Powder Miner

Navin shifts his hand, so his fingers are on his cheeks and his palm over his mouth for a moment as he thinks. "Well... we had talked at first about my duty and destiny and how my world works after I thanked her, and that lasted for a while, and then miss Saigai did seem to become a bit emotional... at that point, well... I had no idea how to respond to that. Then she seemed to recover and she asked me a question about my religion, which I answered... and that upset her more. I... do not really know what I did to make her upset."

Navin turns to look at Empi, wearing something of a bemused expression... and also keeping his eyes determinedly at face level. "I... think I understand that much, but... I am not sure what I just did, miss Powderbelle. I... do not find my strong suit in social interactions, unfortunately. What made her so upset...?" His hand remains on his cheek, his expression settling back into a small, somewhat guilty frown.

Navin watched Mitsurugi suddenly turn away with an expression of confusion; it was clear even to him that he had greatly upset or offended her, but he wasn't sure how he had done so. "...oh. Hmm..." He stood there for a moment, before putting his hand to his cheek with a small frown. "What is it that I did...?"

"I have, yes. I have fought alongside a couple of Japanese teammates who were Shinto themselves. It's interesting, though, in the universe where I come from, gods do not really show themselves directly, though we can feel their effects sometimes in items or powers that are claimed to be blessed, or in the workings of destiny. You would be living proof of your religion being different from that of my world, I would suppose, hah." Navin wasn't overly daunted by her presence as a goddess or anything; he didn't consider the divines of other worlds in the light he did religion in his world, and he had previously briefly fought alongside some sort of European pagan divine a year ago during a meeting of alternate worlds.

Navin nodded in thanks at Magnum's response, and turned back to the sad god before him. Even Navin couldn't miss Mitsurugi's distress; she was wiping at her eyes and apologizing. Navin had met heroes who knew exactly how to soothe peoples' spirits, who could inspire hope with a wide smile or console crime victims. He knew them, but he most definitely was not one of them, and for the most part he just stood there awkwardly and opened and closed his mouth once or twice, especially after she apologized, which just made him more awkward. When Mitsurugi brought up his religion, he seized on the opportunity to restart the conversation just as much as she did. "Oh, ah, yes. I am Hindu, which is the largest religion of my home country. It's... complicated, and that is not helped by all the many different sects, but what I believe in is that there is a single... a single divinity, I guess I will say, which created and is part responsible for the moral progression of my universe, but that this being is so far beyond human comprehension that it appears in the form of different gods, which have some level of difference but share the same... what's the word, spirit. I worship primarily Vishnu, who is the primary form of this Supreme Being, and is responsible for the protection of the universe, though even he has different forms.''

Perhaps unfortunately for Mitsurugi, Navin (not particularly adept with peoples' emotions) once again failed to notice her emotional shift. He did, however, clearly hear her "We gods" remark, judging by the raise of his eyebrows... but then he took it much more in stride than one might expect from someone so religious. "Oh, you are a god of another universe, then, interesting. I have only met one divine like that before, and it was not much of a personal meeting. Hmm, the struggle for purpose... well, I was not born knowing my destiny, and it would be arrogance to state that I completely do so now, but I do not have to struggle for my purpose. It is simply my place in life to play whatever part I may have to carry out their consequences and the will of God in the process. Such is how things simply have to be."

Both Isobel and LOTUS got that look one gets when they can tell something's wrong but aren't quite sure what, Isobel organically and LOTUS by popping a small raised eyebrow over one eye. "...I... do not think that's right. I've heard of Mongol khans but never of this "Daenerys Targeryan". As far as I'm aware, Genghis Khan, and... maybe some of his sons or grandsons, were the only ones to really fight Europe. I can't quite put my nonexistent finger on it other than, but I'm pretty sure that's not the correct answer. Ugh. This would be much easier if my Tactical Uplink was functioning, let me tell you."

LOTUS lets out an electronic sigh. "Isobel and I do hail from a place where Earth exists, and indeed I believe Isobel is from Earth. However, the descriptions we were given either exceed the scope of what happened in my Earth's history, or could apply to many figures. I can't identify any of the presently living servants, but I believe that the identity of the deceased Rider is probably Lu Bu -- I have done some learning about ancient tacticians and strategists, and he was a Chinese general who famously rode a red horse. Otherwise, I'm coming up blank. I haven't done much research otherwise on ancient mythology, unfortunately." Isobel then timidly speaks up. "E-erm... please excuse the interruption, I... think I can contribute here. Nobunaga, could you tell me more about berserker...? I was born in Scotland, and there are a couple of famous figures in Celtic mythology that wield magical spears."

Navin turned to Mitsurugi and nodded, then took a moment to figure out how exactly to phrase his response. Once he had, he looked at her seriously, speaking with full conviction. "Yes. I have been given a purpose in life, and it is my duty that I must always strive for to fulfill that purpose: protecting others. I gained my superpowers simply through astronomical chance," --Navin remembered being a young boy, in a field outside his village, awestruck as a brilliantly colored projectile fell slowly from the sky, reaching out, catching it-- "And that sort of chance, with so meaningful an effect on the world as someone gaining superpowers, does not happen except through the guidance of God... ah, at least in my beliefs. I do know that not everyone shares them. I hope you will excuse me for getting somewhat... hum, what is the word... theological here; I have come to take a very specific outlook on life, and God does play a very large part in it." Navin paused a little, to gather his thoughts again, and then spoke again with that same conviction he started with. "I am not an exceptional man -- there would not be a chance of the gods simply tweaking probability in my favor, and the universe I hail from does not revolve around me. There is a purpose they must have for me, and through experience and through war I believe I have come to understand at least part of it: my ability is one very thoroughly suited for combat, thus it is combat I must do and have done, and it would only fit the justice and protection of God to do so in protection of others."

Noticing that Magnum was speaking to him, Navin briefly spoke to Mitsurugi, offering a "Please excuse me for a moment, " to her before turning to Magnum and responding to his offer. "Ah... I hope this is not an insult, but I will also have to turn the beer down. The particular sect of Hinduism that I... often associate with," The exact level to which Navin actually belonged or did not belong to one sect or another often confused even him, "bans the consumption of alcohol. Plus, I personally do not partake in alcohol anyway. To get intoxicated would be an inhibition to my faculties, and that would interfere with my ability to follow my Destiny and perform my duty, and that means I must avoid it. This is, of course, not to imply anything about your own consumption of alcohol... I just feel a little guilty about having to reject your offers."

Isobel fidgeted a little as there was a brief silence, before LOTUS once again spoke up. "...right. I suppose that makes my next line of questioning obvious, then. How quickly can you find the approximate locations of the enemy Servants? If you could do so now, it would contribute a great deal to comprehension of the overall situation and how precisely we are to deal with it. It's fairly clear that the Servants need to be dealt with first, since they are the decisive force multiplier here. I would prefer to take Assassin out immediately, given that her death would allow House Asterlux much more leeway in troop deployment, but I get the feeling that because she is a linchpin, she may be hard to get for -- something which also applies to Caster. If this proves the case, then we just kill the other Servants until we get to her. Given the evident nature of Caster's abilities, giving him too much time would be a poor idea."

Navin had become pretty seasoned at many things, but the fact of the matter was that noticing subtle changes in expression was not one of those things -- someone who suppressed his own emotion similarly probably couldn't be expected to willingly analyze someone else do it, after all. This meant that he blithely missed both Empi's and Mitsurugi's shifts in expression. "Ah, I see. I hail from India myself, miss Saigai. It is good to meet you as well -- one should always make a point, I think, to meet and thank those who have helped them along."

"Westerner... hah, well, I suppose I would be if you are from Earth like I am. Oh, and my name is Navin Gopinath Mhasalkar, since I ought to introduce myself too." There was a pause for a moment, and Navin spoke up again a little more sheepishly. "...hmm, are you from Earth? I would likely know whether to call you by your family name or your given name if you are, but I cannot really know if you are not." He retained that sheepish tone as he turned to address Empi too, both because he was embarrassed about failing to address her earlier, and because she was, ah... not in a full state of dress. "Ah, ahem, my apologies... yes, you were very much helpful as well, and I do owe you my sincere thanks."

Navin looked uncomfortably at Dackly as she proceeded to have the flipout he'd predicted she would have, but judging that she appeared to be in good hands with the stone creature by her side, he decided to occupy his attention elsewhere. Specifically, he decided to thank the woman who had helped him seek and destroy the siege engine that he had taken out, his brief note of thanks feeling a bit insufficient considering how much her and that one officer man had helped the veteran hero. He looked around for the Japanese-looking, robed woman and nodded to himself when he spotted her. Navin walked up to Mitsurugi and performed his usual namaste bow of greeting. "I wanted to thank you for aiding me in the earlier battle. I had not been sure that I was going to get much aid with my charge, but because you did help I think things turned out far better than they could have."

"Yes, we did in fact fight another battle at the very moment of our arrival. We had appeared here and immediately were locked in combat with... somewhere in the vicinity of 300 or 400 skeletons, arriving in waves. We took down around the first half of the enemy army on our own, at which point we were attacked by who we now know to be Assassin. We learned a couple things about her: that she is summoning the skeletons, that she has some sort of skeletal dragon but that she won't have more than one (if her various boasting is reliable, at least), and that she utilizes pink mist which I believe induces mental stress. My advice is to kill her as soon as possible, but we unless she shows herself again, we may need to kill other Servants to get a grasp on where to fight her, plus there is that skeletal dragon to worry about."

"I do not think Marathi is particularly complicated, but it is true that it is not the most international of languages. It is always a rare pleasure when I am abroad... or off-world, for that matter, to meet anyone who speaks my language at all. Even if I do not quite understand archaeology jokes, ha ha. Ah... but I do need to introduce myself, yes?" Navin bowed, hands together, his usual gesture of greeting. "My name is Navin Mhasalkar, and it is nice to meet you. May I get your name as well?" Upon hearing Magnum's welcome, his music, and smelling his barbecue Navin turned to the man, though not leaving his position near Solomon -- he was talking with the book mage, after all. "Ah... I hope you are not offended by my refusal, but I am a lactovegetarian, thanks to being Hindu, so I am afraid I cannot really join in! I will give you this, though, it does smell good."

Navin opened his mouth, and then closed, and then opened it again. "Okay... right... that is better, but considering the paranoid nature of the gas, and how it affected both you and I last time, I just think it might be the sort of thing it is best to do alone, or just with your stone friend...?" Then Navin turned at the sound of his first language being spoken, and he looked confused at Solomon for a moment before he then replied to the man in Marathi. <"I-- uh, what? I'm not sure what...>" Navin still didn't understand what the man was going on about, but something did click, <"...oh, you speak Marathi?">

Navin takes a casual look behind him at Dackly's "stop me if I get silly with you", and his eyebrows practically shoot into his hairline as he sees the mist start to slowly rise from her pipe, and immediately tried to dissuade her, though as politely as usual. "Ah, my apologies, but... you... well, you really probably should NOT be letting any of that mist into the courtyard! The... mist of paranoia, when there are a lot of people here!" He raised his hands up in the air in a "stop" motion.

Being rather easily intimidated, Isobel jumped and squeaked when Silef slammed her fist onto the table. She blushed out of embarrassment and looked down afterwards. LOTUS, on the other hand, shifted the position of his eyes for a little aside glance or the "I'll mind it for you" part of Silef's impassioned reply -- but it was subtle. Then he spoke again. "Right, that aside, I think I have a pretty solid grasp on what our first priority should be. The army out there is gigantic, and from what I've seen and the size of the army we faced earlier, it's likely that she can provide at-will reinforcements. That's an effectively infinite army, and I mean no offense but that does mean Asterlux can't do much useful until that's dealt with. So the first thing we need to do is find Assassin and put her into the ground. There are three factors complicating this that we know of: First of all, Assassin has her skeletal army, but with Nobunaga on our side that's less of a problem. Secondly, as we saw she has some sort of skeletal dragon now. I believe that the combined power of our group should be able to take it on." LOTUS opted not to mention its source, "And thirdly, she has this mist that, at least from what I could glean, since I was unaffected, played at our group's minds. We would benefit from a countermeasure to this but if we can't acquire one we just need to figure out a procedure to deal with it."

Isobel Low and LOTUS "Whose tact modules are malfunctioning now, Lexiel? I'm going to remind you that Nobunaga here showed up and casually wiped an army we'd been struggling against off of the face of the world. These aren't your everyday constructs, these are army-level or maybe more. Hell, Assassin put out the army we had to fight and she pulled that mist act immediately afterwards. I'm no magic expert, but I bet sealing them is pretty hard if you're dead." Navin Mhasalkar Navin looks back at the captured officer with some amount of concern, but evidently deciding that things are likely handled, he hesitantly turns and then addresses the Asterlux officer everyone has been talking to. "Ah, my apologies for our lack of knowledge. We aren't just foreign, we are... well, let it suffice to say that we are very very foreign." Navin speaks a couple of words in Marathi at this point halfway to prove his point and halfway to get a chance to speak his own tongue. If anyone happened to understand Marathi, they would hear him simply saying "You see my point?"

"While they ask the questions about our "servant" enemies, I'm going to turn towards a couple of mundane topics. First off, we know the skeletons are summoned by that one servant we faced on our arrival, so that means the humans are probably Shienar troops. What do you know of Shienar capabilities beyond the magic-slinging armored troops that we faced earlier? Do they have any special weapons or special fighters that we will need to worry about, not counting the servants? And what kind of terrain are we likely to find in this area? That may be something to prepare around."

"Yes, a general explanation of what this world is, who the sides fighting in this war are, and why would be very greatly appreciated it. Perhaps their technology level and/or what the magic of this world is capable of would be valuable knowledge too, though we've been seeing that on our own."

There's a pause. The disapproving eyebrows lower as lines above and below his eyes indicate a squint. The pause stretches on... and then his expression resets to neutral, except for a dot in the upper right corner of his display which sends a (much more competent) morse message back at Lexiel. Don't worry. Even if she did attack and win, she has to know that everyone here would die if she attacked us when an enemy army is outside that they couldn't beat themselves. Will go with it, for now, anyway, but story is now mixed. He does remain otherwise silent. Isobel right now looks more than a little confused and nervous, but she does remain polite, still, and completely silent.

There's a pause and then LOTUS shifts his display-face to Lexiel, little flat disapproving eyebrows appearing over both eyes. "This isn't Overwatch, even if you count the relatively small portion of the group deputized, and you do not, in fact, have nominal command except that in you are presently one of the three representing the group -- but that's a discussion best saved for when we're not briefing this here noble."

LOTUS popped an eyebrow up on his display at the phrase "for the time being", but it was brief -- they did have important things to talk about. "Alright, we have little to gain from hiding anything, but here is the deal. I don't know enough about this world to know if this is a particularly shocking claim, but we're not from this world, nor are we for that matter from any one world. What we are is a collection of warriors and others with important skills from various different worlds collected by means of, I think, magic or another reality-altering force to fight against an enemy that threatens all worlds. This has taken us from world to world, and we've ended up in this world in the process, albeit rather suddenly. We arrived with no information on this world, however, hence my frustration. The very moment we arrived we found ourselves fighting a group of hundreds of these skeletal creatures, during the course of which we met a friendly figure calling themselves Oda Nobunaga," except if he was female and much younger, "who referred to this place as the "human fortress" and sent us over to break the siege." Navin looks at the plumed officer and sighs ever so quietly. "My apologies. It seems that they've, uh... well, they've captured one of the enemy officers."