2021-03-07: Just Keep An Eye On Me
- Log: Just Keep An Eye On Me
- Cast: Citan Uzuki, Xantia
- Where: Aboard the Karlsefni
- Date: March 07, 2021
- Summary: Citan takes a closer look at Xantia's collar and discovers something quite surprising about it.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"And as far as you are aware, you have always worn this collar?"
A small array of tools are laid out on the table alongside where Citan is sitting. There is nothing terribly exotic in the bunch, nor is there particularly alarming like a saw. Or a hammer. Probably the oddest-looking thing in the bunch is some sort of battered meter with a pair of probes.
In fact, Doctor Uzuki hasn't done anything at all yet except ask her some questions.
To back up just a wee bit, it wasn't long ago that Xantia had come to Lily and him, asking for their medical advice on the strange tone she'd heard -- and the fact that the last time she had heard it, it had been followed by a sort of fugue state in which she had attacked her friends. In the process of asking questions, it had been determined that her collar -- which he had previously taken to be merely jewelry -- is something she can't remove.
Citan had asked to take a look at it later, once he'd been able to collect his belongings and -- this is also important -- matters had permitted him to depart from the Thames. The quiet of the Karlsefni seemed a better place to investigate her 'jewelry' further, and so...
"Is there any clearance with your collar? That is, have you been able move it against your skin? ...I do not wish to risk injuring you, Xantia, so I must take care in the sorts of tests I am able to conduct."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Some time has passed since Xantia confided her worries in the Black Wolves's two medical experts. Enough time for her to journey back to Spira, and finish what she was determined to see through - the liberation of Luca, a city whose well-being she'd come to feel personally responsible for. She literally fought herself into unconsciousness, and needed a bit of time to recover, but ultimately none of that is anything to worry about where Xantia's concerned. It's the sort of thing she does all the time. The goal was accomplished, that's all that matters.
Besides, spending time in Spira so far has meant that she had no cause to worry about the main thing that is bothering her right now, the matter she went to see the two doctors about in the first place. While Lily has seen more of Xantia's 'condition', such as it is, there just hasn't been much she was able to do about it except offer support when needed. Which is most welcome, of course, but it can't allay Xantia's fears that it may be only a matter of time before another disastrous incident occurs. If only this wouldn't feel like something fully beyond her control... but there isn't much she can be sure about without more information.
Enter Citan. Immediately interested when she called attention to her unusual choice of neckwear (and the fact that it was never a choice to begin with), he requested to investigate further, which Xantia didn't object to. Anything that might shed more light on things is welcome. Though she's also indicated being worried about possible risks in messing with something she doesn't understand, which is why she doesn't look entirely comfortable as she sits across from the doctor, slowly shaking her head at his first question.
"I don't remember ever not wearing it. I didn't used to think about it much. It was just... there. It felt normal for it to be there." She didn't used to call any attention to it. It's only now that she's so keenly aware of its presence that she's started rubbing her throat area, making it clear that it's bothering her.
"Move it...?" She shakes her head again. "It doesn't move much. It's on pretty tightly. No way to get my fingers around it." She tried that back when she first wanted to get it off upon discovering it likely had something to do with what happened, before being cautioned against forcing it by Lily. When viewed up close, the jet black, thick and featureless metal collar really does look more akin to a shackle. Certainly not something that seems comfortable to wear.
"...Doc. If you... see anything change, especially if you see those golden lines appear... please, just... run away. I don't want to hurt any of my friends anymore."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"I see..." Citan settles back for a moment in his seat, regarding that black band around her neck. "It does not seem to be very heavy. It has not restricted your movements in any way? Do you have a full range of motion in your neck?" More questions -- perhaps he wants to know the limits of what he can work with, especially considering the fact that it's on her neck.
Even if they hadn't had any suspicions about it -- about what it might be doing -- that alone would have limited their options. Even using something like a bolt-cutter, assuming he could get his hands on one of about the right size... would be out of the question.
"I thought as much. No, it may be best that you do not attempt to move it," he tells her, shaking his head. Near-flush to the skin, if not precisely exactly so. The best option would be a jeweler's saw, but would it even cut the metal? And, for that matter, if someone attempted to cut it...
He doesn't think it would be without consequences. Therefore, any investigation of it should be as careful as possible.
Speaking of which... Xantia has a warning for him.
The doctor visibly hesitates for a moment, as if he were reconsidering this course of action. "...I understand, Xantia. If that should happen, then I will leave here immediately and seek assistance from the others," he tells her.
He waits a good long moment before he says anything more.
"Are you ready for me to begin, Xantia?"
Citan reaches over and selects one of three long pen-shaped objects from the table.
"All this is... is regular steel," he says, indicating its point. "The main question that I have is," he continues, standing and approaching her, "of what this collar may be made. That will tell me much about it. I would also to test, hmm..."
He doesn't finish his sentence. Readjusting the lenses on his glasses, he motions for her to expose a side of her neck and reaches, steadying her shoulder with his free hand, to try to see if he can score the surface of the collar. Towards the edges might be best.
If he is right, perhaps that would not be as risky for the collar's possible 'function'.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia is about to answer Citan follow-up question to the matter of movement restriction immediately, but quickly pauses, brows furrowed in thought, before she shakes her head. "I don't think I can answer that. I mean, this is how it's always been for me. If 'a full range of motion' is different from what I can do, how would I know?" Such things frequently bother her, aware as she is of her Normal being different from most people's Normal. All she can say for sure is, "I don't think it restricts me..."
Xantia's rubbing of the area around the collar hasn't visibly moved it any, so that much seems to confirm that it's difficult to do that. Though when Citan says it's best to not even attempt it, she quickly withdraws her hand, in a way that seems to indicate that she was doing that subconsciously. One thing's for sure, she's quite prepared to take any advice to heart immediately.
Where it comes to her own advice, she seems pained for a moment, before she nods in understanding. Xantia is easy to read. She likely hadn't meant for Citan to get help, and thus get even more people involved in whatever might happen. But she also doesn't have a better answer. It's not like she doesn't want anybody to try and help her. That's why she's here, after all.
When asked if she's ready, Xantia gives a silent nod. She doesn't quite know what she's asked to be ready for, but it's fine. She trusts Citan to know what he's doing. She'll cooperate with what she's asked to do. She'd very much like an answer on what what the collar is made of, too.
Whatever that may be, 'regular steel' seems to be ruled out quite quickly. Scratching its surface with the implement's steel tip leaves no mark whatsoever. Not even any residue can be removed from its surface in this way. Xantia looks worried, for reasons that are probably obvious, but there are no other visible reactions from the collar either. It simply... refuses to budge, in any way.
Although Xantia can't really see that very well, she does seem to understand what Citan is trying to do, given that she considers this the proper time to share another detail. "...I've been in a lot of fights. People managed to hit that thing before, pretty hard too. And, of course, there was that time when people blasted it with all that lightning... But, it looks like nothing's ever managed to damage it, doesn't it?"
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
That reponse prompts him to pause. "That is... true," Citan says at last, and offers her a somewhat chagrined smile. "My apologies. You are correct: there is no way in which you would be able to distinguish whether or not your range of motion has been impacted, given your circumstances. Perhaps a better question would be, 'do you find it difficult to move your head'...?" He shakes his head and sighs out a short breath. "Still, that is useful to know. If you had more difficulty..."
It doesn't move easily -- probably not at all. It's flush against the skin. There are some unpleasant possibilities here, which are yet further reasons to not try anything drastic -- likely, if he is even remotely correct, it's built to prevent overt tampering. Possibly even in a way that would be unfortunate for Xantia, himself, and anyone aboard the ship.
She's an open book before him. He pauses, as if again considering the matter--
"I will see that no one is hurt, should such a scenario come to pass. You have my word," he tells her.
The first attempt to see if he can mark the collar is done almost tentatively, as if he were one some level concerned about what might happen.
But nothing does. It fails to even mark the surface.
"I had... thought that might be the case," he says, straightening. Moving his hand from her shoulder, he readjusts his glasses. "...But it is good to confirm rather than rely on 'what we have seen'," he tells her. He reaches for another of the objects, his hand hovering over the remaining two before selecting the last one.
"Perhaps... we may assume this is no ordinary metal alloy," he says, holding the 'pen' before him. "It is common to think of diamonds as expensive, and that is not incorrect...! But, a diamond such as this one," and he indicates the small stone set in the tip, "is hardly suited to be set in a ring. Indeed, it has only one 'common use'. ...To cut," he explains, approaching her with the tool. "'Diamond' is a very hard subtance. It is said that the only thing that can cut a diamond is another diamond! Therefore, whether or not this will mark your collar... well, that will tell us something about it. Do you not agree, Xantia?"
It's a small stone. It wouldn't even nick the skin -- it isn't even sharp. But with just a little pressure, there should be a mark on the collar... if it is at least as hard as a diamond.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
No hard feelings about the unfortunately worded question, of course. But it is unmistakenly Xantia to take words in as literal a fashion as possible, without trying to interpret it any differently. She's mainly concerned about giving as correct an answer as possible on a matter of such great importance as this.
What's far more important still is Citan's promise that no one will be hurt. That prompts Xantia to nod with more enthusiasm. She just took his word for it without question. He's a doctor, after all. He must be an expert at making sure people don't get hurt, so her line of thinking goes.
The lack of a result in trying to leave a mark on the collar's surface with a common tool is no surprise to Xantia either, given what she said before. Maybe the fact that she knew that gave her some measure of comfort, because when Citan proceeds to explain how much better the task a tool made of diamond is, she starts to look worried.
"W-well... I guess if it's that much better, then I guess it should be able to do something... right?" 'But will that be a good something', is what she's obviously thinking. Still, it doesn't take much of any convincing for her to decide that it's worth the risk. If just looking at it would yield any results, she would've known at least a little bit about this thing by now. As always, the best method to get something done that you don't know much about is to just try something and see what happens. It's not long before she nods decisively, and agrees simply, "Do it."
Despite expectations, for a moment it seems like the result will be the exact same. It's not simply a matter of 'scratch once and done'. The first couple of scratches don't leave any visible mark. But then, something subtly changes. Under the continued pressure of the diamond-tipped tool, the collar's black surface slowly turns a lighter color. Not quite a mark, per se, but likely a precursor to one. Perhaps with a bit more time, and a bit more pressure--
A split-second sharp buzzing sound rings out, and Xantia leaps backwards out of her chair, grasping her neck at the spot Citan was just working on. She looks terrified, demanding, "What was that? What happened? What did you do?" Before calming down enough to explain her reaction: "That hurt, a lot. Just... for a second, but still..."
However, what may be of greater interest is that this occured just Citan successfully managed to pierce through the metal. Some shavings flecked off as a result, remaining on the tip of the 'pen' that Citan was using, and on the floor. They aren't black, nor are they fully solid. They are silver, and rapidly dissolving into liquid.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Yes... if I had started with it, perhaps that may have taught us something about the metal used in your collar. Or perhaps it would not have. When investigating, it is best to start with the basics and confirm, persistantly, what can be understood..."
Is he talking to her, or is he talking more to himself?
'Do it', she tells him. "Very well. Let us see, now..."
It's resisting being cut. But, not as strongly as before. He applies just a little more pressure, trying to see if he can mark it.
Then a little bit more.
Only to jerk his hand back as something very unexpected occurs--
"Xantia! Are you all right?!" he asks, visibly alarmed. "All that I did was scrape the surface with this, and... goodness, what is this..."
The material still on the 'pen' is beginning to drip off of its tip. Some of it on the floor is also beginning to melt. Looking about himself in a hurry, Citan picks the best option he can find: the case that the material-testing 'pens' had come in and drops the diamond-tipped tester within it. Kneeling on the floor, he investigates the fleck in the process of melting more closely.
"A 'liquid metal'... could it be...?"
There is one possibility that immediately comes to mind. But in that case, to touch it would be unwise--
"I am sorry," he says at last. "It appears there is some connection between the collar and you. To be quite honest, I had entertained that possibility, but I did not think this would be sufficient to cause you harm, or I would not have..." Reaching up for the table, he fumbles a moment for an unused probe, tentatively investigating the rapidly-melting piece with it (which is to say, he pokes it).
"I had thought to try testing the material's resistance if this had failed," he says, glancing back up at the table, "but to do that after this..." Citan shakes his head emphatically. "I think it would be unwise to tamper with it further. To cause you harm, or worse... it is a 'black box' that we are reaching our arms into, and who knows what might be lurking within?"
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia is obviously shaken by the incident, taking a moment to catch her breath while Citan examines things further. Not only did it hurt, that was a sort of pain that she's never felt before. She struggles to describe it, finding it difficult to do it justice. She finally settles on, "It was like... a jolt that went through my whole body." After a moment's pause, she realizes that may sound like something else, and adds, "It's not the same as when I use Lightning to do that, that doesn't hurt me at all."
Still gripping the area where the collar was cut into with her right hand, she takes a few steps back closer, though careful not to get in Citan's way. That may have been frightening, but if it results in learning something important, it will have been worth it. Of course, there shouldn't be much she can tell just by looking at it. Shouldn't be... but... "That's... I know it... but why is it...?"
Xantia abruptly raises her free hand to her temple, feeling a sharp pain there as well. She almost stumbles back onto her seat. She seems to need a moment to recover from whatever it is that just hit her, only slowly nodding at Citan asserting that further tampering is probably unwise.
In the mean time, the flecks of metal separated from the collar continue to dissolve. This doesn't seem to stop at a liquid state - within seconds, it starts to evaporate into nothing, leaving no trace. Poking the material makes no difference, it simply gives way in the expected manner for its semi-solid state, and neither accelerates nor decelerates the process. It's probably too late to attempt to preserve any, not that it appears likely that it would make any difference trying to keep it in a simple container.
As Xantia recovers a bit, her hand slides away from her neck, revealing that the scratch that should have been on her collar... isn't there. The only evidence of Citan's action still present on the collar is discoloration, but even the lighter section of metal is slowly reassuming its original hue. In a matter of minutes, the collar will appear as unblemished as it did before.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
He nods slowly as she clarifies. "No... It does not seem as if it were the same as your lightning at all," he agrees. Indeed, given the 'nature' of her lightning...
"You know it?" he asks, looking up at her from where he crouches. "What do you know about it, Xantia? Is it familiar to you in some way?"
It doesn't just melt. It evaporates quickly, leaving not even a stain on the floor. Squinting at the tester he'd used to probe at it, Citan rises to his feet and drops it onto the table. It stands to reason that the fragment he'd dropped with the diamond tester into the case is likely also...
But there's no helping it. He wasn't prepared for this.
"Are you feeling all right, Xantia...?" Citan asks, turning his attention towards her again. "Perhaps you had ought to sit down."
And then as her hand drops away from her collar, his eyes widen.
"Why... your collar! There is no mark at all now!" Has it 'recovered' somehow? And those shards, that have vanished...
Some places, curiosity alone cannot take you. Shaking his head, the doctor sighs. "It seems all we have accomplished today is to generate more questions than answers..."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
By the time Citan reaches his conclusion, Xantia has recovered enough to let out a hollow laugh. "It's always like that. Every time I discover something about myself, I find out there's more to discover, I'm never any more sure of anything. ...Thanks for trying, though. It was... interesting, if nothing else."
She remains silent other than that for a moment, before she finally returns to the matter before her sudden headache. "...Yes, I know it. I've seen it before. But I... can't remember where." That's what led to the headache.
However, she finds that she can describe it. She does so as she leans back, casting her eyes to the ceiling. "A regenerating alloy, that 'remembers' its original shape, losing cohesion when separated from the whole..." Perhaps not quite the kind of phrasing that Citan is used to from Xantia.
It's strangely hard to read her emotions in this moment, as she slowly turns her head to the man she should only know as a simple country doctor. But with that lack of an expression, and spoken in such a neutral tone, one could be forgiven to wonder whether she's implying anything more, as she concludes that thought. "I don't think just anybody could make something like that. Do you, Doc...?"
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"I am sorry that I was unable to uncover anything more," is what he says to her, shaking his head. He doesn't frown as such but the expression he makes comes close to it. "There are a great many mysteries in this world, it would seem..."
A platitude, but at times, one must make use of platitudes.
Still, does that jar some memory lose for her? She says she has seen such before, but can't quite remember where. She--
She does not... quite sound like herself in this moment.
"Xantia...?" he voices, inclining his head slightly to the right as he regards her afresh. Silence may rule the room for a long moment; he says nothing at all. At least, not at first.
"No," Citan says, pushing his glasses a fraction of the way up his nose as he briefly ducks his head. "Not just anyone could create such a thing..."
A shape-memory alloy... is it. It has been some time.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia smiles at Citan's response. It's not any easier to tell what she might be thinking in that moment.
Only for any tension that might have been felt to instantly melt away, as she proceeds to stretch herself out and opens her mouth in a huge yawn. When she speaks again, it's in the upbeat tone she's best known for. "Well, there you go then! That's pretty important, right? Feels like this has been worth it to me!"
She hops out of her seat, now showing overt brightness in her smile. "So it's fine, it's fine, I can put up with a little unpleasantness if it means learning more about myself. If you think of anything else that might help, please let me know! But for now..."
Xantia pauses, tapping the side of her cheek for a moment before continuing, "Well, I think it's okay if you just keep an eye on me. Okay? To make sure that I'm, you know... still myself?"
Whether or not 'a minute ago' counts... that's up for Citan to decide.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
What can you do in the face of a response like that but to blink? Xantia manages to do something quite rare: she completely unmoors at least for the moment all of Citan Uzuki's bearings.
"I... I see," he says at length. "Then, if you are certain about it... I will consider what we have found here today. Perhaps someone may know something more about this."
Though she has one more thing to ask of him:
"If that is what you wish... then I shall continue to keep an eye on you, Xantia."
Is his response.
He says nothing about what he had witnessed just a moment ago.