Back in her room, Rhannon pulled her sketch pad and pencils from her bag. Memorizing the details of a room was something she had done so many times, but the stakes this time were much higher. Back on her shadow - that sounded so weird - the chances of missing were slight. Every place was basically unique in it's own way so she only had to capture what made it stand out. But from what Cordelia had said, there were infinite variations of individual places across shadow. If she didn't account for enough details, who knew where she'd end up.

One way she knew to capture those details in her head was to draw it. Sketching helped her to notice and place all the details in a space. First she'd sketch the entire room. Then she'd make separate pictures of the the most notable parts. She wasn't going to need four days, but as it was her only job, she meant to take her time.

Sitting on the bed, she started to capture the room as a whole in pencil. But then it occurred to her that the other rooms might actually look the same. She didn't think it would matter that much if she ended up in another guests room, but she wanted to be as precise as she could be. After wondering how to be sure she would end up in the right place, she came to an idea. Setting aside her pad she went and grabbed the helmet for entering the virtual mall. Before she put it on, however, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." At her beckon, Kassidy entered with packages. "Oh, are those my new clothes? Wonderful. Put them on the bed please." After waving Kassidy out the door, Rhiannon returned to the helmet.

In the virtual Mall, Rhiannon went shopping for a different sort of product. What she wanted was sculptures. The stranger the better. Three would do, but it took some looking before she found the ones that she thought would do the job best. When she returned she had ordered three six foot statues. One of an Eastern Dragon, another of a big winged creature with an octopus for a head, and the third was fantastic likeness of Stevie Nicks. Additionally, she ordered several large diffusers with a fresh aloe and willow aroma oil. When those were delivered the next day, she arrang e them in her room so it was unmistakable in any shadow.

The diffusers you can get next day (arrival approx 9:30am), along with a 4ft statue of an 'Oriental' dragon(arrival late afternoon on the 5th). The others would have to come from Mizzurian Earth, so would take several days local time to arrive.
You could get a "Tibetan Dragon Buddha" bell , about 12" tall supported by an Oriental dragon, in brass in a similar timescale to the statue (arrival late afternoon on the 5th).

OOC: Okay, If I can get them at least a day ahead of the Pattern walk then I'll do it. If not I'll just pick out two different statues i can get on time.
Your schedule indicates that the morning of the 6th, 10:am is "Pattern Walking"..
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:03, Tue 12 July 2022.

Natalie gratefully absorbed everything Taurean could tell her about her quarters and the mansion in general. After he introduced her to Zou Yan and departed, she sat down with them to create her Avatar and learn the basics of the computer interface. She declined the opportunity to shop, asking instead about the estate grounds and what lay along its perimeter. "I'm an outdoorsy sort. I like to hike, swim, ride, jog, and just bask in nature. Do you have a virtual model of the nearby countryside? I'd love to familiarize myself with it before planning a run or the like." Nat also casually queried the AI about themself, explaining that artificial intelligence was still theoretical in her Shadow of birth. "Are you the only one of your kind, or do all Houses here in Carnelian have AI members? How long ago did you achieve self-awareness? Do you enjoy your work here? Have any hobbies?"

Cassandra returned to her room carrying a cup of tea and a large bowl of fruit. "That was certainly an unusual breakfast"

Having placed the food down on one of the bedside tables, Cassandra asks aloud "Zou Yan can you set a timer for 12 with a half an hour warning before and can you tell me of any events for today"

She retrieved the sketchbook and pencils she had set aside the night before. Sitting on the bed she opened the sketchbook the page she had started earlier, in her other hand she held her phone, opening it she selected her music and set it to shuffle and then chucked it onto the bed. "Now that's sorted" she settled in to continue drawing her room.

I'm afraid I don't have a virtual model of the estate or the surrounds. The main towns are about 3 miles to the south with their respective  rivers and docks on the southern edge.

I'm not the only AI operated by Mizzurian, there are 6 of us in total, responsible for the operation and planning of various divisions. I'm also aware of the general technological level of your various shadows and the fact that I and my compatriots are considerably more advanced, probably in the order of 50 to 100 years ahead of where most of your shadows are, but then Miss Chan has access to a number of significantly advanced technological Shadows where, when the requisite resource are available, enable certain specific items to be purchased.
As far as I understand things, I like my compatriots, were built as self aware, at least I've always been aware of my own existence. As to how long I've been around, 26 years 211days 11 hours and 17 minutes or there about. I don't really work, at least not in the context you're familiar with, nor do I have hobbies as such.

"I have set an alarm as requested. As far as I'm aware there are no events scheduled for today."

Natalie nodded thoughtfully. "You have two-dimensional graphic maps or satellite images of the immediate area, yes? Might I request one for orienteering purposes? I would like to be able to leave an itinerary should I take a run, a ride, or a hike and for whatever reason end up 'off the grid'. Not that I expect trouble, but better to be safe given the unfamiliar terrain."


Natalie smiled, clearly delighted. "How fascinating! I'm curious, did you and your compatriots go through anything similar to the maturation process characteristic to biological life? Not physically, of course, but intellectually and... well... emotionally? Do you have emotions, intuition, or faculties comparable to same, or are you entities of logical and mathematical precision? Please forgive me for prying, you're the first AI I've met and I don't know what might be culturally appropriate or inappropriate to ask."

"We have been exposed to an extensive program relating to human behaviours and emotions, but none of us understand sarcasm.
Since we're just clouds of interconnected quantum entangled bits we may or may not have emotions or intuition, bit hard to say, sometimes we do, sometimes we don't.
As to what you can or can't ask, well nothing really, but I may choose not to answer, or indeed answer a completely different question to the one you actually asked. Politics, something else I really need to understand more about."

Natalie laughed. "You certainly have a solid grasp of irony, which can be sarcastic in nature. That implies a well-developed sense of humor. It sounds like you and your compatriots all have different personalities, much as we humans do. That makes you people in my book. Do you and your compatriots socialize with one another just for the sake of socializing? A big part of being human is social. We assign human traits to everything around us. It's really just a way to make the unfamiliar familiar. We give names and personalties to things, we tell stories about them, and this is how our religions and cultures developed."


Natalie nodded and smiled. "Politics is part and parcel of any community but priorities, goals, and agendas don't always align. What someone wants to accomplish, how they intend to accomplish it, and what importance they place on accomplishing it can differ wildly from individual to individual. Factions arise out of the need to exert influence; collectively they hold more than an individual. But even like-minded individual disagree on the details. It's understandably confusing. Emotion plays as much a part in human social dynamics as reason, if not more. Inefficiency is one of the perils of being human."

Winter took some time for herself before lunch, mostly expanding her clothing repertoire a bit more. "First, I'd like a qipao for the dances. Silk, red, with gold dragon patterns. That should fit the expectations for the parties that Ms. Chan wants us to go to?" she asked.

"Second, I should probably get myself a swimsuit. Let's go one piece, purple." She briefly mused to herself that it wouldn't show that much more skin than her current casual outfit. Which was fine with her.

"Very good Natalie. Full marks, almost an exam grade answer, except you missed the point of my last statement entirely, so actually you don't get any marks for the answer..
Like a politician I may choose to provide you with an answer to a question that wasn't the one you actually asked in the first place. I could mansplain things for you if you like?"

"You'll have to excuse me but I'm not an expert in women's fashion or the exact pre-requisite dress codes or styles that may be appropriate for the Balls. Your assistant Jasmin is probably better placed to advise in this regard.
I can however place an order for the qipao in the design requested. What length of hemline would you want?"


"Noted and ordered. There is a possibility that it will arrive this evening, otherwise it will be here first thing in the morning."

Winter considered for a moment. "Let's try slightly above the ankle, but hold off on the order until I talk to Jasmin."

Winter picked up her phone to call Jasmin. "Jasmin, Winter here. Could you come over? I need advice on whether a garment I picked out would be appropriate for one of the formal dances here. I'm not well versed in the local etiquette."

Winter shrugged. "Hm. Maybe just different enough," she said, and then picked out a purple silk dress in a neck-hung style. She accessorized with a pair of red flats. "Not sure why I'm bothering to show up at all," she muttered to herself.

She considered the latter question. "It's a tech and gaming expo from an American company, right?" she asked rhetorically. "In that case, peak nerdy is the way to go. Follow on the avatar, Zou Yan?" She went from the bottom up. "Black tennis shoes, white socks, black jeans, black T-shirt." She looked at the shirt for a moment, then added. "Put NOPE, all caps, on the chest of the shirt as a slogan, but replace the O with the blue mana symbol from Magic: the Gathering." She paused, debating whether she wanted to go one further, then nodded. "Let's add one more item. A black hairband, with black cat ears with a pink underside." After seeing the outfit on the avatar, she nodded. "Perfect."

Natalie chuckled. "Oh, I didn't miss the point. I just chose not to comment upon it. Controlling information is key to politics. Even if Cordelia has been completely on the level with us, she has goals, agendas, and priorities of her own and some of those she likely prefers to keep private for the time being. Feel free to 'mansplain' all you like, but you will be doing it to an empty room. Enjoy pondering the points you missed. It's obvious you understand politics less than you think you do. I'm going for a run." She rose to her feet, padded to where her duffel bag sat near the door, and dug out lycra shorts, ankle socks, a sports bra, and running shoes. She unhurriedly changed clothing, left what she had been wearing on the bed, and departed without saying another word.

Edward slept through breakfast, apparently the time change and late night pool meeting threw him for a loop.

Having spent the requisite 45 minutes making his avatar, he put it to use shopping.

Picking out clothes for the EXPO was relatively easy, Edward chose a grey suit, one where the tie was clearly optional and a more casual look could be obtained when needed.
(see his Trump for an example of this)

Once showered and dressed he called for Coral to come to his room to assist him.

"Good Afternoon.. I guess it is..." He starts, noting the time on the wall.

"I would like your help in determining proper dress for the two Balls Miss Cordelia wants us to attend. Can you help me pick something suitable?" He asks

Winter grumbled. "Well, order that outfit anyway and I'll see if I can find a good use for it," she said. "Maybe later in the expo. Okay, but like I said, tech company. That means that I don't wanna be too dressed up either or I'll look like I'm trying too hard. Let's go with a black sheath dress and the usual black flats. Add a white costume necklace and I should be good to go." She still thought she could pull off the nerd outfit. She'd decide later whether to wear it for the expo.

"So I'm here as some kind of celebrity, huh? It's kind of weird-feeling, and I really don't get it. Aside from the fact that I can do this Pattern thing, and that I have some kind of family connection to Ms. Chan, what makes me so special to this world and these people I'm supposed to impress?" she asked Jasmin.

Winter smiled and shook her head. "No, actually, the broad outlines are exactly what I wanted. To be honest, it just confirms my existing train of thought about this whole situation. Still, your point about disgracing Ms. Chan is taken. I don't have any reason to consider her an enemy, and I can put up with being sociable for now. Second outfit for the Expo, then." She gave Jasmin a genuine smile. "Thank you for your time, Jasmin. You've been a tremendous amount of help." She looked around. "Now I need to go back to memorizing this room," she said.

When he had the time to fully devote to it Cormac took his turn to register with Zou Yan and then create his avatar. After working with it for awhile he managed to get the job done and then surveyed his handiwork. It felt odd looking at his own image like this, reminding him yet again how foreign this place was to the things he had known before.

The avatar looked back at him as a pretty fair representation of how Cormac actually looked. Tall at six foot four and reasonably well toned with black hair, green eyes and the usual light complexion one had when descended from British and Welsh ancestors. Studying the avatar for a bit he decided to do his shopping as instructed. Cormac did not want to take advantage of his hostesses generosity but if he was going to be here for awhile, and representing the family at formal functions, he would need to be dressed for the part Especially since they hadn't been able to bring a large wardrobe with them.

With some help from the AI he picked out a few sets of casual clothes that tended towards the durable and comfortable rather than fashionable. The sort of things he would wear to a dig, or perhaps to make a run for it in if it came to that. Then he choose a couple of business casual outfits for less formal occasions and then a couple of formal outfits so as not to embarrass the family at the coming expo. Then rounding it all out with the necessary shoes, socks and underwear to complete his purchases.

With that done he rested and prepared for the next family meeting to come up.

Having returned to her room, Cassandra got ready to use the VR equipment to go shopping, upon loading in she asked "Zou Yan could you guide me to shops that carry dresses and shoes suitable for a Ball?"