly accented English would have to do. And Yuki was nice! that was definitely welcome news, after all they did to make this happen. "But you met Yuki! It's good that you have... Someone." She couldn't find the right words, so it came out a lot less enthusiastic than she intended.

Did Fenris not speak Mandarin? Then again, in this corp it didn't really matter what you spoke when everyone had internal translators. "Yeah, no offence but that sounds like a crazy and stupid plan. I'm not going to stop you, and I'm happy to help behind the scenes if you need it because we're colleagues, but no way am I going near the Cult. I like my limbs and eyes too much to have them ripped out for harvesting, thank you very much."

"I'm not asking you guys for permission or approval," Silvia said, with something of an edge in her voice. Not enough to suggest that she was actually angry at their words, but enough to make it clear that her own mind was made up. "Or even help. Though I...I'm not going to turn you away if you want to help. I'm just telling you what the Resistance is hoping for and what I have agreed to do for them and for my brother. Because I am by far the best-placed person to." There was a determination in her voice that none of the Agents present had heard the usually mild-mannered cartographer use before.

"I know it's a risk. But so was walking into an active warzone. So...so was making contact in the first place. But I'm willing to take the risks, so...that's what I'm doing." She stopped for another moment to look around the other Agents. Her body was tense and to those who knew where to look, the skin on her arms and shoulders was shifting slightly, ready to let her spines unfurl. "I hope you guys are okay with that."

"Whoa, settle down. I'm not gonna try and stop you. I'm just offering my observations on my own experiences with the Cult." Han yawned slightly, it had been a long day. "Look, if this is honestly the path you want to follow, obviously you've got to do it. God knows I've no leg to stand regarding dangerous pursuits. And hey, when the time comes and you honestly want to walk into a Cult Den...well, I've done that before for friends, I'll do it again, if you ask me."

Finally unable to hold himself back, Hugo took a step toward Silvia. He took her hand in his roughened one and smiled at her, crouching a little to be on her level. "And you know I'll help you." He squeezed her fingers in his, and his attention was focused squarely on her. There was something about her change of voice, and mannerisms, that was... Good. Appealing. Strong. His other hand clasped over hers, so it was encircled by his both paw-like hands."Cult, warzone, whatever. For you and for Yuki." His voice dropped a little as his brows met for a moment, disappointment in his words though there was still a smile on his face. "I'm not gonna get to meet him this time, am I?"

Fenris was quiet for a moment, not really wanting to interrupt, but she did want to know. "Um, Silvia? Are you going into this right away? I mean, I know that it's urgent, but.. Are you coming back home? To Seoul?" She sounded kind of hopeful. It was clear the Fenris missed her friend.

Silvia nodded in gratitude towards Han, but anything she might have been about to say was cut off by the sudden presence of Hugo, whose words did at least make her smile.

"I...thank you Hugo. It's...good to know you'll be there," she said, squeezing his hand back, relishing the physical contact. "I don't think you are, though...he seemed kind of...occupied. Sorry. I'm...I'm sure he'd have loved to meet you."

She sighed and turned her gaze to meet Fenris', over Hugo's shoulder. "I...I'll be going back to Seoul for a bit, yes. I mean...I'll need to quite a lot before I get to the stage where I can meet with them, I should think. And I just...could do with some time back in a normal house." There was a slightly wistful tone in her voice as she said that. "It feels like it's been a while."

Hugo only smiled a little in response to Silvia's comments, twining his fingers more with hers. "Just over a month, actually." He stepped more to the side, content to hold her hand. No matter whatever anyone said, he would be there for her, and it would be fine. He looked at her with unbridled affection, before looking at Dani, Stephen, Han. It would.. good to have them. Good for Dani and Silvia to get along too. But not really that necessary.

"Hey, you gotta do what you're gotta do. End of the day, we'll help, and when it all goes south you just remember who bails your ass outta the fire, okay?" Stephen grinned as he spoke, obviously trying to be jovial and avoid causing any more accidental offence. "I mean, it's gonna be Hugo, obviously, but Hugo's gonna need that big ol' ass of his bailin' out too. That's where Han comes in. I will be sittin' a long way away drinkin' a beer and wonderin' what made y'all lose your minds. Still, can't go on no suicidal contact missions 'less we get back to the mainland, so how's that goin' down?"