Agents of the Multiverse

DATE: 06/04/Y2 - 11AM- LOCATION: Omphalos, The Lounge

Trainee number two, Krepta thought, rolling her shoulders a little as she peered down at the new agent profile she had been sent. There was a note on this one that they might not be quite as tech savvy as some of the other recruits, so she had sent a courier with a letter today rather than trying to contact the poor thing via their Key Gauntlet.

I can quiz 'em on it when they get here, she mused. Krepta was already mentally cataloging a list of basic technological functions that she might have to introduce Nendara to. The Gauntlet, obviously. The Kiosk in the mess hall. Key pads for getting into the residential areas... though, hopefully they've already been shown that one. Oh, elevators. We've got stairs, but that's a hell of a lot of cardio every day.

Agent Etheran, please meet me in the Omphalos's lounge today if you're available. I'd like to discuss what you might need to help get you settled in with the AotM, and address any questions you might have. If you're unavailable today, please send a return note with this courier detailing the soonest time that you might be available.

Welcome!

-- Your Mentor, Krepta Eve Walker

The letter had sounded a lot more formal in comparison than Krepta's texting 'voice' usually was. Not on purpose, just some old, leftover reflex from different days, she supposed. It was weird how those sorts of things worked.

While she waited to see if either Nendara or the courier would appear, Krepta had settled at a table in the loft. It overlooked the lower level of the lounge on one side, and through a big glass window on the other, the Omphalos's indoor food garden stretched far below. It was a soothing sight, and Krepta could just barely make out the rush of the waterfall through the glass.

At least if they don't show, Krepta thought, I get a couple of hours to relax before I've gotta drag my sorry carcass back to work...

This was it. Even though they'd already done some exploring around the Omphalos and met a few new people, this morning felt like the first really important event at the AotM for Nendara. Besides signing up, of course. They were going to meet their mentor.

Krepta Eve Walker.

What would she be like? Was "Eve" short for "evening?" Was she a night-walker of some kind? Maybe nocturnal? No, that wouldn't make sense. Why were they meeting in the day then? Silly...

Fiyero had said Krepta was sort of the head-honcho, and the note that had come by courier had certainly been very formal sounding, but that could always just for formality's sake. Or maybe she really was that formal and would be a stickler about every little detail. Not everyone could be as jovial as Fiyero. At least Nendara knew where they were going thanks to him, both figuratively and literally. His encouragement had given Nendara the determination to want to become an Agent in the first place, and celebratory drinks in the lounge had been the first order of business after getting accepted.

Although, Nendara didn't spot anyone who looked like they were waiting for someone at first. Asking around got them pointed in the right direction at least, and they headed up to the loft. Nendara hoped they looked presentable enough as they climbed the last few stairs and spotted the one they were probably supposed to meet. They'd actually had a chance to wash their traveling clothes in the tub in their room! And they were freshly bathed as well! But they hadn't heard tell of any kind of uniform, so.. worn shirt, tunic, pants, and mis-matched boots it was until she knew for sure what she should be wearing. Plus the new gear they'd been granted. (Plus a pouch of seeds, just in case.)

"Are you Agent Walker?" Nendara asked, approaching the brunette. "My name is Nendara. Er, Agent Etheran. It's a pleasure to meet you." They extended a hand in greeting. They also took a couple tentative sniffs at the air for good measure.

Krepta straightened when Nendara appeared. She gave the hand they extended a little shake, and tried to purposefully soften her body language a little-- shoulders relaxed, eyes softened. This one seemed kind of nervous, Krepta noted, she'd have to be careful not to spook her too much.

Krepta's own hand was arm and callused, and her grip firm, but gentle. She smelled like humans usually did, salt-sweat and life beneath the shampoo and deodorant, but Krepta also smelled like something else too, some distant spice, like cinnamon, but not quite, and like wood smoke.

"Hey, Nendara," Krepta replied warmly. She opted for the more casual name offering. Unless Nendara pressed the issue, Krepta much preferred to keep away from formalities whenever she could. "Yeah, I'm Krepta. It's nice to meet you too."

Krepta's eyes dipped down. She weighed the pants and tunic, and the tatters at the hems. Then her gaze traveled lower, to the mismatched shoes, and she suppressed a grimace.

"So uh-- first order of business," Krepta said. She gestured with one battled-scarred hand to a nearby empty chair, indicating that Nendara should sit, "You uh... you want some new clothes, maybe?" Krepta held up her hands-- a hasty gesture of peace, just in case her concern might come across as judgment. "No shame here. You should have seen some of the things I wore before the AotM. Used to have to steal laundry off stranger's lines-- and that's when I was lucky. But... proper clothes-- proper shoes especially, they keep your body in working order, y'know? And you've got options now if you want 'em. Just saying."

Ah. A touch of fire, Nendara thought as the notes of spice and wood smoke met their nose. They wondered how much of that was tied to Krepta's personality as well.

Nendara sat int he indicated chair as Krepta got down to business, starting with... her clothes. "Oh..." Krepta put her hands up in a peace gesture and explained where she was coming from, and Nendara's ducked their head slightly, grinning sheepishly. "This was all I had where I came from. I do have a few new clothes now, but I was under the impression that they were more "active wear?" I wasn't sure what would be most appropriate for our meeting today. Or what's most appropriate to wear in general. Formal wear back home could be anything from a full suit of armor to a fancy dress or ornate robes. So... Yes. I could use some advice."

They gave Krepta's outfit a once over, taking in what a "normal" outfit could look like. Fiyero had been wearing armor of a sort. Elphaba had been wearing a nice dress. There was still some variance here, so that was fun. Just in styles they weren't used to. Krepta looked pretty comfortable at least.

"I haven't noticed a uniform as such around here. Is that normal? Or do missions require something different? Do you know when my first assignment will be? Or what it might be?"

Krepta gave a small shrug and held out her hand, letting it tilt side to side.

"Eh. Off duty? Most folks just wear what they like," she said. "There's some official clothes you could pick up if you really wanted to, but--" She shrugged again. "I have a jacket I like, but I wear jeans and a regular shirt underneath. You can get custom stuff made for you too if you ask real nice. Our Key Gauntlets are pretty visible identifiers, and the purpose of a uniform is generally to let the folks on your side-- and who you might be helping-- know who you are."

"But some missions do require uniforms, yeah," Krepta added thoughtfully. "But that's more things like environmental suits and the like. We're supposed to be staying undercover in other worlds, so having big identifiers might not be great there. You're more likely to be given clothes to blend in rather than something to stand out. It really depends on where you're going and what you're doing."

She shifted in her chair, getting more comfortable.

"As for your first assignment? No clue. Once you've been processed and had your assessments, you'll get a ping when you get a mission match." Krepta gestured at Nendara's Key Gauntlet. "And it could be anything, really. But it'll match your skills and your Clearance. Newbies don't really get the really dangerous stuff, and for the moderately dangerous stuff, you'll likely have others with you. We didn't work this hard to get agents just to throw them into the meat grinder, y'know?"

She cocked her head, assessing. "You worried or eager?" Krepta asked.

Nendara listened with rapt attention as Krepta explained the clothing situation. Plenty of room for variety while off duty, which was nice. And it sounded like if there was anything that was really needed for a mission, it would either be provided, or they'd at least let them know what to wear beforehand. Knowing that they didn't really have to worry too much after all, Nendara felt much more relaxed.

"I might like a few items of official clothing, just to wear around here. Something with pockets. But otherwise, it sounds like I have room to figure out what's most comfortable. Thank you. I really appreciate the help!"

"Speaking of the Key Gauntlets," Nendara said as they held theirs up and made a fist. "Do you uh.. know the trick with the fist bump? Steven- er, Agent Universe showed me this." For all Nendara knew, Krepta was the one that showed him, but it was a fun trick nonetheless.

As for missions and Krepta's question regarding how Nendara felt about them, the answer was pretty clear to the demi-fae. "Eager. I want to help out however I can. Even if it's not in the field right away, I want to do my part and earn my place here."

Nendara pulled their legs up and crisscrossed them on their chair, settling in comfortably and rocking slightly. "What were your first missions like? I've been told it tends to be a lot of 'grunt work,' but there's so much going on here that I wouldn't know where to start. Are we hunting rats? Weeding the food gardens? Lifting heavy boxes from one end of a room to another? Is it going to involve a lot of the magic- er, technology like the Key Gauntlet?"

They were slowly getting used to the technology. Some kind soul had had to show them how to use the kiosk in the mess hall, but it was a lot simpler than it looked. Anything you needed was just... there!

"Fist bump?" Krepta asked, holding out her own Key Gauntlet. She closed her hand and gently tapped her knuckles against Nendara's. Her brow furrowed for a moment as she peered down at the information that appeared on her screen, then she barked a delighted little laugh.

"Huh? Would you look at that?" Krepta chuckled wonderingly. "No, I had no idea. Who showed you that one?"

Her smiled faded at Nendara's follow up question, though, growing a little strained at the edges.

"Oh uh, well--" Krepta started. She tripped over her reply for a moment, rubbing anxiously at the back of her neck. "I guess I was kinda doing this before the whole AotM thing came around, so-- they were um, they weren't great." Krepta glanced away, picking at a stray bit of thread on her chair. Her throat worked for a moment before she regained control of herself again.

"But uh, y'know, this is a much better system," she told Nendara reassuringly, looking back, but the cheerfulness in Krepta's tone didn't quite reach her eyes. "And whoever told you it's grunt work is probably doing 'grunt work' exactly because they refer to necessary labor as 'grunt work'," she added firmly.

"We've got stewards and gardeners and provisioners for stuff like weeding the gardens. You gotta sign up for that kind of work, but if you do, yeah, you might find yourself doing a little of all that. Someone's gotta. We gotta eat, right? And no one wants rats. You're a Junior Agent though, so you'll probably find yourself more in the field. As for what-- well, it's whatever needs to be done, honestly, and whatever the people in charge of missions think you can handle."

She lifted a hand.

"The reason that newbies do 'grunt work' is because we don't know what you can handle yet. Throwing someone who thinks they're ready but isn't into a dangerous situation is a good way to get people killed or hurt. But veteran agents do the unglamorous work too. I was out in Sanctuary last week helping to repair the road that leads to Osprey Cove, because I had those skills and people need that road to fish and eat. We all gotta to our part, even if it's not always pretty. Sometimes helping is big loud explosions. Sometimes it's the quiet, little stuff. They're both important."

Nendara grinned with delight at being able to show someone else the fist bump trick. "Steven Universe taught me! I hopped into a combat training class he was teaching the other day. It was... interesting. I definitely learned a lot."

The delight they felt quickly disappeared as their next question seemed to fill Krepta with negative emotions. They were about to apologize when Krepta continued, explaining that AotM's system worked better than whatever she'd been working with before. A slight reassurance, but Nendara had clearly hit a bit of a sore spot.

Although, they couldn't help a small chuckle at the remark about whoever had called it "grunt work." Ooooh, Fiyeroooo. Silly billy.

It made sense though, what Krepta was saying. It all made perfect sense. No sense in putting newbies on missions they couldn't handle right from the get go. Starting with smaller - though still meaningful - tasks gave everyone a better sense of what they were working with. Helped build teamwork and confidence in everyone's abilities.

"Understood, and I agree. The details are just as important as the bigger picture. Otherwise... what are fighting to save?" Nendara rocked in their seat a few more times before adding, "And thank you for putting up with my questions. I'm sorry that the last one brought up painful memories."

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out for tasks that need doing when I'm not otherwise busy. I imagine I could be quite useful in the gardens, heh." It would be more productive than growing a mini-jungle in their own apartment, that was for sure.

Hopefully this next question would put things back on a more positive note. "What's your favorite thing about being here, if you have one?"

"Eh, don't sweat it, kid," Krepta said, and the endearment slipped out before she could catch it. An old remnant of happier times, the mark of someone who had loved her that lingered in her speech even now. Not everyone appreciated it, though, so she tried not to use it with strangers. But old habits, well, they were hard to shake, weren't they?

"There's plenty of grief to go around, especially here. Mine's nothin' special."

Nendara's follow up question caught her off guard in a good way, though, and Krepta had to pause and really think about it. She didn't often linger on the positive aspects of the job, of her powers. There was just... so much to do in a day, so much to fear. But it wasn't like there weren't upsides to getting to travel the whole multiverse too.

"The people," Krepta said at last, her tone decisive. "As much as folks drive me crazy too, it's... kinda somethin' else to be able to meet people from all across... well, y'know... everywhere. They're so different from one another, even just stickin' to their own back yard. But... I manage to find just as much in common with the guy from Mars as I do with the centaurs or the werewolves, and that's kinda inspiring if you think about it. All this time and space, and people are still just people."

She flashed her a little, lopsided grin.

"The views aren't bad either."

Kid? Nendara hadn't been called "kid" in a while, but it seemed to come from a good place. It brought a gentle smile to their face, a smile that only grew as Krepta began to describe her favorite aspect of the job. "People" was a really good answer. They weren't going to pretend to know where Mars was, but they understood the sentiment that it didn't seem to matter where people came from, just that they were still people.

"That's very fair. Getting to meet new people and finding new spectacular views are some of the reasons I enjoy exploring and going on adventures. There's so much to do and so much to see! Places other people may not have even discovered before! Or sights that only a few have ever seen! So much good food! Even this island in the sky was something new and wonderful to me!" And now the boundaries of Nendara's world had expanded exponentially. Not that it would be all fun and games. That fact had been impressed on them many times already. But it was good to know that it wasn't all doom and gloom.

"So, I need to be patient but ready. I need to be helpful and keep training. I need to get comfortable with new clothes, heh. I need to get better with technology, but I am learning. I'm learning my way around the Omphalos... What other things would you like to go over? I don't know what kind of time you have for talking before you have to go do other things."

"I've got a while," Krepta assured her. Not forever, but she tended to set aside good chunks of time for new trainees. It was always hard to tell before she met them how much guidance they'd need, and sometimes meetings took longer than others. Better to plan for more than you needed than wind up with less than required, she figured.

"So we've covered clothes," Krepta said, considering. "And favorites." The scarred shapeshifter chuckled.

"But yeah-- tech. Maybe I'm wrong, but you don't exactly scream tech savvy. Do you know how to use your payment card to get coins to spend in Sanctuary? Or other currencies? How about food? You been to the mess hall yet?"

She gestured to the Key Gauntlet on Nendara's wrist. "Obviously, you've been shown a little bit about that guy there. How much more do you know? It's got a lot of useful features. It can tell you what your heart is doing, show you a map, act as a flash--- ah-- well, a source of light. We call that a flashlight, by the way. That little guy there is your bread and butter as an agent. You'll want to keep him safe. Your databook's pretty important too. Did you bring it with you?"

Nendara nodded, assured that this meeting wasn't eating into Krepta's time where she might be needed elsewhere.

"Yeah, I uh... tech was not very widespread on my world. The dwarves might've had some, but I never got a chance to visit. And some of what the mages did kinda looked like some of the tech here, but it was definitely magic back home with runes and sigils and such."

Nendara put the databook down on the table before pulling the maps and payment card down beside it. "Databook is right here. Haven't messed with it much yet. And I know this is a payment card, and I know there are things near the gates for exchanging currency, but I haven't dared use it yet. Ohh! But I have been to the mess hall! Someone was kind enough to show me how to order food and such. It's been delicious!"

As for the other features of the Key Gauntlet, Nendara gave a little shrug. "I've been trying to read up on it and figure things out on my own, but if you could just show me how to activate different functions real quick, it would help with my memory for sure. I'm more of a hands-on learner."

Krepta nodded a little, looking over the items. They all looked to be in pretty good shape, which was good. Sometimes newbies didn't exactly... take care of their stuff unless some higher up crawled down their throat about it first.

"Honestly, you do this long enough and magic and tech start to look pretty similar in a lot of ways," she admitted. "Especially in places where the technology's really advanced. I've been told the Gates are a kind of mix of both. The blood that opens them is a magic catalyst, but what it opens is a Rift, which I guess is kind of a stabilized wormhole. And the machines that keep those Rifts stable are tech, obviously..."

Krepta trailed off, then picked up the card, giving it a little wag in Nendara's direction.

"You're gunna have to get brave about this one," she laughed. "It's your money. You earned it, so go get it!"

The card tapped softly against the table as she put it back down. "I'll show you some stuff for your Gauntlet," she told her. "But when we're done here, you're gunna march your little butt up to the exchange machines and get yourself some dough. The next time I see you, I want you to be wearing fresh new clothes, got it? And shoes that match."

She grinned at Nendara, then leaned forward, reaching gently for the wrist the Key Gauntlet was on.

"Okay, so-- And don't feel bad if it takes a bit-- took me forever to figure these things out. Most stuff operates through the touch screen here at the top," she said. Just above the knuckles of the Gauntlet there was a broader, more clunky part that initially resembled leather like the rest of the glove. But Krepta touched it, and it darkened as the screen woke up, text scrolling across the interface.

"The smart skin camo helps it blend in when you're in low tech worlds," she told her, glancing up at Nendara. "But honestly? I kinda hate it. I mean, I get why we have it, but if you don't tap the damn thing hard enough it just stays useless. If you're not in a hurry, and if you're in a safe area, you can use the holo-interface too. Which is a lot easier for most people. They just forget it's there. Including me," Krepta chuckled.

She held her thumb against the screen for a moment, and suddenly, with a flicker, there was a slightly translucent version of it hovering above the Gauntlet.

"I can unlock this because I'm a Guardian," she told them, "But outside of that, your Gauntlet won't respond to anyone's body signatures except for your own, and maybe a handful of other higher ups."

She scrolled through the menu, fingers tracing through the air carefully.

"It takes a little getting used to," she admitted, "Not having something solid to touch. But-- oh--- hey, you can customize these things if you want," she told them, pulling up a setting called Smart Skin. "This is used to help you fit in in different worlds, or make the whole thing invisible even-- but um, pro tip, do not take it off until you deactivate that feature. Ask me how I know. Do you have a favorite color?"

Nendara was a little proud to get what appeared to be Krepta's nod of approval over the state of their equipment. It wasn't often that they got new things but they generally did their best to take care of it when they did. It was hard to know if they'd ever get anything like it again, after all. Nendara was sure that this organization could afford to replace agent equipment if need be, but it probably wouldn't be thrilled to have to do it just because someone was careless.

On another note, Krepta seemed to be in increasingly better spirits as the conversation veered away from Nendara's earlier question about missions, and this made Nendara happy. So much so that they couldn't help but laugh in turn when Krepta laughed about the money card. "I get it, I get it! I'll go get it and next time, I'll be wearing matching shoes, haha!"

Nendara extended their left arm to make it easier for Krepta to do whatever she needed to do with the Key Gauntlet. They had been reading up on it so it wasn't all new, but it was still very helpful to see someone with the know-how putting it into practice. They listened attentively as Krepta explained about the screen and the camo function. They blinked with surprise at the holo-interface appearing - the part that looked most like magic - but if anything, it looked easier to use than the touch screen. And they could pretend to be like their mage friends at the same time. Win-win!

Another laugh escaped their lips as Krepta warned them against setting the Smart Skin to 'invisible' and forgetting to turn that setting off before removing the Key Gauntlet. Nendara figured they didn't actually need to ask how Krepta knew that. Poor Krepta!

"Um, my favorite color is probably forest green, though really any green is good! It's generally a sign of healthy plant life!" Nendara wondered if Krepta was just going to change the color of the gauntlet or mess with any other visual aspect as well. Now that could see everything in action, they were much more excited about all of this!

"What's your favorite color?" they couldn't help asking in turn.