(Log) Knock Knock

From Megaman Mush Wiki

WHO: Signas and Lumine
WHAT: Signas comes to the Grave Ruins Base in search of Epsilon, and ends up sparring with Lumine instead.
WHERE: Grave Ruins Base
WHEN: April 4, 2221

Grave Ruins Base - Teleporters This used to be a storage area for the missile base; a series of narrow, boxy spaces used to store office supplies, spare parts and other things. Now it serves as a teleporter room, with most of the walls knocked down and large teleporter pods in their place. The teleporter pods are at least shiny and nice looking compared to the grey walls and uneven industrial lighting that gives this area patchy light.

Signas appears in a flash of energy.
You head into the silo.

Grave Ruins Base - Silo
The interior of the silo is a creepy place that someone has made efforts to try to improve. Descending from the surface brings you down onto a pentagon-shaped walkway which gradually winds downward through a series of concrete stairwells and elevators. Pale patches on the walls and rust stains indicate that most of the equipment that was formerly here was stripped out after spending a long tour of service here. A lot of this part of the base is really empty, and so is prone to being aggressively redecorated.
Hanging off the handrails in the inside edge of the corridors are brightly colored banners, usually hand-made, advertising some activity or cause. It helps to color the place up some, though the artificial lighting can be spotty. Various industrious people have installed sunlamps at certain points to try to grow plants inside with differing degrees of success.
At the bottom of the silo is a large elevator apparatus used to move vehicles in and out of the base through the hatch in the roof. Five wide corridor paths extend outward from here, going deeper into the base. Someone has helpfully sprayed colored paint onto the ground to help people find where they need to go.

-===- This haunted face holds no horror for me now... -========================-
Standing just shy of six feet tall, Lumine is not a particularly imposing nor menacing reploid at a casual glance. Clad in white, green, and purple armor, it doesn't look particularly dangerous or threatening, and gives off the physical appearance of a noncombat reploid.
Slim in figure, thin white boots cover its legs and feet, standard in design but with a noticeable trim look that's grown popular in current design. Built along the same basic pattern as X, purple armor covers Lumine's thighs, waist, and torso, contoured to give a false impression of body definition, though its slight profile gives Lumine neither a male or female figure.
A green access port at the base of its upper torso gives way to a white torso plate, a polished blue crystal the centerpiece of Lumine's chest. Lavender armor defines the collar, and an open-necked design gives way to more violet armor that covers the neck completely.
While shoulder units with green pauldrons start the arms, which follow the same purple then white design of the legs, the gauntlets obvious, but again trimmer than the standard humanoid reploid's. Nimble, almost delicate white hands end each arm, though the more informed are aware that one arm can shift into Lumine's own L-Buster.
Lumine's balanced, neutral face bears the look of neither a male or a female, violet hair swept out in a wide fan behind its head, the locks curling around the reploid's face, the right side covering that side of Lumine's face completely. Bound by a white and purple headpiece, the hair both does and doesn't get in the way, and seems not to bother Lumine at all. Thin lips and a slight chin and nose give little definition to the reploid, its entire face drawn to a focus at the one exposed eye. Wide, a dual iris surrounds an almost glowing pupil, rings of gold and orange giving Lumine an almost unhinged expression. In the darkness, the eye glows a warmer red-orange, and in the dark there can be no mistake: there is something indescribably wrong with this reploid.
-=====================- It's in your soul that the true distortion lies... -===-

The teleporter tube hums briefly, and in a flash of light a large figure appears. As he is re-constituted like some 8-bit nihilist sprite, the figure flexes his hands and turns his head from side to side, an old habit to make sure that everything still works after transport.
Then, Signas steps out of the tube, looking calm and stern. A look he has never worn in the halls of the Irregulars before. Wide feet carry him past the guards, to whom he gives brief nods, and into the Silo. Signas pauses, then wends his way down into the pentagon. "I am looking for Epsilon," he announces in a level voice. "I would speak with him."

It is not that Signas is not able to command such immediate and direct attention, even here in the heart of the Ruiner. Amongst the war machines and heavy equipment souls on their way about the base or just working here such as the mechanics, turn and grunt as Signas calls out so abruptly, and it is not that the irregulars as a general sort are not a helpful and gracious lot but none of them are particularly close to Signas as they look up.
If any were so enthused as to step up and assist they quickly lose the opportunity as Lumine strides quietly up behing Signas on his way to the Bunnytorium. Most of the onlookers lose interest at that point but not all.
"Signas." the voice of Lumine carries evenly splitting the difference between the possible meanings as ambiguously as it's owner does the biological concept of gender. "I haven't seen your face around here since it was covered in zombie ichor."
There is a slight shrug or a rolling foreward of the shoulders as Lumine draws right up next to Signas and halts, the smaller robot turns it's head and looks up at the hunter, it's optics clear it's expression smug, "You clean up OK."

Signas seems unperturbed at the lack of immediate attention. He is a Diplomat after all; getting ignored is basically his forte. He offers a brief straightening of his frown to the mechanics and grunts, but is as usual unable to muster an actual smile.
He clasps his hands behind his back just as Lumine makes his appearance. The Hunter looks down at the Director with an unreadable expression. "Lumine," he says simply. "Yes. It has been some time. I was... unwell." A beat passes. "Is Epsilon available?"

Lumine's smile continues unimpeded, haughtily revelling in the ease at which it transcends the formality and more than a little self-indulgence. His head shakes gently, "I am afraid he is attending to some affairs abroad, I'm not sure exactly but I believe he is supposed to be back next week."
Lumine nods, his own smile ending curtly with that as he takes a few steps foreward into the Silo turning slightly as he does to face Signas more directly and sweeping his hands out at his sides inclusively to usher the Diplomat along.
"Of course, if there is anything anyone else can do for you while you're here?"

Signas' attempted smile briefly twitches back into its habitual frown, but he swiftly forces it back into a straight line. "Affairs abroad," he repeats, clenching his hands a little more tightly behind his back. "I see."
As Lumine moves forward, Signas follows stoically, offering small nods to faces he recognises.
"I merely wished to discuss a matter of diplomacy with him. It can wait." Everything seems to need to wait, lately. "Tell me, Lumine. How do the Irregulars view Ouroboros now?"

Lumine frowns thoughtfully, mulling over Signas' inquiry. "Our encounters with them are often hostile. There is no love between us and as an organization their membership sets them outside our ideological map."
Lumine continues in, the hand he is leading with swoops up gesturing at the vaulted roof of the Silo as the other dips low behind Signas' back, pantomiming the service of escorting the militarily dressed Hunter.
"They are far away and open war has hardly begun, but it could and... " the smile returns, "probably will come eventually."

Signas nods in response, almost as if he had been expecting the answer. "Yes. They are not exactly freedom fighters," he replies. "I do not think 'freedom' is even part of their lexicon."
"Even so. They have captured Berkana, as I am sure you have heard." Signas gives Lumine an intense look. "She is brilliant, but has no moral compass. Her mind under the control of Grandmaster Meio is deeply troubling to me." The Diplomat shakes his head. "But that is a conversation for another time, I am sure. It has been some time since I practiced combat. Would you care to spar?"

Lumine smirks, it is an involuntary tell and it doesn't remain on the former Maverick's lips for long. "Yes..." He begins his tone becoming just a little more gave as concern sets in about the edges. "I had heard that, her crimes have opened up some grievous wounds around here..."
Lumine leans his weight out onto his leading leg, tapping his foot a few times as he makes Signas' eye contact once more. "And only time will tell what horrors can be wrought to their twisted ends... no doubt." His frown seems uneasy and quickly uprights itself into a smile.
Quick with the recovery Lumine rolls with it bobbing his head in agreement, "Certainly, Signas. That might be just what I need to clear my headspace." He bows his head and then begins to stroll towards the Monster Garage cutting through the center of the enormous room.

You head west into the training area.
Grave Ruins Base - Monster Garage

It's like 1982 but with better graphics.

Lumine enters from the silo.
Lumine has arrived.

"Indeed," is all Signas says in response. It is a troubling situation in the world. He follows the Director into the Monster Garage, looking around at the holographic projections with what could possibly be amusement.
"Clearing one's headspace is an important part of one's daily regimen," he comments, rolling his massive shoulders to work out some of the kinks of travel. He begins doing a few warmup stretches. "Well then. Would you like to start?" Signas straightens, moving his legs apart and putting up his hands in a classic pugillation pose.

Lumine draws himself up as he halts, raising his shoulders and riding up on the balls of his feet even as he maintains a careful watch of his opponent. His feet pull off from the ground as the Director levitates slowly up.
He snickers softly as he darts back suddenly buster snapping out straight with lethal precision, free hand bracing the cannon at the elbow.
Lumine fires the shot, a small but deceptively quick pellet of white plasma and flips away from Signas up into the air as if blown by the recoil. "Sure your ready?" Lumine asks coyly as the shot streaks a daring route through Signas' defenses on it's way to what is still referred to as the 'kill-zone' on a human target. Lumine strikes you with a glancing hit from its L-buster Called Shot attack

Signas is about to reply, but he gets shot instead. His forearms close into an X-shape in front of his chest, taking the brunt of the blow. Nonetheless, he is forced back a few steps from the force of the blast. Once that's done, he does reply. "As ready as one can be," he says, whipping his fists down to his sides and engaging a counter-attack.
The Diplomat's eyes begin to glow gold, and a moment later a blast of yellow energy fires along a trajectory towards Lumine's position. "I see I will have to keep my eyes on you."
You strike Lumine with a glancing hit from your Eye Lasers attack.

Lumines legs kick out as he slides to a halt just below the cieling of the dismally depressing grid-framework of the inactive holosuite, although systems will indicate the safeties are still on.
A gray hand reaches up to where the blast from the behatted Hunter has burnt twin scorches across the has-been leader's face. Optics are wide and hurt as that hand rubs the superficial wound subconsciously.
But it can't last for long as Lumine spreads it's arms out lazily, summoning a rainbow of softball sized projectile barriers, each one is juggled out into a rapidly spinning defensive pattern, although one much sparser than most traditional forcefield attack systems.
Lumine forfeits a turn to charge WE.

Signas' eyes narrow as Lumine pulls his floating balls maneuver, and he shifts his stance slightly in anticipation. He watches, memorising the pattern of movement of the orbs. His legs tense.
Blink.
Signas appears in the air right in front if Lumine, hand falling through a gap in the softballs to strike at the Director. "You should consider randomising that pattern for a superior defense," he comments.
You strike Lumine with a glancing hit from your Backhand attack.

Lumine smiles at Signas, he snaps back slightly from the force of the blow and it snaps his jaw open involuntarily but he just smiles, the 8 balls all having fled 'round the Androgyny's backside in a move almost the opposite of defense.
Shaking it off Lumine falls beside the Diplomat matching his descent carefully, "I do believe you're right." He agrees forthrightly as in pairs, and as quick as you can count, 1 2 3 4, the balls come sailing back around.
They batter the larger Officer model gently, mostly they prevent him from falling bracing forcefully beneath him throwing his balance off and leaving him vulnerable for crucial seconds.
Lumine strikes you with a glancing hit from its Perfect Circle Catch attack
Signas is temporarily disoriented by Lumine's Perfect Circle Catch attack.

"Ah," Signas says simply, as the circle of spheres throws him off balance. As he floats gently to the ground, he does not thrash in a futile manner, but instead attempts to regain his balance before the follow-up attack can come. Alas, he is rather large and this can make him clumsy at times like this. "Hm."

Lumine continues right on through as Signas' fall is halted preternaturally. "Assumptions are dangerous Signas, and the battlefield is rarely forgiving."
Lumine's eyes go wild as he falls atop Signas, gripping him about the shoulders as he brings his knees up toward his own chest. "Neither am I."
Lumine pushes off, the kick is explosive sending Lumine up and away corkscrewing tightly, heels over head into the boring far corners of the boring undecorated holographic projection walls.
He certainly did hie best to donate an equal amount of kinetic force to Signas but either way we shall probably see him land.
Lumine strikes you with a minor hit from its Hit You When You're Down attack

"You are, of course, correct," Signas manages, just before Lumine falls on him with all the fury of a rabid E-Chihuahua. "Gnn," he grunts, flying towards the ground at something that looks considerably faster than terminal velocity. "WHUFF!" he slams into the ground, digging a deep trough through the holo-floor for about three meters before he finally comes to a rest.
Carefully, he gets back to his feet, already looking around to find his airborne sparring partner. His frown flattens again, into what is probably a smile. "Very nice, Lumine," he comments, drawing an Assault Cannon from somewhere behind his shoulder. Probably subspace. Widening his stance for recoil, he lifts the large weapon's barrel towards Lumine's position, draws back the safety and fires off a volley of explosives towards the Director. "Let me see if I can perform as well."
You strike Lumine with a minor hit from your Assault Cannon Shelling attack.

Lumine shrugs magnanimously as he hovers lazily, uprighting himself and hovering to the side to avoid the artillery projectile. "Of course you can Signas we all know tha-AH!" Lumine cries out as he is shelled!
The force of the explosive blast biting into his shoulder cuts him off as well as knocking him out of the sky. He manages to halt his descent, straightening out and levelling off just before his feet touch the cool black perfectly level surface of the floor.
"...You don't have to prove it to me." He finishes competitively as he feels out the deep ruinous crater that has sprouted in his torso. His mouth tightens as he realizes the severity of it, prove it indeed he thinks, as his colours shift.
The purple which makes up the majority of Lumine's colour scheme darkens suddenly, and would blend in with the dark cool slate of the panels in the room if not for two things. First that the room is outlined in dimly glowing squares, blocked out by anyone's figure, and secondly, the other color becomes perfect white. "So you can sing and dance, Signas, but is that all you can do?" He asks snidely as he charges foreward. Legs pinwheel in the air ineffectually for a few brief moments before he drops.
His footsteps echo loudly as he dives towards Signas stretching his buster arm out ahead of him, it recoils slightly with a soft pneumatic puff as a hail of tiny metal caltrops are sprayed towards the Hunter, covering the ground.
Lumine strikes you with a solid hit from its Caltrops attack
Lumine weakens you. Your next level 4 or higher attack will be reduced by 25% damage.

"I can sing and dance if the situation calls for it," Signas replies calmly, walking heavily towards the Irregular and flipping the assault cannon back over his shoulder. Possibly into subspace. Recognising the signs of a Bustered attack, Signas curses internally. It's all but impossible to tell what the next assault will be. He braces.
Unfortunately, bracing for caltrops is not very effective. "Hng," he grunts, attempting to brush the clinging metal shards from his body. He is not very successful. "Very well then," he says, jumping into the air towards Lumine. "Let us see what else I can do." His left fist comes back, then pistons forward.
Blink. His right fist rushes towards Lumine's kidney.
Blink. His left foot spins for the back of the Director's knees.
Blink. His right leg comes scything down towards Lumine's head.
You strike Lumine with a minor hit from your Combo attack.

Lumine doesn't escape the first blow and the rest is inevitable. The blow to his back is a surprise, not having any organs it is therefor not a tactic Lumine has ever found himself on the recieving end of before, he begins to fall to one side, knees buckling.
-Only to be swept out from under him with Signas next forceful stroke. Lumine's white boots smack into one another as he quickly reverses momentum and begins to fall to his other side. That is until Signas let's the other shoe drop.
And drop it he does as Lumine is sent bouncing down hard off of his ass from the hammering downbeat. But the Director's face snaps up as he hurls himself up into the air, legs and arms kicking forewards as the buster begins to glow with charging energies. He ignores the dents and the gaping wounds which have been torn in his armour, analytically he surveys his opponent as he seeks to elevate himself out of reach of those explosive knuckles.
Lumine doesn't say anything but smiles hungrily as the glow culminates. Optics squeeze closed, narrowing as he ensures his aim is true before the he fires the shot, blistering forces suddenly propelled into existence between the two robots.
Lumine strikes you with a solid hit from its L-buster Quick Charged Shot attack

Signas blinks back to his original position once the Director has been combo'd, eyes impassive as he watches Lumine bounce, then launch back into the air. There is a fractional inclination of his head, and he begins to sweep his leg out behind him to prepare for the next attack from the Irregular.
Too slow. Lumine's L Buster charged shot slams into the Diplomat. "Gnyagh!" he cries, shocked by the sheer force of the blast. The large officer is knocked right off his feet, back several meters and into the holographic wall. "Ung," he grunts, air forced right out of him. He slides to the ground, and remains there for a split second to catch his breath.
Then, he is back on his feet. The white plate in the center of his torso is completely blackened, and there is a large hole right in the middle, jagged bits of armor blooming into his chest cavity like a junkyard flower. "Very... hng... swift recovery, Lumine," he says, voice huskier than before.
At this point, Signas' right fist begins to glow a pinkish hue, drawing in particles of energy from the air around him. Something inside his large forearm begins to spin like a dynamo, emitting a rumbling VMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM noise. "Perhaps... it is time for me... to make an impact."
Blink.
CHK-BOOM.
You strike Lumine with a major hit from your Impact Knuckle attack.

Lumine thinks he is ready for Signas' assault, but again the Hunter blinks inside the Morningstar's guard and easily delivers that vainglorious explosive fist attack of his. Lumine's expression goes wide with impotent rage and inneffectual denial of the facts:
Signas' knuckles depress a significant divot in Lumine's chest, if this were not holographic damage no doubt both of them would see extensive time under somebody's technical supervision. But wait there's more!
The explosion, adding injury to insult blasts that hole wide open, Lumine's chest splits, armor plates jut out revealing the underlying circuitry, whizzing motors and several severed lines gout splashes of fluid for moments before they are shut down by reparations protocols.
Lumine gasps, and is flung hard against the far wall of the training room, although it easily withstands the blow undamaged, having been designed for such things.
Lumine's colours shift from black and white to Purple and Dark Grey, a scheme not unlike his own, and then his head bounces off the wall. His features seem to twist slightly as he struggles not with the pain but the indignity of it all, or at least that he percieves in it. Lumine lands on his feet and waves his hand dismissively at the one in the Hat and then points his weapon. "The times have allready changed Signas, you need to watch that you aren't swept away." He remarks with an edifying and slightly patronizing tone as thick gray speed lines swirl out of the cannon mouth.
The localized tornado quickly swells gains it's own impressive status as if God's pinky finger is pressing down from the roof of this small room to it's floor and it swirls dangerously on collision course towards Signas whipping broken bits of himself and Lumine at him in it's gale force grip.
Lumine strikes you with a major hit from its Red Cyclone attack
You fall to the ground, unconscious, due to massive systems damage.

This time, Signas does not waste energy on another Blink. He simply falls to the ground, landing heavily and rolling to minimise the stress on his shock absorption systems. Rising again, he turns to see Lumine's head bounce off the wall with a satisfying clonk noise. Even seeing the extent of the damage to the Director's systems, Signas does not relax. He turns, shaking off his smoking hand, and seems to be preparing for another energy-based maneuver.
Raising one hand, Signas first forms a fist, then opens it swiftly. A wall of energy begins to form, aiming to spread out and cover the entire Reploid, protecting him from attack.
But it is not to be. "Oh my," Signas says, as the Red Cyclone fires debris and solid wind right through his slowly-forming forcefield, slashing at the Hunter's ruined armor and synthetic flesh like a pack of hungry razors. The wind shoves him continually, until he can no longer maintain his footing, and goes flying backwards, bouncing once, twice, thrice on the ground before he lies still, damaged and leaking.
A ghostly Signas stands up from the damaged one, dusting off his undamaged armor and walking over towards Lumine. "I see your power is undiminished from the old days, Lumine," he says neutrally, extending a hand towards the smaller robot. "It was an edifying battle. I see I still have much practicing to do before I can match your skills and power."

Lumine seems to relax immediately as Signas collapses from the force of Red's mighty winds. He smiles and offers his hand to Signas, shaking it firmly. "With any luck you won't have to... " his pupils roll about the bottom of his optics sideway for a moment, "often." Lumine reaffirms eye contact, and at this close range you don't need to be a doctor to diagnose that the Perfect One has a case of the Crazy Eye, and releases Signas' hand.
"I will let Epsilon know you were here, no doubt he will contact you when he is able. In the meantime you are still welcome here, I am sure Scarface would like to see you." Lumine bobs his head encouragingly and then coughs into his hand as he lifts off the ground.
At the very last moment he can wait for before Signas begins to speak he suddenly adds, cryptically, "Your actions will be who you are."
He smiles warmly and taps his hand against the bigger Reploid's shoulder, now hovering at head level.

Signas nods, shaking the hand. "Preferably not," he agrees, reasonably enough. His eyes remain undreadable as he notes Lumine's ocular condition and releases the Irregular's hand in turn.
"Thank you, Lumine. I have much to discuss with him." Pause. "I am sure I will be just as happy to see Scarface as he is to see me," Signas replies, the meaning of the unclear. When Lumine makes his cryptic pronouncement, Signas pauses again, but then simply nods in reply. "I must go. We will meet again, no doubt." With that, Signas turns away and heads out of the Monster Garage.

Lumine lets Signas make his way out, and waits for a few minutes before leaving himself.