2022-02-22: Inspiration

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  • Log: Inspiration
  • Cast: Lulu, Tidus, Citan Uzuki
  • Where: Shevat Palace
  • Date: February 22, 2022
  • Summary: Lulu and Tidus have come to Shevat's library in search of information they could use to even the odds when they take their fight to Sin, but aren't having much luck when they're happened upon by Citan and his daughter, Midori. But inspiration can sometimes come from unexpected sources.

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

Shevat is high up in the sky, far up a great tower beyond the clouds. Getting here was something of an ordeal in and of itself, but now they are here, and Lulu walks about the high-up walkways and looks down to the sky, far below. It reminds her of the Al Bhed airship on which they fled Zanarkand, onto which they rode into Bevelle...

But it is not the same. There are many more people here, and very different.

Lulu stands for the moment at the library, looking over shelves thoughtfully. She is not alone this afternoon, either! Tidus is here. And... Lulu already has a stack of books to consider on various fields.

Or rather, they have a stack of books already. Lulu is not carrying them at the moment. Which either means there's a table, or...

Well. Tidus is helpful for more than just his expertise in technology, surely!

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    "Ugh--seriously, Lulu--couldn't you've gotten Wakka to do this for you?" Tidus complains, and not for the first time. It's mostly good-natured, though. Although he's not a *fan* of being used as a pack mule, Shevat's an interesting place that gives him a sort of bittersweetly nostalgic feeling, and he does like helping out his friends. Just. He doesn't want to let Lulu think she can just push him around.
    
    That's what Wakka's for, apparently.
    
    What?? (Maybe he should've name-dropped Paine instead.)
    
    "What're you looking up, anyway?" he adds, letting his curiosity seep in. He'd just agreed to come along without thinking about it too hard. Now that they're actually *here*, and he has approximately forty pounds of books he's lugging around, well, he kind of wants to know what it's for.

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    The first hint that they are not alone in the library may well come from the sense that they're being watched. If Tidus were to turn around just now, he would see that he's being stared at by a little girl. To look at her, she's likely about 9, 10 years of age, with blonde shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She stares at him intently for a moment more and, if he does look at her, retreats behind the bookshelf again as if startled.

    "Midori?"

    The second hint is probably the sound of Doctor Uzuki's voice, not far from the two of them.

    He too rounds the stacks -- or, to be specific, a different set of stacks than the one the girl had just vanished behind.

    "--Ah, Miss Lulu! And Tidus. I do not suppose you have seen my daughter? She was by my side just a moment ago, but it appears..." He trails off, looking this way and that as if distracted. "I am sorry. This is unlike her."

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

"Yes," Lulu answers Tidus, "But he wouldn't be as useful for actually reading them when we're done." Which is something like a compliment to Tidus! So obviously he should accept being pushed around a little. It's fine.

...It might've been funny if he had name-dropped Paine.

Lulu is busy, so she doesn't notice a certain little girl in the moment. Instead she answers Tidus's question, "Their theory on the magic they call 'Ether', and whatever I can find on the principles behind their larger machina, the 'Gears'. I think we may need something of one of those two kinds against Sin..."

She traces another book's spine, and pulls it. Then, she hears--

"Ah, Doctor," she notes, nodding his way. "...I haven't."

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    "You're surprisingly good at buttering people up, aren't you?" Tidus grumbles, still good-naturedly. Lulu brings up Ether and Gears, and he nods. He figured it was something to do with fighting Sin... He hasn't been putting a lot of stock into giant robots, considering how Sin reacted to a bunch of them battling in the Calm Lands, but it's true that maybe the fundamentals can help somehow. Especially if they add it up with that Ether stuff.
    
    But then a funny feeling tickles the back of his mind. Tidus has pretty good instincts, and though his arms are very full at the moment, he turns in time to see a little girl. He blinks to see her, but before he can ask her what she's doing here, she zips back behind the bookshelf.
    
    "Hey, no need to--" he starts to say, tone gentle. Dr. Uzuki's voice cuts him off, though, and he looks (after turning himself around) to see Citan approaching. "Your daughter?" he echoes. "I did see a little girl just now--blonde hair, maybe around ten-ish? She was staring at me just now." He nods over towards the bookcase. "Popped back behind there." He raises his voice a bit, though his tone turns gentler, and he adds, "You still over there, kiddo?"

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Lulu says that she hasn't, which prompts Citan to begin to frown as if in the early stages of concern.

    But Tidus tells him what he's seen -- that there was a little girl just over there, who had darted behind the bookshelves on the opposite side. He glances in that direction before granting Tidus a nod of acknowledgement, then moves that way himself.

    Tidus may have called out himself, but there's no more reply than when Citan had done. In fact, there is but silence when he vanishes behind the shelves.

    Citan is not as good with sign language as his wife, a fault of him not being present when Yui and Midori were learning it together. But he has made great strides in the last few months. This conversation between father and daughter is done in silence.

    He reappears a moment later. Midori lingers behind him, peeking around from behind his back.

    "Thank you," he says to Tidus. "Everything is quite alright. ...It would seem she may have become, ah, disinterested in the childrens' book selections and took a short walk, after which I believe she found the two of you...?"

    She's still -- tentatively, as if he might somehow snap at her across the distance -- trying to get a good look at Tidus. She seems shy.
    Even if her stare -- when she thinks he's not looking -- is as if she were trying to bore through sheet metal.

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

"So you think I'm being too nice?" Lulu prompts Tidus. But she focuses on what it is that they need; she isn't particularly expectant that Gears alone will do the trick herself, but something in them might be usable. They have to work with what they have... Which is potentially anything.

Tidus notices someone. Lulu notices Tidus noticing. Then she turns, and notices... the girl. And Citan. When they reappear, after some silence.

"That's fair," Lulu allows, looking down thoughtfully at Midori. She seems to consider her for a moment, but doesn't turn any harsh words or looks on her. Instead, she focuses on the others for the moment. "So it would seem. Well, I don't mind the added company. We could probably stand to stop and take stock of what we already have."

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    "Hey, I never said *that*!" Tidus protests, a laugh on his breath. It's testament to how long they've been traveling together that he can take that as a joke rather than a threat. Lulu is *scary*, as Wakka well knows. Maybe that's another reason he's not here.
    
    "Hey, no problem. We couldn't just let a little kid wander off on her own anyway. If you hadn't been here, we'd have gone looking for you for her," he reassures Citan. He offers Midori a friendly smile--not knowing anyone who needs to use sign language, it doesn't occur to him that that's the reason why she's so quiet--but he gets that she might just be shy. Better not to press her, but still let her know there's nothing to be nervous about.
    
    "Yeah, my arms're getting tired anyway," he remarks to Lulu and Citan. "How 'bout we all find a table and sit? Uh, unless you've got something else you're in the middle of doing," he adds to Citan. "Me and Lulu are kinda doing our own thing here."

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Midori does not smile back. She's not exactly being creepy about it -- the staring, the silence, all of it -- but rather seems almost as if she were particularly intent about determining... something, about Tidus.
    Almost as if he were in fact a book she were trying to decipher.

    "Nevertheless, it is a relief to know she had not wandered far," Citan says, smiling and shaking his head. "So, I see that the both of you have arrived safely, and in good time no less! I have scarce been home a few days myself. Have you found what you were..."

    He trails off, as Lulu and Tidus speak up about convening at a nearby table.

    "Yes, that does sound like a good idea to me. Perhaps we might speak about what you have learned thus far? I may be able to assist."

    Though he pauses, and halfway turning, glances down at his daughter. "...If you do not mind, Midori?"

    She is silent -- not, it seems, an unusual state for her -- then nods, stepping out at last from behind her father. With intent she takes -- hesitating now and again, as if she were still uncertain to some extent -- several steps towards Tidus and then suddenly reaches up to try to take one of the books from his stack. ...Hopefully it's not a heavy one.
    After that, she will walk off towards the table in the middle of the library. She's doing her part.

    "...I think she may have taken to you, Tidus," Citan remarks, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully.

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

"Hm hm."

Lulu could almost smile. Almost. But she doesn't. Not even at Midori!! ...Though she doesn't scowl at her, either. She just remains quiet.

She nods along to Tidus's assessment of the situation, and has little to add, herself. She just waits for him to take the suggestion, or not. They are indeed doing their own thing here.

"The trip up was long, but uneventful." This is probably the highest up Lulu has been... unless one counts distance from Filgaia's surface, in which case Besaid is higher. But that's beside the point.

"...Hm." Midori is helpful...

"So far we've collected a few books on Ether theory and the fundamentals of Gear usage. I don't think the Gear usage is going to get us very far--we've already seen what they can do against Sin, and it's not enough on its own--but the idea of scaling up other power seems... potentially useful."

"Etheric theory has a lot in common with my understanding of Black Magic, though it's certianly not identical. But I've only gone over the very basics so far."

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    Tidus would wonder if he'd accidentally spooked the little girl... but, well, this isn't the first strange child he's met since he started journeying. She doesn't seem like a bad kid, so as long as she's not doing any harm, it doesn't bother him if she wants to stare for a while.
    
    "Yup! And I don't know if we've found what we need *exactly*, but..." He shrugs, then scrambles to keep his stack of books from tumbling. Midori comes in at precisely this time to pluck a book out from his stack, which helps him get the rest stabilized. "Hey, nice save!" he cheers, beaming at her. "Thanks a ton, Midori!"
    
    Citan offers his help, and postulates that Midori may have taken a shine to him. "Heh, you think so?" he says with a lopsided smile. "Well, it'll be a huge help if you can help us sort through this stuff, so we'll take you up on that." He looks over at Lulu to double-check if they actually are doing that, but he's pretty sure she's not going to say no. Sure enough, she... doesn't say *yes*, but she sure doesn't say no, either.
    
    "Yeah, I was thinking that too about the Gears. If we're doing anything, it's probably gonna be something with that Ether stuff," he says, nodding in agreement as he follows Midori to the table, then sets down his stack. He'll sit down once the others are situated. In the meantime, he adds, "But I don't really know much about it, aside from that it's a kind of magic. Oh, but I *have* been studying magic! I'm nowhere near as good as Lulu is, but I'm no slouch, either. If you could help us out *there*, that'd be awesome."

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    "It is better for a trip to be long and uneventful than short and riddled with danger!" he has remarked.

    Midori is not exactly creepy (Primera probably has that on lock, despite being the actually-least-creepy of their particular group of friends) but strange, now that would be an apt description of Citan and Yui's child.

    Again, she doesn't exactly smile at Tidus but she does nod in a peculiarly sober way as he offers her his thanks before she trots along with her book for the table.

    "That was kind of you, Midori," her father says, once they join her at the table (he has not offered to help Tidus with his burden himself...). This in turn earns Citan a similarly sober nod as Midori gets into one of the chairs with her book and places it on the table before opening it herself.

    Citan takes a moment to pensively regard her here, with all the weight of a parent wondering just what it is that their child is getting up to now. That book would by anyone's estimate be a little bit above the abilities of a child going on ten, but...

    "Oh, have you?" He turns his attention towards Lulu and Tidus. "So you have an interest in utilizing Ether against Sin. That may not be a bad idea." He nods, getting into his own element here, so to speak. "Perhaps something along the lines of 'Ether Amplifiers' may be key, in that case. ...While they would be 'Machina' by your definition, they are machines that can enhance the strength of an Etheric ability. Of course... they are most heavily used by Solaris."

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

Lulu, for her part, notices Tidus's... calm. He really doesn't seem at all spooked by this child staring at him. She isn't aware of certain other children who keep looking at him, so it's new information to her. ...But she doesn't comment on it for now.

"True," Lulu agrees with Citan on the trip. Tidus chimes in, and Lulu nods to Midori this time, as she comes over. She opens the book herself... Hmm. Lulu decides once again not to say anything to Midori in the moment--she doesn't want to spook her. But it's interesting, all the same.

"Ether Amplifiers... Yes, something that can empower magic would be useful in helping me to contribute in the fight. Most of my spells simply can't operate at Sin's scale." No pun intended. "...But getting technology from Solaris could be a problem," she admits.

Then she considers... and sets Mog on the table, instead of just keeping the doll stowed nearby. Mog sits cutely, unmoving for now.

"...And anything that could apply to my spells could apply to yours," she notes to Tidus, which is outright an acknowledgement of his ability.

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    If only Lulu knew about some of the other strange children Tidus knows...
    
    "Heh, yeah, we already deal with plenty of danger," Tidus remarks dryly. He doesn't think much of Midori opening that book up; she wants to help and, well, sometimes with kids you just gotta let 'em. He doubts she's going to start tearing pages out or anything, and they can trade for something else if they need that one from her later.
    
    "Ether Amplifiers, huh," Tidus echoes, picking up one of the books from the stack. He flips through several pages in the center before flipping back and starting more or less at the beginning. Still, he nods at Citan as he explains about the amplifiers. "There a way we could swipe one from those jerks?"
    
    He smiles when Lulu talks about amplifying not just her magic but his too. "It'd be amazing if we could slap Sin and all its spawn with a Slowga," he half-jokes. "We'll whittle 'em down eventually if we can just keep 'em from getting a turn in!" He does pause, though, a thoughtful look stealing over his face. "...You think one of those doohickeys would work on Yuna's Aeons? Maybe if we souped Bahamut or Leviathan up enough..."

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Midori does her best, to judge by the way she stares at the text on the pages and keeps on staring at it, as if willing it to do... something. Perhaps to make sense. But, the fact is, for all her mysterious power and rather considerable knowledge of the world around her, she is still a child of nearly-ten. She continues to sneak glances at Mog, sitting on the table, and then eventually slowly, slowly reaches out to touch it, one eye on Lulu the entire time.

    Citan is not unaware of this, though he stays silent, as if watching to see how this will play out.

    Though perhaps, 'stay silent' may be a relative statement, all considering.

    "As an amplifier to your magic, as well... I wonder if it would work?" He's folded his arms over his chest, as if thinking the matter over. "Perhaps it may be possible to attune them to your spells, even if they will not function for you, though? I would say that the actual hurdle here would be obtaining them."

    He taps his fingers against his upper arm a moment, perhaps thinking the matter through. "Hmm... while I would not recommend that you 'rush right in', perhaps it may be worthwhile for you to turn your attention towards their encampment in Lake Macalania. I know not what they are accomplishing there, but I am certain it is nothing good."

    Midori settles back in her seat at that, frowning.

    "Of course, you may also be able to simple 'borrow' their supplies indefinitely, if you are careful," he adds.

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

If only!!

Mog, during this conversation, does not move. Perhaps Mog could move, if Lulu wanted. But the doll stays still, quiet. Midori reaches out to touch the doll, and Lulu pretends not to notice. Mog, in turn, is very soft. Calming. A nice doll.

"Assuming that we can figure out how they work, more or less, I think it's at least worth exploring," she says to Citan as Mog sits there. "I agree--the real difficulty is getting them from 'those jerks'," as Tidus put it. "...We do have to consider Macalania eventually regardless; that might be a reason to consider it sooner rather than later. As I mentioned before... we cannot let the Fayth remain in Solaris's hands."

Lulu inclines her head to Tidus. "It would, at that. Anything to delay Sin's counterattack would offer us a valuable opportunity."

"...I think we could well 'borrow' a few things, yes." A pause, as she looks to Tidus. "It's possible... But I don't think so. Yuna's Aeons already operate on a scale similar to Gaian Gears. It probably wouldn't add up. It's worth a shot, though."

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    Spotting Midori reaching for Mog out of the corner of his eye, Tidus considers being fake-concerned and "warning" her about how strong Mog is. ...He doesn't. Better for a shy little girl that a doll just be a doll.
    
    "Yeah... Can't really try stuff we don't have out," Tidus instead says to Citan. Maybe it'd work for their magic, maybe not, but it's all moot if they don't actually have an amplifier or two or three on hand. "We tried checking out their set-up at Lake Macalania, but..." He grimaces, lips peeling away from his teeth. "There was this lady there and she *stomped* us. It was bad. But, uh, I guess if we were sneaky enough... we could 'borrow' a few things, yeah." He glances at Lulu. Sounds like a job for Rikku, really. But... hm. So maybe it'll work, but maybe it won't. "Guess we gotta get one first before we can mess around with it," he says. "First things first."

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Midori has soft toys of her own. But as with most children her age, the soft toy she hasn't seen before is far more entrancing than the knowledge that her own are waiting for her back home. And Mog is quite soft. So soft.

    "Yes... there is at least the potential. Even if it does not and cannot," he continues, gesticulating vaguely, "then at least we have tried. It may be that we could even call upon some of our Ether experts in our midst," of which the Black Wolves have many, "to use them instead."

    It will also mean that much more lost Solaris equipment (that may be costly to replace) so there's that, too.

    "Oh, had you?" Citan winces faintly. "Well, I am glad you were able to escape," he continues, though there is that silent pause that suggests, as he regards the two of them in turn, that he's momentarily uncertain whether everyone involved in that particular venture was able to slip away. "...Hmm. Would that have been one of the Elements?"

    But he continues. "Now, another possibility might be to obtain and repurpose a spell converter from a Gear, though that has its own constraints. For one, it would require the power source of a Gear, which would run the risk of attracting Sin..."

    He might have gone on about that, in fact, if Midori hadn't suddenly slipped down from her seat and started to head away from the table with a particular purpose in mind. "--Midori?"

    There is no answer, but the reason for her sudden departure from the discussion soon makes itself apparent:

    It's... a mobile stuffed toy. No, it's a very small... animal? Something vaguely sort of rodent-like, with lots of soft fur?

    "Don'chu put those books back on the shelves," it tells the three of them, as Midori stops before it, intent. "Hard to know what's chused otherwise!"

    Citan fidgets with his glasses. "Ah... yes, the new assistant librarian. Muchu... was it?"

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

Mog does not move, except to tiiiilt very slightly in Midori's direction to accept pets. Just in a way that would seem natural for a doll to move when being touched. Nothing suspicious. After all, Mog is nobody suspicious.

"It was a problem," Lulu agrees with Tidus, and then nods to Citan. "True, so it's useful regardless." And then--"I believe so," on being one of the Elements.

But Midori--moves from the table? And--ahh. Something... plush like.

"Hello?" Lulu inquires, and then tilts her head thoughtfully. "...So, standard library practice," Lulu replies, and inclines her head. "Very well, Muchu. We won't."

Plush...

"I am Lulu, and this is Tidus."

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    Soft... like flesh. But Mog is not flesh. Not yet.
    
    Wait, what? Uh, moving on.
    
    "The Elements? ...Yeah, now that you say that, it sounds right," Tidus says, nodding to Citan. "What was her name... Uh, I don't think I caught her name, actually. Things moved pretty fast. But she was using earth-elemental moves and she had a sword." He grimaces at the memory of how quickly she kicked all their butts. "She hit like a *truck*. Da--dang," he quickly corrects himself, glancing at Midori, "that was three months ago. It feels like it was a long longer..."
    
    But Citan goes on, and Tidus focuses back on him. Or he tries to, anyway, because Midori chooses that moment to wander off and stare at... a small animal? That talks?? "Oh, uhhh," Tidus utters, startled. "Uhhh, w-we won't!"
    
    He glances at Lulu. *Is* that standard library practice? Tidus was almost more interested in the blitz sphere growing up, so he wouldn't really know. Regardless, Lulu introduces the two of them, so Tidus rubs the back of his neck, then gets over himself and raises his hand in a wave. Really, is a small talking animal any weirder than the various races he's encountered across Spira, the greater part of Lunar, and Filgaia? "Howdy! Nice to meet ya."

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Perhaps it is for the best that Midori stops touching Mog.

    Citan rubs at his chin. "So... she used a sword? Then that must have been Dominia, the current occupant of the Earth Element seat. I have heard of her from Elly, and she also had led an attack on Shevat," he adds to clarify. "I understand that all four of them are quite dangerous individuals. To earn the title of 'Element', one must meet a variety of martial and Etheric requirements. So it was three months ago... I hope they have not bolstered their defenses."

    He does give Tidus a look though that manages to convey a sense of 'thank you for not swearing in front of my daughter'.
    It's already bad enough when Jessie does it, which is... constant. It's a battle he's already given up on ever winning. Fortunately, unlike most children, Midori...

    ...is currently meeting with a Chuchu. 'Small' in this case means 'about two feel tall, and bipedal', but they're far more akin to animals than even the most beastly of beastfolk.

    "Nice to meechu," says Muchu, waving a hand (paw? ...hand?). "I'm Muchu! I count books and put 'em back. Is pretty hard work, don'chu know."

    "Shevat has a large population of Chuchus," Citan remarks, as if to explain. "I believe it may be the largest left in Filgaia. Solaris attempted to exterminate them over the centuries..."

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

It's fine.

"I see... so they're Solaris's elite of the elite." Lulu makes a note of that. She will have to find a counter to that kind of magic; it is rather part of her job. But she also appreciates Tidus not swearing in front of the child, while it might not seem like that's the case. And--

It is normal. Lulu inclines her head at Tidus.

"They've been on the move, I hear. When I was asking about rumors at a town before we got here, I heard something about an attack on a walled city by Solaris..." So perhaps they aven't devoting all their defenses to Macalania. However--

Chuchu!!!

Lulu inclines her had again. "I... see."

Citan explains. For once, Lulu does not explain. "...I'm not familiar with your people," she address Muchu, apologetically. "...Is there a reason Solaris hates you so?" She glances to Citan, too.

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    "Yeah... I heard about, uh, what's her name--Seraphita? The fire one. I heard about her from someone, and apparently she's real strong too. I guess she'd have to be if these Elements are the best of the best," Tidus says, nodding from Citan to Lulu. He gives them both a lopsided smile at that silent gratitude. It's a little embarrassing, but... heck, he'll take it.
    
    "Hmm... A walled city... Would that be Bevelle? Or somewhere else?" Tidus frowns. "After three months, maybe they'd put their guard down, assume we wouldn't try that again after they managed to get us to run. If it hadn't been for reinforcements, they'd have rounded us all up. Then again, we probably shouldn't underestimate them either... We did that the first time already."
    
    His jaw drops when Citan reveals that Solaris has been trying to wipe out the Chuchus. "What, really? Why?" he utters, appalled, but also without thinking. Fortunately, Lulu keeps her cool. Tidus clears his throat, embarrassed again, but he at least manages to focus on Muchu herself. "Oh, yeah? Yeah, I bet--those shelves must be awful tall for you," he says. "Does anybody help you out, or d'you do all that all by yourself?"

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    "Yes, Seraphita is her name," Citan replies.

    "No... I do not doubt that despite its interest to them, holding that position is not their priority. Not for the entirity of their government," Citan surmises, folding his arms over his chest as he glances a moment towards the ceiling. "As I have remarked before, if they aimed to claim territory, they would have already done so. Instead, they have held their position. The temple, and the Fayth within it must be the focus of their interest."

    So it's of interest, but not so much that they would fight tooth and nail to hold it if sufficiently pressed, is the way he views its import. If they could mount the appropriate offense, the only reinforcements they could face would be any additional Gears that Solaris could move through the gate and on-foot soldiers. The gate restrictions work in their favor in this instance.

    "Then you must have heard the same tale as I, Miss Lulu. Solaris waged a battle against one of Filgaia's cities, Guara Bobelo, before being repulsed," Citan remarks, nodding. "...But you may be right, Tidus. That, and it is not their primary 'aim'. They have still not fully recovered from the war with Shevat five hundred years ago. Their priority is Filgaia, and maintaining their hold here."

    But they wonder about what it is that provoked Solaris to attempt to eradicate the Chuchu, and here, Muchu raises a single clawed finger. Midori takes a step to the side, watching on as they start to explain:

    "Chure guess is as good as mine! But I think it's 'cause of the 'big chutransformation'! Long ago, we got to get big, big, big!" They gesticulate, moving their hands further and further away with each reiteration. "Guess they got jealous," Muchu sighs. "No one's done the 'big chutransformation' in a long, long, long time!"

    Midori is absolutely rapt.

    Citan meets Lulu's look and... shrugs, as if if to suggest it might well be something like that, but that in this particular case...?
    Who knows.

    "I can't get big, chu know!" Muchu continues, answering Tidus' question. "So I chuses a stool!"

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

"And the Fayth is exactly what we cannot allow them to keep. We know it's not been harmed yet, at least; Yuna would be aware, through her connection to it. All the same..." That could change anyday. But that story--not Bevelle but, "Yes," Lulu agrees. "That's what I heard. So their focus appears to remain on Filgaia... as it would be." She is thoughtful. But then--Suddenly--

There is this factor! Lulu does keep her cool. But Mog suddenly sits up a little, without being touched.

"The big churansformation..." THey get big. And Lulu thinks about it. She glances at Mog. She glances at the Chuchu, Muchu. ANd she glances at Citan.

"...Do you think I could talk to your people about this... chutransformation?"

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    It's weird to Tidus that Solaris would want to get their grubby hands on the Fayth enough to take over the Macalania Temple, but not do more to actually *get* to it. Or, if they *have* opened up the Chamber, not do more... *to* it. Maybe they have, but it hasn't been anything so big that Yuna felt it? He kind of doubts that, though. There's really no way of knowing. If it's just a bonus that they've got on the side while they focus on Filgaia, though, that makes more sense. With the Guard gone and Yevon in disarray, who'd really challenge them for it?
    
    Aside from the Drifter community. But it turns out their defenses are actually *pretty dang solid*. For now, Tidus nods at Citan as he makes a thoughtful noise.
    
    Muchu expresses her thoughts on what bug crawled up Solaris's collective asses. His eyebrows rise. "Like... how big are we talking?" he wonders, even though Muchu just said, duh. "Though I guess if you guys can't do that anymore, it doesn't matter," he admits a moment later. "That sucks. I'm sorry your people had to suffer of that, Muchu."
    
    Lulu asks about the chutransformation. Tidus follows her gaze towards Mog, then shoots her an alarmed look.
    
    She wouldn't.
    
    (she would)

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Maybe something's keeping them from getting to it. Perhaps it might even be the Fayth itself. But one would need to ask someone from Solaris to get the full story.

    "Really, really, really really big!" Muchu clarifies for Tidus, stretching their arms out as far as they will go (this is not much) and hopping once at the end as if to emphasize the scale they're talking about here.

    Lulu says then that she'd love to ask Muchu's people about it more. "Yeah, OK. Knock churself out!" Muchu affirms. "The elder'll know more about it. I only know we used chu get real big..."

    "Yes, I could show you the way there, myself. We visit often. Midori is quite fond of the Chuchu, you see," Citan remarks. Indeed, she's still absolutely delighted by Muchu's little story, it would seem. "But perhaps, after you have finished business here?"

    Citan catches that look that Tidus gives Mog, then the one he gives Lulu.

    He says nothing; instead he raises an eyebrow.

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

They can't know. Yet. But they will find out.

Muchu indicates just how big they get, and Lulu seems to... approve, somehow, nodding in something that is not a scowl at all. Indeed--she looks to Muchu as she affirms that the elder will know. "Good," she says. "Then I would like to meet your elder."

Citan could show them the way... and Tidus--Tidus gives her an alarmed look. Lulu inclines her head.

"I think that this may be related to our business... So let's take a break from the books and go and see them."

Yes. This might be just the thing...

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    "Oh. *That* big," Tidus says, somewhere between amused and nonplussed. He shoots Midori a little smile and adds, "Yeah, okay, makes sense."
    
    She really is. Mog as 'really really really really big'... The thought is frankly terrifying. Then again, it wouldn't technically be machina, so Sin would never see it coming, right?
    
    Geez. Only Lulu would think of something like this.
    
    So he just heaves a weary sigh. "All right, if you say so, Lulu..." He gestures expansively at Citan. "Lead the way, Doc."

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Now this is an impressive plan. He's not even certain he would have come up with it. And if it should work, it will function better, perhaps, than the others previously floated.

    "Very well," Citan says, starting to make his way around the table. "Perhaps this may provide us with the 'breakthrough' we need." He pauses, regarding his daughter. "And it should be more interesting for Midori than this particular stack of tomes!"

    "Bye-bye," Muchu remarks, waving a hand. "I'll leave these books out for chu!"

    You know. As a favor.