2018-10-12: Timing Most Fortuitous
- Log: Timing Most Fortuitous
- Cast: Elvis, Avril Vent Fleur
- Where: Old Petra
- Date: October 12th 2018
- Summary: Out in Old Petra, Avril and Elvis cross paths and discuss the matter of Mediums if briefly. Avril talks science. Elvis tries to place a name.
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
It was a hot morning near the new establishment Riesenlied had begun with those closer to her, and friends willing to lend a hand. Those cast out, exiles, refugees, those without homes, and anyone wanting to make a name for themselves by helping others. The unusually warm temperatures were almost a re-assurance for those recently transpositioned twice. A reminder of what soil lay under their heels.
And while many were readying to head to new shores to deal with an insurmountable threat, others were not so sure... even on the enemy side.
Especially when the leaders of what is supposed to be the enemy wants to help with your life's goal. The lines drawn become blurry, as though drawn deep in sand, and the tides have begun to roll in.
A monolith of a man sits at a bench. Countless small gadgets and tools that look far beyond what a drift typically carries are splayed out, several totes and satchels lay beside the man's leg. He is dressed unusually dapper for just being out and about. His massive (!) hands are working the small tools deftly despite the size difference. In front of him is... an empty bottle.
"Hum."
A small tool begins to make a very high pitched noise, and is slowly lowered down to the bottle. When touched to it, a loud 'tink' noise echoes, and the man nearly loses his grip o nthe small device. "Wow!" he utters. A few locals come up to the man, and ask a question on calculating some numbers, which Elvis, Sentinel, quickly answeres after nothing but a glance at the equation displayed on paper for their use.
They leave, and the Veruni lifts over a standard glass cup. The device is primed, and tapped to the glass once the noise reaches its peak. It all but explodes, and glass shards scatter all over the table and bounce off the Professor. "Huh! Strange! Maybe its magicked..."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
In a sense, this is now the spot in which the small shoots of what is the Wayside Outreach have begun to grow. It's this village that had first formed a home for those the Metal Demons had called 'Tainted' -- before Wayside, before so many other places a wandering people had tried and tried again to seek and find to settle down and just 'be' -- or at least, so Avril understands.
For her, it's a safe place to similarly 'be', as the price on her head -- because of her powers, her mysteries, her everything? -- is a matter that she's come to consider in full again since her return to Filgaia.
Lunar was a freedom, she's come to realize. And before long, she will find her way to Elru, and so to find who is searching for her.
Trepidation is her watchword. Something gnaws at her, something makes her hesitate even thinking of it -- but she must go.
The kit she had once claimed from the bottom of a ruined house now proves a minor salvation. For most of the day, she has sat tucked away in a dark room in a house here, carefully scratching and carving away at a couple pieces of wax. She has to make sure these are just so... or the metal forms she will ultimately cast from these won't turn the way she would prefer.
But one needs to take a break even when chipping away at a hobby. So she emerges again into the light, many hours from when she had begun, and blinks, squinting into the bright.
A walk might be good after so long in the relative dark of what she's made her studio.
And so it is that as she paces out under the heat of the day that a high-pitched sound from a nearby workbench -- she'd seen it earlier -- catches her attention.
"Hm? Is someone..."
It takes but a second for her to round the path close enough to get a look at the occupant.
"...It's you," she says, quite simply. "'Elvis', was it not?"
She pauses, but a moment.
"It appears I have fortuitous timing. Someone had said I should speak to you, if I but had the opportunity."
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
A small metal vial is produced, filled with a xanthous liquid that bubbles. A drop is carefully applied to the side of the bottle in front of Elvis. Nothing happens, it rolls off the glass, off the table and on to the ground, where a hiss escapes with a bit of soil-colored dust. "Not even that..."
A soft voice. A familiar one. A slow head turn to show it was that white-haird young lady from the mount on Lunar. "Hrn? Oh, yes." The man pivots in his seat, pushing the bottle aside. " I don't believe I caught your name in the... yeah." A small frown. Not directed at Avril. Or her friends. Something else. Perhaps someone else, even.
"Really? Huh, funny you say that. I have been meaning to talk to you as well, if I ever ran in to you again. I have questions myself." A pause.
"You look familiar to me. Dunno what it was, but when I first saw you on that mount, it was the first time I encountered you, yet I feel like I know you!" A headtilt. Elvis takes a moment to study her further. It escapes him. And that bothers him somewhere deep inside for some reason.
"What is it you wanted to see me about?" he asks, righting his head and leaning backwards some toward the table.
She was the one that bore a Medium in combat. Something reocmmended he look in to in his pursuits. Something about Guardians and Filgaia. Hm.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
A pair of blue eyes watch the droplet as it slides across the glass, as it hisses against the dirt below.
"It's impervious even to that. A strong acid, correct?" she observes, in those moments that follow.
"Avril Vent Fleur," she answers. Here, in this place, she has no need to worry about what might follow her handing out her name. Despite what had happened in Mirapulse -- and despite what happened atop that mountain on Lunar -- it seems that Riesenlied and the rest must truly trust him.
And thus, in this, she has no fear.
"Yes. Noeline had mentioned as much to me. She had said you had questions about Mediums," she states plainly, apparently willing to set aside any past altercations they may have had.
And she blinks, if slowly. "Is it possible we may have once met, before Mirapulse?"
She pauses then, and voices her other suspicion:
"Or perhaps, you may have met someone who resembles me."
Maybe she has a sister.
Something about that thought still doesn't quite sit right with her.
What does she want to speak to him about?
"The Mediums," Avril answers simply, before withdrawing the Sea Medium from beneath her wrap and handing it over to him. "Here. If I am here, I do not mind you examining it. ...It was a gift to Dean so I would rather not let it leave my sight. But as I understand, this Medium is different. Do you know anything about Artificial Mediums, Elvis?"
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
"Yes!" the man states, interest perking in his voice. Someone interested in experimentation! Elvis produces the jar. It looks like it could hold about two pints of liquid. Perfectly cylindrical, with a wide brim lid and large cork. "Found in some unexplored ruins. Seems impervious to damage. Unsure of whether it is some sort of unknown material, or has a potent dwoemer upon it. Otherwise just seems to be a normal jar."
"Nice to meet you, Avril Vent Fleur," the man repeats her name in an unusual, elongated manner. It may sound odd pronounced, but it was him committing the name to memory. He won't forget it, now.
"Noeline... That was. Um. Was that the young lady with the Tainted lady?" A chin is stroked. "I really should look in to that Tainted... Something is happening with her cellular structure. Perhaps I can do something..." Attempting to cure ails of foreign entities can always lead to breakthroughs for his own kind. "But yes! They interest me, as they are connected to Filgaia, and I have good reasons to find out how that connection works."
"I believe so," he comments. "You were there with the Mirror of De Soto, if I recall correctly. But when I didn't get a good look at you, thanks to the blue-haired kid causing me trouble," A huff. A pouty huff, at that. "But... something about you, from much farther back, farther than humans live," Elvis says, trying to wreck his brain of what it could be. "It may just be someone that looked much like you. Probably not important."
If it wasn't important though, why does it gnaw at him like some kind of parasite?
"Ah, I have seen these used before!" Elvis comments, recieving the item with a proper bow. Holding it, he feels... something. He's not sure what. Usual magic items like these don't interact with Veruni very well. Something is special with this one. She mentioned 'Sea' Medium. And if it was magic, perhaps it was speaking to his mastery of water ether-like magics? Perhaps if he just borrowed it from her, or took it--
No. No. He is supposed to be making friends with the Hydaean's human friends. "Artificual, like manufactured?" he asks, looking over the Original Medium. There was definitely something special with it. "I am just now learning of the connections to everything regarding Mediums."
The man holds the medium back out to Avril to take back. "Thank you for that demonstration. There is definitely something there that is important to me."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"How interesting. So it has proven itself resistant to even acids. Is it able to scratch steel?" She seems fascinated by the prospect of the material, though but for the light in her eyes, doesn't seem as if she's at all giddy or excited. Just deeply, profoundly curious about a mystery. "For that matter, have you determined whether it may be conductive?" In other words -- can it channel a current?
A mystery.
"And from where did you find it?"
Perhaps also a mystery, but one with an easier solution.
She knows that tone -- it's the sound of someone repeating a name to themself, the better to commit it to memory.
She has done so herself, after all.
"Yes. Noeline is Riesenlied's friend, and a Metal Demon." Though perhaps Hyadean may be the choice term, now.
This, though, prompts Avril to blink, before -- within seconds -- her expression turns quite grave. "...Then you have also seen it. Her body is continuing to change. It is... worrying, but I know not what to do." She glances away, her lips pressed into a thin line, before shaking her head.
Before her attention returns to the enormous man.
Veruni. Someone had said that he was...
But that does not make him her enemy.
"Yes. Though with Mother awakened, that connection may be dampened," she says, her gaze turning downwards towards the dry and cracked earth. "Even with my own, it is... difficult to sense much of Lucadia." Or Aru Solato, for that matter; the Ice Guardian feels almost as if it's utterly silenced.
"Yes, I was." When they'd fought him down in the depths of the mineshaft. When she'd grabbed the mirror and run for it while he'd been left with the matter of the collapsing rock. "I apologize for leaving you in that state, but we could not linger."
...A little cold, Avril.
Elru. Someone is looking for me in Elru, runs the thought again. Someone out east.
Almost. She feels as if she almost has something, but the lines won't quite touch.
Handing the Medium over, she takes a step back, as if to give him a little bit of space in which to investigate it more closely.
Even with Mother's pressure on the spiritual realm, so to speak, it still feels like he could use it. Soft, as gentle as a sea breeze -- something that rests in here reaches out, almost asking for connection.
And yet, it feels uneasy -- as if this is not where it wants to be. Not as a slight on him or his ancestry, no -- just the simple fact that his hands aren't where it was 'meant' to be. An odd contraction: a device that reaches out, yet seeks another's possession.
"Yes, I believe so. These are made by another means than the Mediums the Baskar use." She pauses, then ventures on: "This one... there are Copy Mediums, but this one is an Original. I believe that anyone would be able to use it. No matter where they came from."
She takes the Medium back when it's handed over, dipping her head in a shallow bow of acknowledgement. "No, thank you. Perhaps we may both be able to learn more about these. Even the Baskar are not able to tell me much, I am afraid."
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
Avril poses a pair of excellent experiment ideas. The ability to test hardiness thoroughly via an edge, and to test conductivity. "I have not tried either of those yet, afraid I don't have the tools on hand to do a good test. I don't have any real high quality metal or something to produce a charge, sadly." A look to the container. "Got it when exploring a ruin that opened up underneath one visited commonly by adventuring types."
THere were certainly some sights down there. And some sort of dark energy.
"Yes. Being the peak of research amongst my kind, and trying to solve our problem that plagues us, genetics has always been an interest of mine. I figured a chance to see if I can try to stymie or reverse the effects may be possible, but their bodies are so different from our own,"
"I suppose the important part is that despite her changes, she should still be herself-- it seems to be purely physical through observation, and has no mental impact, though I would have to ask the one called Noeline for confirmation."
"I am trying my best to occupy my time elsewhere as to not get involved any more with the conflict than I can help, though I fear I may be forced to eventually," he comments. The conflict has reached such an interesting point So many folks wish to help him committ to research, but Volsung has the Veruni assisting the Metal Demons at every turn. What have they even done for the Veruni as of late? Hmph.
"Hm? Oh." Elvis shakes his head and bats a hand in the air. "It's fine. It was good practice for my muscles," he says, flexing at the thought. "It was mostly that blue-haired kid's fault." Was it though? Or was Dean just the target of frustrations?
He can sense the wrongness with the Medium. He has a few guesses what could be causing it. "A-Ah. How many Original Mediums are there?" If there are copies, he feels like he already knows the answer. "I can try to devote research to it, see what my computers and research time can find. But unfortunately, even if this avenue could potentially lead to an answer, if there are few Originals, I wonder if it could work somehow..." Mayhaps this may be a poor avenue. But nothing is in stone until he can see a Guardian.
While Veruni detest them, and it could be mutual with how they feel, He has to try. Research exhausts all avenues after all. "Maybe we can communicate with them somehow when this is all over."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
An even better option would be -- especially should it scratch steel -- would be a test against corundum.
And after that, perhaps, diamond itself.
"Oh... that wouldn't have happened to have been the Serpent's Coils? I had ventured within only recently." A little nonplussed, her gaze turns sidelong. "Perhaps you might ask Lydia about what was down there. We only found skeletons."
More to the point, Lydia packed one up and brought it back, so it's entirely possible it might be lying around somewhere.
Something was strange about it, though Avril hasn't had a chance to look at it again in the light.
"...I had heard about it. Many Veruni fall ill, and then..." She trails out, entwining her hands with one another.
...What is this feeling now?
...Is it 'guilt'? Because of...?
There's no use chasing down what she can't hope to catch. Instead--
"Yes. There is that. Riesenlied remains steadfastedly herself, no matter what has happened. Still, she and Noeline assisted me when I was in need, so it is painful to watch her continue like this..."
But what can be done? Perhaps if she knew more about how their bodies would function...
"Dean was attempting to save someone's life," Avril says, perhaps unwilling to let that comment on Dean go without remark. But even here she bears no rancor; it's more as if she's stating a fact than trying to pick a fight or argument. But she pauses and does add: "We were able to save him."
In the end, Chuck was spared. But only barely. Just because of the mirror itself.
No, that's not quite right...
Are there others? "I do not know. I have encountered three, myself." Possibly four, if her suspicion about Lunata's 'friend' is correct. "Perhaps there may be at least one for each Guardian." Assuming there is only one Original per Guardian, that is.
Assuming whoever made them would have made one for each Guardian.
But that still means that there are only... a few, in a world as big as Filgaia.
The term 'needle in a haystack' might only begin to cover the obvious problem here.
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
A note is written down to make sure not to forget the tests. As is Avril's name. As just to be safe if a breakthrough comes of it... she will get proper credit for the idea. "Yes, I believe that was the place! Skeletons, huh? Didn't run in to those, just an odd energy source and one heck of a spider."
Elvis purses his lips as their fate is mentions. Even talking about it like this, just to address it, irritated him. "That is the case, yes. Perhaps the solution will be universal to many people's problemsm eh? Can always hope." Considering the degeneration effect some Tainted share, and the Zopt Syndrome. So many afflictions abound.
The Veruni does relent on the front about the mirror though. "I... have a habit of growing quite zealous on subjects and research." No particular direct apologies on the event, though perhaps the admittance is enough to some. "I suppose there is only so many Originals then. I see." A glance to his equipment. "I would enjoy a much more refined look at one, but that would involve getting to a Veruni Control Zone stronghold, and... that would cause many problems."
Taking a human there is almost certainly out of the question. He had to literally smuggle Carol in, back and forth, for a long time. THere are some research personnel still sworn to secrecy to this day.
"Well, this has been enlightening. Perhaps we can arrange more talk at a later date. I certainly will try to get a closer look at this Riesenlied lady. Perhaps acquire a sample of her changing scales, see what I can find."
"You are welcome to stay around as I test the strength of this bottle, as well." If he does indeed find something that breaks it, he still actually had two more. But so far, most basic tools dont work. He tried putting some strength of a hand in to it too, without fracture.
...He doesn't feel lucky enough to try 100 percent.