Silk and Slime: A Dip in the Past

Nui managed to climb her way out as Ryuko began to lead the way into the basement. It was dark, damp, and the walls blackened, but it still held that residual feeling of a home. At the bottom of the stairs, there was little in the way of usable furniture, but a half burnt sofa and a couple of deck chairs were set in a circle by the far wall. Next to them was a very large bundle of rags. Ryuko took a seat on one of the deck chairs, stabbing her scissor blade into the ground beside her.

Liselle closes the basement hatch after everyone has went down before she looks around the place, hard to miss that this place looked rather charred up. She wonders if even her large stash of material is enough to restore this place, or at least the basement. As the underhall staircase opens up into a room of a sort. The human-turned slimegirl decided to remain standing. "Yeah this is good for the 4 of us to discuss things."

Seeing that Liselle was not going to sit down, But joined her in standing, but started pacing between two spots.

"So..." Ryuko began. "What do you know so far? That's probably the best place to start."

"Well I do not some things about life fibers. First is that life fiber grants the wearer increase their natural abilities but prolong contact with it saps the person's will over time, even me with my unique physiology find my will sapping faster than my mind can recover. Second, life fiber seems to be alive, I can detect life vibration from it as if it is a living being. That was the primary reason why I detected that spy so quickly, not only did they have their normal life vibratiion but also have a different frequency from the host."

She pauses as she look at Ryuko...and at Senketsu. "Although you seem to have the same attributes with Senketsu though both of your frequency seems to be in sync that I was thrown off about that, and instead of host parasite relation with the usual life fiber interaction, you two seem to be partners." Apparently she had them figured it in that regards.

Ryuko nodded.
"Senketsu is special. He isn't looking to dominate the world. He feeds on my blood and, in exchange, he helps me out." Ryuko explained. "Apparently, he was made by my father. Along with the scissor blades." She gestured to her own and Nui's blades.

Nui continued pacing, still not entirely comfortable with the situation, but bearing with it.

"So a more symbiotic relationship rather than parasite host. Sadly that does mean the method of this type of life fiber is currently lost unless he has some notes hidden away. And the scissor blade is unique in a sense?" Her glances moves to Nui as she was going to look at her scissor made only to find that she seems rather apprehensive about something. "Nui, something wrong, love?"

"I suppose s..." Ryuko began, but paused to listen as it seemed that Senketsu interrupted her. "Are you sure? I'm still not sure she can be trusted..." Ryuko commented, glancing at Nui.

Nui shook her head.
"Just... memories." Nui responded, her expression regretful. "I don't like this place... or rather the person I was when I was last here..."

Liselle decided to move to embrace Nui gently within her arms. "The past is painful, love. But we can no longer change. The best thing we can do is learn from it and move forward. We are now in a position to take action and make up for past mistakes, and in the future, better ourselves." She gives Nui a kiss on the forehead.

Ryuko rolled her eyes, clearly less than impressed. She then shot what appeared to be an annoyed look at Senketsu.

Nui smiled gratefully at Liselle.
"You really do have a way with words..." She smiled, her shoulders relaxing just a little.

Ryuko cleared her throat.

She turns patiently towards Ryuko, not at all annoyed about her. "Sorry about that, what is Senketsu saying?"

"He has suggested that we allow Nui to... examine him, so she can find out how to let other life fibers be like him, rather than ruled by the hivemind." Ryuko responded. "But I'm not sure I'm happy about placing my partners life in her cold hands..."

"And you'won't be able to do anything while that is being done? I will confess that it was something that both of us were looking into finding out. Is there any way to abate your worries?" Liselle is excited to find the avenue to be able to wear life fiber and a bit of sacrifice in vitality is small price for her but she wasn't going to force the issue.

Ryuko considered the question.
"Well, unless you can think of a way to guarantee his and my safety... I mean, even with Nui's 'change', I don't know anything about you, or your motives. Being the enemy of my enemy does not make you my friend." She commented.

Liselle smirks a bit. "Funny enough, I had a feeling that you were thinking that last part. And I do not blame you, or hesitant to trust me. I guess in a sense we both have to earn your trust." She ponders for a bit. "I guess Senketsu's suggestion can wait until then. I want to have both of your consent even if it is his idea. That works for both of you?" She suggests to Ryuko and Senketsu.

Ryuko waited for Senketsu to respond before nodding herself.
"We agree." Ryuko responded. "Now, I suppose you have questions that you want answers to."

Nui made a visible effort to look less worried, and stopped pacing. Though all it did was tense her up.

Liselle pauses a moment to rub both of Nui's shoulder and back for a moment, keeping herself close but still loose enough that Nui still had space to move. It is makes her core sink a bit seeing Nui a bit distraught. She hopes that Nui can forgive herself soon.

"Well the first is how to deal with the hivemind life fiber, or rather if someone was going to throw some of it at me and hoping to control me?"

Ryuko frowned.
"Well, I don't know how they communicate, or what the source is, but I'm betting that Ragyo has something to do with it." Ryuko responded.

"That, or the original life fiber..." Nui chimed in, her voice sounding a little more relaxed thanks to Liselle's efforts. She was still a little tense, but she was certainly better than she had been.

Ryuko looked blankly at Nui.
"The what?"

Nui + Constant contact = more relaxed Nui = good; and it isn't that she needs an excuse to be in contact with her either. What was spoke by Nui does make her curious though. "Original? That sounds like the queen to the hivemind."

Nui smiled softly.
"Well, I think it is the only thing that controls the life fibers. I mean, I'm no expert... oh, wait, I guess I am..." Nui began, before correcting herself. "But I think that life fibers would follow the last instruction they were given if the hivemind broke down. That, and people like myself and Ragyo can done what control it. In fact, the last dress I made for her made it possible for her to control any and all life fibers near her." She commented.

"Theoretically, would it be possible to have life fiber follow instruction to become like Senketsu? First thing that came out as I am going to try to cycle through ideas through my head." Liselle doesn't look like she is concentrating as she is still continuing to stroke Nui but she is pretty good at multitasking.

Nui considered.
"I'm not sure. I don't know enough about that Kamui..."

"Call him by his name." Ryuko interrupted, sounding a little bit annoyed.

"... Senketsu to say for sure." She finished, looking apologetically at Ryuko.

"Which brings us back to having Nui examine Senketsu." Again she isn't going to push the issue without reason. "A few ideas just came up in my head but need the 3 of you to analyze them if they are sound or not. Find a way to empower Senketsu with the possibility to command life fiber at least at a local level. Empower myself so I can be stable enough to shapeshift into something like a Kamui, my current shapeshifting ability is a bit unstable (aka slime-ketsu)."

Then she realizes a crucial missing information that Ryuko doesn't know and she facepalmed. "Ah goop! I forgot Senketsu and Ryuko doesn't know what am I!"

"I doubt I could fix up Senketsu to give it Absolute Domination... It requires a huge amount of life fiber to do it, and would almost definitely undo whatever Soichiro did to it." Nui commented. Ryuko began to grind her teeth as Nui said his name, but held back from saying anything.

"What do you mean?" Ryuko asked, taking a deep breath, and changing the subject to stop herself getting angry.

Liselle wasn't quite able to follow the conversation as she didn't know what Absolute Domination, who Soichiro is or and what did he done to Senketsu. A few red question marks appears above her head as well as the look of confusion as she looks at Senketsu.

"Oh, right. Absolute Domination is the thing that controls life fibers. And Soichiro..." Nui began. Ryuko twitched. "... was Ryuko's father."