It had been a little while since Atsuko had come back here. This mysterious place still needed so much more attention and care before it could flourish as it had back in the golden days. The Saiyan was a hard worker, and she certainly had a lot more to give than most people did. But this was a massive undertaking for one person. Especially since the Saiyan needed the assistance of people with expertise.

She mused on that as she made her way inside shortly after Ayami did. It was her hope that the Elfen's affinity for technology might come into use in giving this place the good shove that it needed. Of course, there was still a lot to figure out in terms of magic, but... One step at a time. This was going to be a long road. But at least she had some allies to make it easier.

This place still felt calming to her. Perhaps that was intentional on the part of whoever originally designed it. Either way, it doesn't take her long to approach the throne and spot Ayami resting on it in her own way. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Ayami."

The Knight stated, and then couldn't help but be curious of what she thought of this place so far. It looked like Ayami was a little lost in her thoughts just examining the general decor as she waited for the Albino Saiyan to arrive. "I've tried fixing the place up. I mainly managed to get it cleaned up and things sorted back into the right place. It's still a long way from being fully operational."

The Saiyan adds, pausing for a moment. "That in mind... What do you think of it?", Atsuko then falls silent, allowing Ayami the opportunity to reply.

---

Ayami

True to the Knight's first impressions of the Elfen, she caught on pretty quick as to why Atsuko wanted to keep this place from becoming something like a "Tourist Spot". This... All of it was special, it had to be a closely guarded secret, at least up until the point that they were ready to carefully select people to bring into the fold. Sorta like what Atsuko was doing right now. "Yeah, I knew you'd get it after seeing it."

Not long after that, Ayami admits that the steps already taken were good ones, but the place still felt pretty incomplete... A sensation that the Saiyan was inclined to agree with. This place was lit up, but it didn't feel like it was actually powered on yet. That might explain a few things, honestly. "I did notice a few things supposedly related to power, but I wanted to wait until I had someone with some expertise to look it over."

The Elfen then begins to share her thoughts on this place. It was pretty unlike anything she had seen before, which the Knight couldn't help but nod in agreement with. Other places may have been more advanced, but there was something special about this whole structure. It was almost like dealing with a lost civilization. "I have my suspicions that the people that made this place were capable of magic; and some pretty strong forms of it, too."

The Albino Saiyan begins to explain. "Perhaps that also extends to the materials used. It would explain why none of it seems quite natural to Earth.", she adds. Beyond that, it was pretty standard stuff. It needed a name, it could use some technology... Stuff like that.

"Hmm. I'll see if I can come up with what to call it... For now, though. I feel as though our best efforts should be dedicated towards getting it fully operational again."

And it seems like Ayami already had a lot of ideas in that regard! The Saiyan couldn't think of any objections to anything that was listed off, it all sounded exactly like what this place needed. "Well, that's all great news! So I imagine that means our first stop is getting the power back up, and figuring out how we can accommodate technology for it, right?"

Atsuko had the sneaking suspicion that this place wouldn't have a normal power plant... Or anything even remotely resembling that. No, it was going to be something just as mysterious as everything else here.

---

Ayami

When Ayami asked if Atsuko had noticed it, the Saiyan gives a nod in response. "Yeah, it's pretty hard to miss that this place isn't restored to full functionality yet. I messed around with the forge earlier, but I couldn't get it to do much of anything despite my best efforts."

Of course, that was just one of the hints to the problem; there were other issues. Pretty much anything aside from the doors didn't work like it was supposed to. At least the lights weren't a problem. Although it was hard to tell if that was because they could naturally power themselves, or if this whole place was running on reserves...

Although as the Knight was about to divulge more information on what she knew, she found herself at a loss for words as she watched Ayami hard at work; already trying to figure out what was going on here... In rather unusual methods, from what she could estimate. Not that Atsuko would say anything, but was it really safe to go tasting anything that came out of that?

Eventually the Elfen begins to divulge all of her deductions just from this single action, however! It was pretty impressive; and it would certainly explain why there was a distinct lack of anything happening even when one tried to bring a flame directly to the forge. Right idea, wrong execution. With the go ahead, Ayami seems to be struck with even more energy, and swiftly leads the way.

In the process, Atsuko finally manages to get the moment to get a word in. "Actually, I think I know what we might be looking for...", the Saiyan begins. But they were basically headed in the right direction anyway; a strange little pedestal that had distinct creases in the top of it.

Creases that implied that something was slotted in that you could remove, and place back at will. Above this pedestal was a very odd structure resembling a stalactite.

"I left this alone too, but since you're here now, there's no reason not to just... Give it a try, right?"

The Knight rather boldly presses a button on the pedestal, and in so doing, the stalactite-like protrusion gives off a mysterious blue light, revealing a symbol in the process. Eventually all of this glowing energy begins to coalesce into a single drop, which impacts against the pedestal.

That is when the object embedded into it lights up. Unable to contain her curiosity, Atsuko reaches for it and gives it a gentle, investigative pull. What results is a small tablet-like device coming free. Looks like that drop just gave it a full charge too. The Saiyan holds it in such a way that Ayami can get a view of this thing too.

Eventually the blank screen lights up with what looks like a photo; that looked like the Sacred Land of Korin... Or at least a specific part of it. With one thing that stood straight out on the photo; a blue glow that resembled what they just saw here.

"What do you think, Ayami?", the Saiyan was a little unfamiliar with this kind of technology; especially since it did still seem to be that weird fusion of magic and science. But it was certainly here and operating... And it seemed to be telling them where to go for answers.

At least, that was what Atsuko hoped.

---

Ayami

Well Ayami certainly seemed excited for all of this; not that Atsuko could blame her. It did have a certain thrill to be able to make progress on all of this. It felt like taking steps to resolve a big puzzle. It also doesn't take the Elfen long to identify what it is that they're working with here; a tablet... Come to think of it, Atsuko recalls seeing something like that before.

It was in the cities, people sometimes carried them around, or had smaller devices that highly resembled this, in any case. Those however looked like pure technology driven to a logical conclusion. This little wonder held in the Knight's hands? It felt way more unreal by comparison. She couldn't even begin to explain why it seemed that way, but it was just like the structure they were standing in.

It was just unlike anything else seen on Earth, despite sharing so many similarities. Now however, the concern lie in another matter. If they wanted to be able to get to the bottom of this... It was time to see if they could find this place shown in the photo. "We better start exploring, then."

The Saiyan would then turn and begin making her way out of the hideout, keeping to a pace that Ayami was comfortable with, of course. Along the way the Knight couldn't help but fiddle with the strange device in her hands. Evidently there was more than just the capability for photos on this thing...

"Interesting... This might end up being another thing I need your help with to fully understand everything it's capable of.", Atsuko admits. "But at least we seem to be making forward momentum on our main goal, so that can wait."

There were so many secrets to unearth here. It felt like the pair were just on the cusp of a much larger journey.

---

Ayami

Notes:
Feel free to describe the area, you already know what we're searching for. I'll pitch in as well!

The Saiyan smiled, she was pretty thankful to have Ayami's expertise on hand. They'd been through a lot together, squaring off with Dom Remi's gang, plus all of the training they did together. The Elfen pulled off more than a few tricks with technology, and all of that were excellent reasons for why the Knight asked her along today. "If anyone can figure out the how and why of any of this, it's you, Ayami."

Eventually, Ayami started to list off the things she could see straight away in the photo -- and there was actually a good bit of evidence to help narrow down their search! The Saiyan gives a nod as Ayami did a great job at narrowing down the search zone with little more than what she could deduce from the photo and basic logic. "You know, you're pretty good at scouting. I guess that fits into the scientific mindset.", the Saiyan mused.

Finally, the Elfen commented that she didn't mind if their search took a bit. Mainly because it was nice here, and Atsuko was inclined to agree with that. It was another quiet and well cared for location; not too dissimilar from Beansprout Island in that regard, only the list of people living here was even smaller. That raised a few questions, and they all seemed to point to that tower in the distance. The Knight looks over to it knowingly. "Yeah. It still has one big mystery to be solved, too."

Soon enough the Elfen started to unleash a barrage of questions for Atsuko; and before the Albino Saiyan even had an opportunity to respond to any one of them, the young mechanic draws her own conclusion. Atsuko couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Wasn't Robin Hood mainly a thief? Not exactly a Knight..."

But that was only one part of the barrage to address. The Saiyan decides to take it in order from there on. "I make camp anywhere I need to. But with how I've been fixing up that base, I'm thinking of living there.", she gestures a thumb back to the cave they emerged from.

"My childhood home is in in the Frozen North, on top of a tall mountain. It's a Monastery that reminds me a lot of the temple you grew up in.", she then explains. That only left one last thing to address. "As for how I found this; it's part of my journey. I've been exploring Earth. For most of my life I was stuck inside that Monastery. The final step of my training is to familiarize myself with the world around me."

The Saiyan then shrugs. "When I do come across people I can talk to, I ask them a lot of questions about the area. It's easy to pick up the latest rumors, and any stories associated to the regions when you dig around enough. Eventually I heard about the Sacred Land of Korin, the tower that can be seen from practically any distance here..."

She then pauses briefly. "And of course, a strange cave with a hand imprint on a wall that looks man-made. I started investigating the cave, and then I found out that I could open the wall."

Their conversation had served them pretty well, passing the time while they closed the distance to one of the hills. "Looks like we're here! I guess we just start searching?"

---

Ayami

Ayami pointed out that it just takes a little bit of experimentation in order to pull off what she did. Atsuko gives an understanding nod at this; it made a lot of sense. Martial Arts and Ki Control were basically the same way, you just had to find out what worked. Once you knew that, the results were generally reproduceable. But that never exactly stopped one from finding new ways to work with those abilities.

The Elfen then talks about her credentials when it comes to scouting. Once again it makes a lot of sense! If you have field survival training and a scientific mind, then you'd be pretty good at spotting the finer details that an untrained eye might not spot. The two were highly specialized in different paths. Ironically, she thinks that might make them work together quite well. "It sounds as though you've found a real passion at Capsule Corporation, Ayami."

The conversation turns to the tower, and Ayami expresses her interest in trying to climb it. Atsuko smiles at that because she shared the same intrigue. "Well, I intend to climb it pretty soon myself. Only way to find out what's actually up there, right?", she replies. Honestly, this was probably the first time it was just the two of them on their own with the chance to bond a little. It was proving pretty nice.

Even when the topic at hand proved a bit nonsensical. Robin Hood using swords? "I suppose there were moments where he might have... But the bow was his main weapon, was it not?"

Despite this, things loop back around to Atsuko's own experience in the field, and the base she ended up finding in the cave. "Yeah, I have my own wilderness survival training. It basically means that I can explore as long as I want. That's why I was able to learn so much about this place."

Still. The fact that someone could have wanted her to find that place is an excellent point, and one that the Knight can't exactly ignore. "I think I know who wanted me to find it, too. I did run into her shortly after I got things situated. You remember my mother, Micaela? She used to be a Knight too."

The implication was pretty clear, or so Atsuko thought. Perhaps Ayami would draw her own conclusions, but in any case they had freshly arrived at one of the hills in the area. Atsuko was keen to get exploring, but Ayami held the Knight off from doing that just yet, insisting there was a science that could be used here.

The Albino Saiyan plays along with this, and when the Elfen starts gesturing to follow, Atsuko does so. She was impressed, maybe Ayami had already cracked the case? That would certainly speed things along!

---

Ayami

Yeah, that was an undeniable passion for work that Atsuko was witnessing. It seemed like nothing could dampen Ayami's spirits when it came to technology and science. It was kind of refreshing, in a way. The young mechanic might be eccentric, but she was dependable. The Saiyan already knew that she would come up with many ways to help get this all up and running, and probably make it way more efficient to boot. "Ha, I may have to take you up on that offer after I invited you out here."

The Knight might not ever have the affinity to figure out technology the way Ayami did, but she could certainly still pick up some useful things, Capsule Corporation would be the best place to start, and having someone that could give her a personal tour of things would be even better. After that, the Elfen made her dream clearly known; and it was a noble one... She wanted her technology to help people.

Atsuko smiled at that. They might have different paths, but they both ultimately wanted the same thing, to help others. It only affirmed to her that she made the right choice in considering Ayami such a close friend. "Deal! Only if you remember me when I make it as a famous Knight.", she replies.

Afterwards, the Elfen makes a request for the Albino Saiyan to not reveal anything about what lay atop the Tower if she climbed it first. To that, the Knight nods. "Aye. That's a reasonable request. If you climb it before me, make sure you let me find out for myself too.", she adds. The two of them were alike in a lot of ways, despite the amount of differences between them.

It was kind of amazing. Both were sheltered, both had a love for fighting, and both of them had a sheer passion and drive to help others. Something about the enthusiasm was infectious for Atsuko, too. Even when something like the Robin Hood dilemma rears it's head again. There... Were a lot of aspects that Atsuko wanted to pick apart in regards to that, but it was one of those things that she could already tell would be a losing battle no matter her approach.

Thankfully, the conversation moved towards Micaela. Just like before, the girl begins shooting out question after question. Also like before, Atsuko manages to actually keep pace with that and answer each question in turn. "Yeah, she was. This is actually her suit of armor, and it actually uses magic to fit itself properly to the wearer. You're welcome to examine it when you like, and...", she pauses for a moment, looking over to Ayami. "I will take you to meet her. I did promise I'd show you the place I grew up at, after all."

But now it was time to focus on their task! Ayami began to identify the exact features from the image they were working off of, and soon leads the way towards it. The moment of truth was coming, did deductive reasoning lead them to what they were looking for? Well, clearing through the treeline and brush leads them to the cliff face, and waiting there was...



The very thing they were looking for!

"You did it, Ayami!", the Knight couldn't help but give her praise as soon as she spotted it. They were well on their way to getting through this!

---

Ayami