She was not expecting Mordekai to use her as a medium to speak with the Visitors, but now that he was apparently dead, she could pretend to be dormant again, like she was before Giger restored her. Although she kept her eyes closed, her ears remained open. It did not do her too much good, though. Sounds were muffled by the glass tube she was in and the fluid that filled it, and then there was the fact that she did not understand the Visitors' language.

There were a couple people with magic around her at all times. There was one in particular who had a similar feel to her as Mordekai ever since he came back from Nylos. When Mordekai spoke through Prissy, that woman was uniquely drawn to her, probably because the two powers resonated with each other. She could not guess much beyond that, though. That sort of heavy thinking was Giger's job.

This could easily have continued for who knows how long with nothing in particular happening, the only thing keeping her from going out of her mind with boredom being the fact that she had her other half still free to do things. However, that other half was about to make life more difficult for her. She could feel the telltale warmth filling her body that was a precursor to her transforming. It took her no time at all to realize that if one half transformed, so would the other. Normally she welcomed her transformation, but given her current state, transforming seemed like a very bad idea. This realization dawned on her a little too late for her other half to raise any objections and once the process began, there was no stopping it.

It happened nearly instantaneously, but she was capable of reacting far more quickly than the average human. In the split-second it took for her to change, she twisted her growing limbs so that she was curled into a tight ball the moment she took on her new form. The glass tube she was in was just barely big enough for her, but she was packed in about as tightly as it was physically possible. It would have driven her insane if she would have to stay cramped in there like meat packed into a sausage casing, but her transformation had set the Visitors abuzz, and amid what seemed like some vehement arguing, the fluid drained from the tube and then the tube itself withdrew into its base. The way Prissy was awkwardly positioned, she could not help tumbling off her precarious perch onto the floor below. She might have used her reflexes to catch herself before she landed, but she was afraid of what might happen if she made any sudden movements.

She lay there still curled in a ball, and when no response was forthcoming, she dared to peek out past her arms crossing her face to gauge her surroundings. She could see some people in white keeping their distance from her. They were quiet, waiting to see what she might do. Maybe they were fearing an attack. She knew that she was.

Despite the danger, she took the risk of slowly uncurling herself, planting her hands on the cold floor and ever so carefully rising to her feet. She did not have the words to describe her surroundings. 'Strange' was about the only thing she could say, though for some reason she found herself reminded of all that junk Giger would collect, that Lost Technology or whatever it was. The main difference was that this all looked brand-new rather than having been dug out of the ground somewhere after a few hundred years. It was times like this where she wondered if it would have been a good thing if Giger had involved her with his research. Maybe she would have understood where she was a little better.

There was one person who was markedly different from the other people in white. Prissy recognized her as someone with magic to her, the sort that resembled Mordekai. She was the one person who did not seem particularly frightened or wary around Prissy. Quite to the contrary, this woman actually seemed drawn to her. She started to approach Prissy and Prissy poised herself for whatever might come, making a few of the people in white murmur uneasily. Whatever the woman intended, she did not show any sign of hostility, which kept Prissy's danger sense from fully kicking in. In truth, Prissy was as curious about her as the woman seemed to be about Prissy.

The woman slowly, carefully reached out with her hand to touch Prissy's cheek, almost as if to see if she were really there. Prissy eyed the woman suspiciously but did not take any action, not yet. She didn't know what the Visitors might do to her, but she didn't want to take any chances.

Speaking of what the Visitors might do to her, this particular one, after seeming to have confirmed Prissy's existence as an actual physical being and not some mere illusion or phantom, proceeded to hold the familiar's face with both hands before leaning in to kiss her on the lips. It may not have been the absolutely last thing Prissy was expecting, but it was well down the list. For her part, Prissy did not appreciated being kissed by anyone who was not Giger, but she was so taken by surprise that she did not do anything about it until the woman had broken off the kiss herself. Prissy's look of suspicion had a generous helping of confusion mixed in as she self-consciously wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

The surprises did not end there, as the woman then began to speak to Prissy in her own language.

Prissy then realized that they had exchanged more than just spit with that kiss. Magic had passed between them and now the woman could speak her language. Was that what she was after? Surely there were other ways to go about it? Was she just some kind of pervert?

One of the other Visitors began saying something, prompting the woman to tell Prissy, "Just a moment."

She leaned in again, this time blowing in her Prissy's ear. Once again, this was not simply the action of some pervert with no respect for personal boundaries but a sort of spell that allowed Prissy to hear the Visitors' language as her own.

Prissy did not know if she should have been answering, so she decided to ask Giger through her other half. Even though it was her other half doing the talking, she found that her lips moved along wordlessly as her other half spoke. 'Hauptfähnrich' was watching her intently as she did this, but she tried not to let it bother her as this business of communicating over distance required a fair bit of her concentration.

Giger told her it was okay to give 'Hauptfähnrich' her name. He told her that she was supposed to try to get information out of the Visitors, so she was going to have to give them some information in return. With him coaching her, Prissy was sure that she would not make any mistakes and tell them anything she was not supposed to. This gave her a little confidence to reply.

'Hauptfähnrich' smiled and said, "I'm Hauptfähnrich Rubia Silvestri of His Imperial Majesty's Army. You can call me Rubia."

Rubia... That would be easier to remember than 'Hauptfähnrich'.

Prompted by Giger, Prissy then asked, "Where am I?"

Rubia replied, "You're aboard the HIMS Homo Ferus II, flagship of the 367th Expeditionary Fleet of His Imperial Majesty's Navy."

Prissy did not find that answer particularly helpful. Maybe Giger could make something of it. As always, she would leave the heavy thinking to him.

Without waiting for Giger's prompting, Prissy said, "They're both the real me."

She really should have waited to say what Giger wanted her to say, but Rubia had unknowingly touched on a sore spot with her. She would not deny the form she was born into, but her her human shape was no less a true part of her. This then triggered a memory of that night when she offered herself to Giger and was rejected. "You're just a cat," he had told her. And then the things she had done, that she had been made to do, because of that rejection...

There was a sound like an insistent bird chirping, and a voice Prissy did not recognize announced, "Energy levels rising! Æther output exceeding the baseline by 300%!"

Prissy had let herself get lost in her thoughts to the point where she didn't realize she was letting powers go out of control. The mark that was left on her by Countess Ariana remained, and if she allowed herself to dwell on the feelings that were manipulated to turn her into an Abomination, it might happen all over again.

On the other side, Giger was scrambling to stabilize her, but here it was Rubia who made the curious choice to embrace her. As Prissy was highly averse to being touched by anyone who was not Giger, her body stiffened and her feline instinct was to bite, kick and scratch to break free. However, before that instinct could be translated into action, she could feel the turbulent energy within her being drawn out and as her powers calmed, she could feel her muscles relaxing. Much as she did not want to admit it, she was actually finding herself calmed by Rubia's embrace.

The one voice from earlier said, "Energy levels are back to baseline and holding."

Rubia caressed Prissy's head and asked her, "Feeling better, Priscilla?"

Prissy nodded.

'Frau Doktor' sounded rather skeptical and dismissive. Of course, she was just a mundane, so what could she possibly understand about magic? Even if you know it with your head, that is nothing compared to what a mage like Rubia feels with her very soul.

Rubia told Prissy, "I'm afraid we're going to need to put something of a leash on you so you don't do that again."

Prissy did not much like the sound of that, but whatever they meant to do to her there was not much she could do to stop it. If she let herself turn into an Abomination, she might take a few with her, but given how effortlessly they nearly killed her before, even an Abomination's power might not be enough. Then there was the fact that her other half would probably rampage as well and if Giger got hurt in the exchange, she would never be able to live with herself.

Her other half relayed what she had heard as best as she understood it. Escape was not an option, so he told her to try playing along and see what she could learn. The Visitors apparently had a mind to keep her alive for the time being, so maybe she could use that to Giger's advantage.

While she was consulting with Giger, Rubia whispered into her ear, "Who are you talking to?"

Rubia placed her hand on Prissy's chest and before Prissy could offer any resistance, Rubia had discovered the magic connection between Prissy's two halves and followed it to the other side. Briefly, she could see through Prissy's eyes. She saw Giger and Kamellia. Prissy's other half quickly shut her eyes, but it was too late. Because Prissy was focusing on keeping her eyes shut, Rubia was able to take control of Prissy's arm to reach out and touch Giger. She was trying to read him, but it was only for a second or two before Giger broke contact.

Rubia removed her hand from Prissy's chest and whispered into her ear once more.

Rubia then told 'Frau Doktor', "I would like to request Hauptmann Sohrabian, Frau Doktor. She could do so much more than I or the other Epsilons can."

'Frau Doktor' frowned before saying, "I will take your request under consideration, Hauptfähnrich. In the meantime, I would like us to run some tests as soon as soon as Friedrichs gets back with that collar."

Rubia then told Prissy, "I do hope you'll cooperate with us, Priscilla. Things will go much easier for all of us if you do. You will cooperate, won't you?"

Priscilla very much wanted to say no, but whatever they had in mind for her, she had her task from Giger. She needed to learn everything she could about these people in the hope of finding something Giger could use against them. The fate of their world hung in the balance, so come what may, she needed to do her part. For now, that part involved nodding meekly and playing along with whatever they had planned next.