2023-10-27: New Hire Orientation

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======================<* Valeria Chateau - Ground Floor *>======================

The grand, beautiful estate that is the Valeria Chateau rests at the top of a high cliff overlooking much of Meria Boule's central region, full of red rock into which the white walls of the Chateau seem to fit perfectly. It is ornate, lovely stone with much embellishment, and if anything is perhaps larger than one would expect of the seemingly middling noble rank of the Valeria family, and the lack of significant holdings around the Estate itself. There's no sense of lack within, however; it holds ancient statuary, extraordinary tapestries, and as of more recently is known as the very home base of ARMS, Lord Irving Valeria's personal project and, it's said, private army. There is a great deal of history here; the knowledgeable suggest that this may well be the oldest structure in all Meria Boule. The staff welcome travellers warmly... but visitors are kept strictly /out/ of more sensitive areas. This, apparently, includes the main courtyard...

BGM: Wild Arms 2 - Valeria Chateau

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Valeria Chateau is certainly an impressive sight! Perched majestically on top of a high cliff, it surveils a large swath of Meria Boule. And, perhaps, it surveils all of Filgaia as the headquarter of ARMS.

And at the moment it is only a sight. The gathering for today is not taking place in the chateau proper. Rather, this meeting is being convened in a large clearing just outside of the chateau grounds. Thankfully the weather is clear, though it is a little on the chilly side. There have been several rows of folding chairs set up as a viewing area for those arriving, all facing what is clearly the main attraction for today.

In the middle of the clearing is a large magic circle. Several, in fact, as it is 3 layers deep, each one filled with arcane runes and glyphs. Clearly containment of some kind, for anyone with a passing familiarity with the magical. The soon-to-be warded area inside (the wards aren't active yet), is mostly empty, except for... a door.

A door?

Yes, a door. It remains a door even on a double or triple take. It is just a door, too, not even set in a proper door frame. Or fitted with a proper doorknob. (It just has the hole where one should go, which is perhaps the easiest way to recognize the door for what it is.) It appears to be made of some kind of green crystal or stone, and there is just enough metal bracing behind it to keep it propped up.

Hannah herself is pacing alongside the perimeter of the warded area, giving everything one last check. There are plenty of ARMS' mages present checking things over too, but Hannah knows the first rule of doing magic workings is the same as working with gunsmoke ARMS: you, the caster, are the one ultimately responsible for the safety of everything. She's dressed in her usual, denim jacket and jeans. "How's it look up there, Zephyr?" The red-tailed hawk in question is circling overhead, and a moment later comes the hawk's cry. Hannah nods. "Good."

"Still gettin' used to that..." mutters a feline beastfolk woman watching from nearby. Those present at the Witchbuster fight (or regular visitors to the Damzen area) would recognize one Susanna Tanner. One of the caretakers of the Damzen Orphanage, a Drifter in her own right, and, most importantly, Hannah's Big Sis. She's leaning against a nearby table, arms crossed, and dressed for Drifter business today: weighted gloves and a black sleeveless duster. "You sure about this, kitten?"

Hannah nods as she turns to face Susanna. "I'm sure. This... this is part of why I joined, after all."

Susanna nods back. "Long as you're sure. I'm here to support you, whatever you need."

"Thanks." Hannah looks over to those arriving. She's looking... better than immediately after the aforementioned fight, but still looks... weary. "Thanks for comin', everyone. Please grab a seat. When we're all here, we'll start with a... a demonstration, and then I'll take questions." She almost manages to say the word 'demonstration' without wincing.

Today's meeting was billed as an informational meeting regarding some aspects of Hannah's unusual magic. There's been no word of a demonstration, but Hannah and Eleanor have been working on something in secret for the past few days. 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor Klein is here when everyone else arrives, having come to help Hannah set up in the first place. She is dressed not in her usual casual attire but somewhat more formally, a mage's clothes suited to channeling magic properly--and designed with special threading that helps shield against runaway effects. Those familiar with Sielje may recognize it as a silver robe of post-graduate students.

She looks to the door and to the glyphs. "I believe it's all set up, Hannah." She looks quite serious in the moment--whatever she and Hannah have set up, it's not something to be handled lightly.

She smiles to Susanna, when she speaks up. "We've triple-checked our work," the Sage says. "I'm certain that everything will go precisely as intended."

A pause.

"...Which does mean I suggest staying back at the chairs, of course." 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied hasn't actually... beeeen... to Valeria Chateau before, because she hasn't had a lot of contact with ARMS, other than some errant exchanges where the Outreach has agreed to pick up on some efforts to support affected areas after an Odessan attack. Buuut, she is here today as a consultant and has a lanyard to prove it. Swipe cards!

    Fortunately as well, the Chateau is wheelchair-accessible with an elevator, something she appreciates. But today, she doesn't even need that ,since they're outside, and the experiment that they've set up is certainly curious.

    "I'm here to support you, Hannah, so let me know what you need me to do," Riesenlied smiles warmly. She's dressed in her usual Baskar garments, since that's what she channels the Ley in, so it's already work clothes, as it were. 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

 
Venetia is doing another patrol widdershins from where Hannah is. Checking and cross-checking. As she circles further around she ends up near to Eleanor, to whom she comments quietly, "Hopefully it goes just as well as when I did a demonstration." She adds something else, even more quietly.

("I don't want to spook her but I do have the Persephone Sign with me...")

"Of course! Take your time," Venetia answers Hannah. "As Eleanor said, let me know if I can do anything to assist..." As she moves to sit, she tells Riesenlied quietly, "You're looking well, it's good to see you."

A beat. "Is that a lanyard?" 

<Pose Tracker> Holly has posed.

Holly is running quite late at this point. Mostly because she's had to take more breaks than she'd like to admit, and by the time it became clear she was being dumb, she was deep in the sunk cost fallacy of personal pride. She's lugging a tome. A proper one. Maybe even a grimoire. Black leatherbound, no lettering, the book she's lugging by a book strap beneath her is big. It would be heavy for most people and it's clear she's been burning the candle from both ends so to speak, combining magic and her own minute strength to carry the thing, presumably from her libray of horrors.
 
 The book is being set down and then just slips from her hand. Landing with a slam on the chair. She just stairs at it. Gives it a dirty look and lands on it like that was what she intended. Legs crossed, elbow on her knee, chin on her hand.
 
 She also won't admit she'd originally flown said book to the wrong address initially. No one will ever know. Except the people she almost dropped a book on.
 
 The setup is given the critical eye of someone that knows too much, but probably forgot too much of it to be useful in this niche situation. Instead she raises a hand and.. catches her breath briefly before calling out, "I'm here to help too!" joining the chorus of support. 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied's eyes are all stars as she exclaims to Venetia, "They took my picture and printed me an ID card!" as she holds it up to the Sorceress. She's very excited about random little things. 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel doesn't always come by Valeria Chateau. Mostly to visit people, to provide medical assistance... and, once in a while, to consult on some kind of magic, as there aren't many people with the experience she has dealing with it, nor her ability to feel the flow of energy through the world (or people, or spells).

Today's one of those days.

Mariel has brought several pieces of gear that she ordinarily doesn't; instead of her satchel of tools, herbs and flowers, she has... a different satchel of tools, herbs and flowers. You can tell it's different because, one, it doesn't have the embroidered flower on the outside, and two, her other one is inside. She also has the staff she does carry occasionally, something that looks like an oversized branch (still living!) with a gnarled knot holding an irregularly cut crystal at one end. It's a little big for her, but she's gotten used to it.

"Most people don't do their demonstrations with a freestanding door..." Mariel has actually only seen it done that way once before, and it was a teleportation demonstration, which one would think has a need for a door.

"Should I do any tests beforehand?" Mariel reaches into the satchel and pulls out something a crystal caught in something like a complicated cat's-cradle, which she holds with two bluntly-clawed fingers and allows to dangle. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

A demonstration... It sounds like a rather serious matter, if this much preparation is necessary. She's in the area, though, and if this is something Hannah and Eleanor have been working hard on, then she's happy to be present.

She takes her seat, sitting politely and taking a moment to look over the set-up. ...Just what are they planning...?

"Do let me know if there's any way I can assist..." She offers, a hand resting over where her heart would be. Right now, though, they seem to have everything well in hand... 

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    Ruth's been quiet to ARMS for a little while. Periods of silence aren't unusual, as one of the ways she's fielded for ARMS work often is to just have her roost somewhere unseen and watch for movements... but there's been no 'movements' to watch. Odessa's out of the picture, and there's only so many known cells left to find.
 
     That she shows up at all unannounced is... well, no, she's consistent about showing up when ARMS is gathered for something.
 
     Maybe this above paragraph didn't need to exist! It's fine.
 
     Superfluous documentation notwithstanding, Ruth shows up with that quiet shuffle of hers, hood up over her head as she observes the doors, the faces that normally wouldn't be here... and, perhaps, the ambient tension in the air.
 
     She has herself a seat. The ruminations of a forty-something former elf follow several seconds of leaning forward, adjusting her balance, and otherwise having a time of settling herself in her seat in which to state thus:
 
     "I like these chairs."
 
     Something of a non-sequitur in the brewing intrigue over what this will all be about. 

<Pose Tracker> Xiumei Klein has posed.

Xiumei stands in the clearing, but outside the magical circle. She isn't knowledgeable about magic, but she knows enough to know she shouldn't just willy nilly get inside of a magical circle. Her eyebrows furrow for a moment, before she looks at Susanna.

She nods, then looks to the door. That is strange.

Then, she has a seat. She is wearing a button-up white shirt, a vest, and a red tie. She has a skirt on, too. She looks at Eleanor, then smiles. "We'll be staying back," she says. "We'll be ready, too."

She looks sideways at Venetia, then smiles at her. There is a friendly glance at Mariel and Riesenlied, too; she waves once at Clarine, too, and she smiles briefly at Ruth.

"The chairs are nice," she agrees.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    Noeline's attention has been on the Valeria Chateau for a while. The honorary Crimson Noble stands atop a little cluster of rocks as if a little more height would give her more gravitas. Her eyes are clouded as she regards it from a distance, quiet in the way she lapses into thought with her hand at her chin. She's clearly considering something of import.

    What she's thinking is: hmph. Marivel's is better.

    The Hyadean blinks back to the congregation as Hannah calls for their attention, and she easily hops off the outcropping she'd claimed as her own to saunter up to Riesenlied's side. She also has a lanyard hanging from her neck, letting it sway free, because while she might not be as directly excited as her partner she remains an extremely soft touch when it comes to making Riese happier. "We may frame them afterwards," she notes to Venetia, remaining standing with her hands on her partner's shoulders.

    She has the time to offer Hannah a smile over Riesenlied's head. Her eyes are rather lit up with curiosity at the sight of the door that leads to nowhere: part of her loves interesting things, and whatever is brewing here certainly promises to be interesting. But the Noeline of today can temper that excitement with a quieter smile and a gentle huff of air. "There is no need to be nervous. Whatever happens today is not a matter of life or death, and I rather doubt anyone here will judge you. Take a couple of breaths if you need them."

    Her ability to sense the ebb and flow of sorcery is nowhere near as complete as many people's here; Noeline's usage of it has always been very instinctual rather than anything learned, and the way the Medium is dispersed through her body is somewhat unique. She can't really hope to help in the same way that Mariel or a Seraph can, but she can at least keep her eyes open. She was a spy once, after all; she can be confident in her observation. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Hannah's brave for putting a source of insecurity out here, like this. The Witchbuster might've forced the issue, but Ida would understand completely if she wanted to keep it under as much secrecy as possible. Turning down the offer of a demonstration would've felt... rude, to her, in a way she can't quite articulate.

    Ida has opted to take a seat in one of the folding chairs; she sits with her hands atop her thighs, watching the others as they help set up. She considered offering to help as well, but there's plenty of folks doing that already, and magic is not Ida's forte. When Mariel draws the crystal, she looks at it, brow furrowing with quiet curiosity. "They're nice," she says, to Ruth, to try and make a little conversation.

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah gives Eleanor a grateful nod as she says they're all set up. "I think so, too. Thanks again, Eleanor."

Susanna nods to Eleanor. "Mighty appreciate the reassurance... I know you're talented, and you got a whole gaggle of mages lookin' things over, but..."

But she still worries.

"Alright. Seems you're 'bout ready to start anyhow." Susanna moves over to take a seat with the rest of the crowd.

There is an empty spot in the front row of the chairs, perfect for Riesenlied's wheelchair. Hannah gives Riesenlied a grateful smile. "Thanks, Miss Riesenlied. Um... You offered to help check my connection to the Ley. Would you mind doin' that when Eleanor and I do our demonstration?"

And a nod to Venetia in turn. "Thanks, Miss Vuong. I appreciate you lookin' over everything."

Hannah waves to Holly. "Thanks for comin', Holly..." She peers. "What's the book?" She nods at the offer of help. "Just havin' you here helps a lot, so thank you for comin'."

"Oh! Hi, Miss Mariel. Um..." Hannah looks to the door. "It's... er, really sturdy, so... Not entirely sure what it's made of, if I'm bein' honest, but..." She looks at the device. "I guess... if you wanted to get a baseline, maybe?"

"Oh, hello there... Clarine, right? Thanks for offerin', but I think we're more or less setup..."

Hannah smiles a little as she sees Ruth. "Oh! Ruth! Thanks for comin'! Um... Sorry in advance if this gets uncomfortable for you. Or for anyone else sensitive to maigc..."

Susanna glances over at Ruth and then does a double take. She shoots Hannah a questioning look but Hannah shakes her head. It's fine. Just a notorious sniper that Hannah has somehow befriended. It's fine.

Xiumei gets a small smile from Hannah. "Um... I know we meant to talk, but... I guess I'll be explainin' things anyway."

Hannah gives Noeline a grateful smile and nods. "Thanks, Miss Noeline. And thanks for comin'." And then she does take a few deep breaths, as advised.

Ida gets a wave from Hannah, as well. Hannah was a bit... evasive about some subjects when last they met but perhaps today she'll be revisiting them.

Zephyr comes down to take a perch on the back of a chair and chirps at Hannah. Hannah gives him a small smile and then starts. "Hey, y'all. For those that I haven't properly met, I'm Hannah Curie. So, many of you are aware, but there's..." She sighs. "Somethin' wrong with my magic. Eleanor invited me to join ARMS to help me figure it out, and now that I've finally accepted I thought I should just... lay it all out there and share what I know. Eleanor and I'll do a demonstration, and then I'll take questions and start explainin' things."

She looks to Eleanor and Riesenlied. "You both ready?" When they are, she steps carefully into the warded area.

Hannah pulls a crest graph out of her pouch. "I call this spell Winter's Grasp. It... well, you'll see."

She holds up the crest graph, and it starts to glow an icy blue, with a light mist clouding around it. And... there's that oddity in her aura as Hannah draws power into the crest. How something in the air around her seems to warp in a subtly unnatural way. It's mild--this time--but noticeable in the relative calm.

Hannah slams her hand down into the ground. Ice erupts from it, surging in a straight line for the door. In its wake, a forest of sharp shards of ice springs up, beautiful yet deadly and cruel. When that trail of ice hits the door it is rapidly engulfed: the ice expands aggressively upwards and around until the entire door is engulfed. That strangeness of Hannah's aura suffuses through the ice, leaving a lingering sense of it even after Hannah finishes her spellcasting.

The sorceress regards her handiwork a bit sadly. "I didn't design it to do that. It just kind of... happens. I, um..." she cringes a little bit at the admission. "... normally have to fight to hold it back when I'm usin' it in a fight." Hannah looks at her feet, silent for a moment. She knows how that sounds, but... that's the only way she has to describe it. After a moment, she continues.

"Eleanor's gonna cast it now, to show that it ain't a problem with how I made the crest." Hannah steps out of the circle as several ARMS mages rush in and use their own magic to melt and clear out the ice. The crest graph is handed to Eleanor as they do so. Once the mages clear out, Hannah looks to Eleanor. "Your turn." 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor is happy to have so many expert mages on-hand. To Venetia in particular she answers, "Keep it handy. It shouldn't be necessary with all these wards, but..." 'But' apparently they need the wards

She smiles at Riesenlied, and nods to Holly. Mariel, who she invited, receives a comment on the door, "The crystal is surprisingly useful for showing magical effects. I was surprised too, though."

She looks to Hannah as regards any tests; Mariel's might be useful.

Then, she waves to Ruth, who she hasn't seen in a while, and smiles at her wife. "Thank you," Eleanor says to Xiumei. "If things should get out of hand, we'll need everyone's help. But that shouldn't happen; we've practiced this."

She smiles at Noeline, too.

But when Hannah is ready... "The Crest itself is fascinating work," Eleanor explains of Hannah's spell. "But it does work for others, as it should. I'm going to demonstrate how it works in the hands of an ordinary Crest Sorceress. To be clear, this means that I will not imbue it with my power of Light--it will be cast exactly as it's scribed."

Eleanor looks to the Crest Graph again, making sure she has the right one--always be careful with spellcraft!--and then steps a couple of paces towards the door. "Right. My turn."

"Winter's Grasp!"

Eleanor holds up the crest, and as she incants the name, it glows blue. There is a faint mist about it, just as when Hannah cast it--but then she takes a knee to slam her own hand into the ground, imbuing the power gathered there. The ice surges along the ground towards the door, as before, but more slowly. When it reaches it, it works up the green crystal without deforming. It simply coats the entire thing with frost, from bottom to top, a light layer that shows no particular signs of haste, disharmony, or jagged edges.

"As you see, the effect is different. There is naturally some variation in casting between different Crest practitioners; the amount of power we can bring to bear on a given Crest is variable, for instance. But typically a spell is a spell is a spell; whoever casts it, it does the same thing. In this case, that isn't quite true. It's an anomaly that bears further study."

"To expound upon the idea," Eleanor says as she hands the Crest back to Hannah, "I have also prepared an ordinary Flame spell. There are none of my personal flourishes or embellishments to it; it's exactly as the texts describe, Fray combined with Fray in a typical Crest."

As Eleanor speaks, the ARMS mages don't move this time, as she holds up a hand to forestall them. "I'll show you, and then we'll have Hannah use the same Crest. You will see the difference again." Eleanor reaches into her Crest Pouch and pulls the Crest in question, showing it to the others; it's not her usual heavy lacquered Crest, but a more ordinary one. But it has the same symbols as it should, and the intricate spell graph on the 'card' that makes it work.

She approaches the door again, from where she'd stepped back, and extends her hand with the Crest. "Flame!"

Eleanor's free hand becomes the source of a line of fire that expands from its origin point, encompassing the green crystal door and melting away the ice that she put there moments ago with its all-covering blaze. But it only does as it's meant to do; it disappears a few moments later, leaving the green door in its original state.

"As you can see, it has the power to counteract the last spell, but it is quite limited by comparison to more powerful expressions of the element. It does what is advertised; it conjures simple flame."

Eleanor steps back, and proffers the Crest to Hannah. She nods, quite seriously. "I'll be prepared to strengthen your wards, if necessary," she tells her very solemnly. "Please show us what you can do." When Hannah has taken the Crest, Eleanor steps further back, and then extends her hands.

There's a flash of magic, and the wards all around the 'door' light up, activating in sequence where they've been prepared in brilliant light.

"Ready." 

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah inhales deeply as she takes the crest graph from Eleanor and then steps back into the wards. She nods to Eleanor as she activates them. "Thank you." And then... she turns to face the door.

The sorceress does not get close to the door. In fact, she is rather standing on the opposite side of the warded area from it. She looks like she's waiting, for a moment. She looks to the gathered crowd. "Whatever happens, don't interfere. The wards are here to protect everyone, and they shouldn't be tampered with. What you see might be alarming, but I'll be fine." She says that, but she isn't doing a good job of selling it with any kind of confidence.

One hand is stretched out, towards the door, and the other hand holds the borrowed crest graph up. Another pause--solely for herself this time--and then she utters but one word. "Flame!"

The reaction is immediate. A bright light--too bright, blindingly, scorchingly bright--erupts to life in front of her hand before exploding outwards. A column of fire overtakes the door, flames quickly flowing around and behind it, and crashing into the wards behind it like a tidal wave. There is a low, unsettling roar as the flames quickly pile up behind the door and then spill outwards. Fields of magic shimmer and strain as the flames keep spreading, the roaring growing louder. They quickly work their way back around towards Hannah, who remains still, unmoving, with her hand held out. An instant later and the flames complete the circle.

Hannah is completely swallowed up by flames. The entire warded area is nothing but excoriating fire, volcanic heat, blinding light, and a calamitous roar for the briefest of instants. And now that Hannah's weirdness is allowed to flow unimpeded, it suffuses through all of the flames; the space within seems to twist and warp in a way that isn't suggestive of the mirage of heat.

All of this takes but only a moment, and in the instant it takes to register Hannah being consumed by a sea of flames, before action can be put to that thought, it's already ending. The flames are already dissipating: the door becomes visible first, then the flames around the sides vanish in little puffs of flame, and then finally Hannah is revealed once more. The calamitous roar just ends, leaving a still, eerie vacuum of sound in its wake.

Miraculously, Hannah is uninjured. There isn't even so much as a burn mark on her jacket, nor a single lock of her curly hair lit aflame. Her free hand is still outstretched, though she's turned her face away from the crowd. The door is, amazingly, in one piece, also without a single scorch mark or even a crack in its surface. There is, however, a quickly spreading pool of liquid slag spreading from underneath the door, still glowing a bright, incandescent orange.

The only motion is a swirling storm of glowing embers that quickly lift upwards on the rising heat.

After a tense moment, Hannah drops first her outstretched hand, and then the hand holding the crest graph. She looks to Eleanor. Quietly, she says, "You can drop the wards now. I'm done." And the first thing she does after stepping out of the wards is to hand that crest graph back to Eleanor.

From where she sits, Susanna has her arms crossed, her knuckles white with tension. She looked about ready to jump up and interrupt the process, but restrained herself, if just barely.

Hannah looks to the gathered crowd. "I don't use any of the normal crest graphs anymore. If... if you have any questions... Go ahead."

Hannah looks a bit... numb, in the moment. She's just shared the burden she's carried for the last five years, and somehow, it's only made the burden heavier, not lighter. 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

Venetia gazes upon the Identification Card. Several seconds pass. Her lips pooch out in a thoughtful frown. "Fair enough!"

At the praise, she waves it off, having taken a seat. "Oh, it's quite alright. If anything I think you were overdoing it but I can hardly blame you for erring on the side of caution."

Xiumei receives a firm nod of acknowledgement, and her eyebrows arch at Noeline, but...

There's a presentation. Venetia crosses her legs as Hannah draws on the force of her magic. There is that dissonant note, and Hannah's demonstrated manifestation of spiky madness is, perhaps, not itself too weird, but Eleanor steps forwards to demonstrate the *real* reason.

Flame is brought forth by contrast, once simply, and once --

Not.

"Well," Venetia says. "I believe I understand your concerns now, in a way I did not in the heat of battle."

She crooks an index finger. "If I may ask... is this a case where you have, if I may use a machinery term, found that your output tends towards the enormous and overpowering - but that you can manage it - or is it that it tends to... burst out like this, regardless of your intention?" 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    There's a pleased look at Noeline as she inspects and rates the castle, and then chides her gently: "Now now, Miss Marivel does spend a lot of time here too. Also, it flies."

    It's heartening to see many in the knowledge of magic here, and Mariel's crystal looks fascinating indeed. It looks like a lot of people have turned up to support Hannah, which makes her feel more at peace.

    Hannah asks her to check the Ley, and she nods and positions herself forward into that empty spot, so she can focus on what's to come. She introduces herself and what's wrong with her magic, and Eleanor's invitation to figure it out... and that's why they're all here.

    "Mm," she nods, slipping the Dragon's Tear out and focusing--

    In an instant, the air shifts as the Ley opens up around and through her; she's not doing something as life-threatening as conducting the entirety of the present Ley through her body like she has to sometimes, and has obtained fine enough control to only thread an ample amount for her to monitor, before it goes through into the setup and through Hannah.

    It's like sticking a meter in the electrical flow, to use a metaphor.

    The ice spell erupts -- something she's seen before in Harmonde -- and the shap shards srping up, aggressively erupting upwards until it engulfs, a strangeness lingering in the air... and the Ley.

    Eleanor demonstrates the same spell, to use as a control point. There's no disharmony, no jaggedness in it... and in the Ley--

    "Hmm..."

    But that wasn't really enough to get all the data. Fortunately, Hannah has a second demonstration -- one of Flame; she has to squint to cover her eyes, but she's not using her vision to gauge things today anyway. There's a sudden worry as Hannah's consumed by the flames, but she trusts what she's doing--

    The flames are twisting and warping in a way different than a simple heat haze.

    Riesenlied is silent for a while longer after the demonstration ends, perhaps first resolving her worries that the young sorceress isn't injured. Then she thinks on what she sensed for a moment, letting go of her Channeling...

    "I did sense a difference between what I measured between yours and Eleanor," she explains. "When Crest Sorcery is activated, channels of Ley energy are activated, which combine to formally create the desired spell, as Eleanor explained. But when you were activating the Graph, I sensed something else coming through from within you, which carries itself through these channels..."

    She frowns quietly. "It is difficult to grasp its nature, however. But you mention that you can control it with effort, which is at least, a start. But... at the very least, we can rule out that there is a third party interfering from a different point."

    It's not as soft an explanation as Riesenlied might use, but she believes that a clear, scientific explanation of what she observed is most useful to Hannah above all, here. 

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    Ruth looks up where she sits as there is agreement about how nice the chairs are while those most proficient in what is about to be asked and demonstrated are all set up. She returns a little smile. No one can feel conflicted about how these fold-out chairs are.
 
     'Sorry in advance if this gets uncomfortable for you. Or for anyone else sensitive to magic...'
 
     Ruth almost misses those words because of Susanna's sharp reaction, setting her right hand over her heart while just catching Eleanor's waving.
 
     The demonstration happens. As a practicing Crest Sorceress herself, all that's shared so far makes sense. The difference between the jagged spires of deadly ice, to the mere coating of frost... Eleanor leads with her 'Flame,' and hands it over to Hannah.
 5r 'Whatever happens, don't interfere.' Ruth catches the unsteadiness in her words, aware she's in the company of the best of the best known in their fields and in some fields yet to be named.
 
     The warded area alights in flame, and Ruth rises from her seat heedless of the sight-stealing light. Even holding the shell of who she once was, a hissing unnatural to human- or human-analogous throats escapes her. Even through the wards, something about this touches a nerve that is always being pressed on.
 
     Hannah is ultimately unharmed by her own power, and simply signals she's done. Ruth doesn't sit back down, as those more capably inclined to give explanation and context to what just transpired do so. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

"That is correct." Clarine confirms with a nod. Just as she thought, it looks like everything has already been taken care of. She nods once more, this time in acknowledgment. "Very well. Then I shall simply watch."

She settles in - and then, listens as Hannah introduces the experiment. Something wrong with her magic...?

"...I see." She replies - and then, she watches.

...The results, as it happens, are quite enlightening - a signature spell of Hannah's own making followed by a basic Crest Spell, cast by both Hannah and Eleanor to demonstrate the difference.

Clarine recoils back. She is a spirit of nature, after all. This unnatural power... she can feel it deeply in her being, and it unsettles her. She inhales, taking a moment to breathe.

"I-I see. That is..." She starts, her voice trailing off. ...She doesn't have any words. 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel catches Ida looking, as it turns out. "It's nothing," she says. "I mean, it isn't enchanted or anything. It's, ah... a lens for a sense that you don't have, precisely. It lets me feel certain things a little more closely."

It's also an Elw relic in excellent shape that's a thousand years or more old and would go for a small fortune, if not a large one, to a collector who knew what it was. She rarely brings it out because she doesn't want people to get the bright idea to steal it. But to Mariel it's also the thing that she's had in her workroom for the last few centuries that she used to help her balance the Ley around her Gardens, and is both less and more valuable than that.

But Mariel just lets it dangle - she's not looking through it, it's just in proximity while she's suspending it - while the demonstration occurs. She flinches the first time Hannah casts, seems thoughtful while Eleanor does, and at the fire effect -

Mariel holds the hand with the hanging focusing tool in front of her, suspending it from her blunt claws while keeping it between her and Hannah. She does *something* herself, suppressing fire while supporting the other energies.

She's trying not to interfere with the spell (though, she probably *could* mess with it, by what she's doing) but adds another layer outside the ward that keeps the elemental balance, making it hard for the spell to spread Fire further away. It's unnecessary, given the layered wards, but it makes her feel better.

Mariel lowers her hand afterwards. "There was more than fire there," she says, a moment later. "I felt - "

Mariel is sometimes not very good at explaining what she feels and senses, because the common language doesn't have the words for it and nobody else is as fluent in Elw as she is. She casts around for the best analogy and goes for, "There was some distortion there, and it went beyond the energy released. I am not a Crest sorceress, in that I cannot use a Crest, but I have studied them academically, at least..."

She looks directly at Hannah. "Did anything cause that to happen? That is, did anything happen to cause you to start doing that, not 'did you try to cause that distortion'? It's not an effect I would expect from a Crest that simple; it would have to come some other way. And - is it always the same?"

"The whole purpose of a Crest is that they are consistent," Mariel says. "It is - it's measured, which is why I don't use them. It feels unnatural to measure and divide like that, but it's necessary for you. But that was not consistent. There was something from inside you that affected it, like a ripple passing through water changing how the bottom of the pool looks and distorting things bigger and smaller. Like you were causing a ripple..."

Mariel frowns. She's thinking about *something*. 

<Pose Tracker> Xiumei Klein has posed.

"It's okay," Xiumei says to Hannah. "This is a perfectly fine way to learn."

She quiets down, and listens as Hannah explains. She heard about something being wrong with her magic -- the Witchbuster certainly implied that -- and she wrinkles her nose for a moment, before looking at Eleanor.

Then, she looks back at the spell. She can see what Hannah means -- out of control, especially compared to Eleanor's spell. She watches it for a moment.

"That's... it seems like you've found a way to deal with it," Xiumei says. "To keep yourself safe. But I see why it was hard to explain."

She glances at Riesenlied, then she nods. A lack of a third party is a good thing.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" she asks. "To... both make sure you're safe or to seek an answer?"

She leaves the more advanced theory to Mariel, Riesenlied, and Eleanor.

<Pose Tracker> Holly has posed.

Holly is definitely here to help and even brought her big book of curses and miscellaneous magic. AKA A book she's taken to editing herself because it's useful and has a lot of the funnier things she does. Or so she says. However, there's a bit of intellectual curiosity to examine and she slowly takes off into the air and drifts towards Mariel to get a better look. Slowly drifting one way, then the other. She doesn't say anything right away because that'd also be rude and it's clear she caught it after. You don't see myths and rumors in the flesh very often! (So thinks the fairy.)
 
 Riese's ID card is given a look instead. Because it's convenient. And you know, it is an ID card and she hasn't seen the 'modern' ones. They're not as fancy as the ones she used to have, but it is still kinda neat in that part of her mind that still likes library work and the dubious order she provided.
 
 "The book's one I've made edits too. Figured if I only had to pick one, it'd be one I've spent the most time with!" She shoots it a dirty glance. "I haven't had to move it very often before." Which means this probably came out of her room.
 
 Still, there's a demonstration from Eleanor and other things happening and that lack of professionalism and flippancy goes out the window. Twisting in midair to get a better look at what's happening. Checking the lines, the magic, everything. She doesn't even comment on it yet! That's for later because she's late and missed what the setup was.
 
 "I think I have a door like that. Me-sized though. I tried to throw it at someone."
 
 There's a pause. That was an errant thought escaping. She does still have that door right? Might be a neat trick to whip out.
 
 Bobbing there in the air she watches Hannah's work, then the modification chat happens. She's not surprised, probably because she's in on it to some degree. Holding a hand up she adds simply, "I've had a look at the crests. Haven't suggested any modifications, though I think I have ideas on the whys and hows of it." At least in her mind, it's bypassing shorts. Sort of.
 
 She falls silent again. Not her show. Chin to her hand as she thinks. It's a subject she's tackled a few times, but with more voices in the room, maybe it'd help. She's also more or less taken a sitting pose in mid-air, face all scrunched up. Maybe the short's the wrong way to go about it. This is a crumbling wall letting water in maybe? "Hannah, did you ever try scaling back the modifications you've done? Restricting what's there rather than trying to redirect it?" Having other theories bouncing around did always help out the thought process. At least for her. Might.. explain the habit of talking to herself and answering herself sometimes when stressed enough or too far lost in thought. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida's experience with Crest Sorcery is limited to watching other people cast it, and using Crest Caps she bought from Jay. She listens, her gaze firmly on the two mages, her expression calm and interested. She glances to the wards as Hannah takes the stage, but she's seen this little number before. Her face tightens a little as the ice washes out, all jagged edges and creeping malice. That's what Hannah warned her about.

    As the demonstration shifts to fire, Ida finds herself scooting her chair back, just a hair. Eleanor's spell is entirely normal, by her standards. Hannah's--

    Ida breathes a curse and shuts her eyes, reflexively recoiling. She hears the sounds of raging flame, and when she can see again, she turns back to see--

    "Hannah!" Ida stares into the flames, eyes wide, and she does not relax until Hannah emerges, safe and sound. (She doesn't truly relax even after that.)

    Ida isn't sure what to say. She glances between Riesenlied and Mariel, apparently at a loss for words. Something inside her is doing this...?

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    "I haven't decided yet if flying gives it any points," Noeline notes rather archly to her partner with a glum frown. "It is the difference between elegantly sprouting wings or just hanging unnaturally in the air."

    Noeline tilts her head in a brief acknowledgement towards Hannah's thanks, but doesn't try to harp on the point any further. There's already enough people here that there's not really much more to say in terms of encouragement, and while she could say some relatively pertinent things about the nature of sorcery and how it can twist and change, she's not about to get in the way of the demonstration, especially with her curiosity piqued.

    She watches as Hannah and Eleanor trade spells back and forth, her gaze turning hooded and her expression thoughtful as she compares the two. She's not exactly looking at the direct effects that she's seeing so much as she's focusing out to take in the scene as a whole - she's not trying to follow the differences in magical theory so much as try to gauge her own instinctual response. She doesn't step back at the final conflagration and the way it swallows Hannah, but she is brought to a thoughtful silence.

    "... if I were forced to describe the differences between the two, I suppose I would say that Hannah's version is lacking in control - but making up for it with raw power, certainly, and more importantly a sense of desperation." She looks dissatisfied, like she's trying to figure out how to word it better than that. "It feels... hurried. Too full of power, but wanting to survive nonetheless. I realize this is anything but a scientific appraisal, of course," she chuckles.

    Venetia and Riese are both already approaching a similar conclusion in a much less flowery way, and Noeline nods along with their side of the audience as she frowns in thought. "From where I am standing your sorcery feels like a reflection of your own concerns and fears and how they might have shaped it over the years. It is certainly understandable, given how confusing it must have been, but you may find that revealing it like this, talking through it with others, is the first step towards properly establishing control."

    There is a brief moment of silence. "... I should stress again that I am the last person to talk about how sorcery actively _should_ work." 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor can't help it; she tenses, when the flames overtake Hannah. She knows she'll be safe, but seeing it is still stressful. Still, all goes fine, and...

Eleanor drops the wards with a gesture of her hand, and they cease glowing.

"It's all right," she tells Hannah. "This is going to lead to answers. I'm sure of it."

There are questions; ELeanor doesn't move to answer them. Instead, she regards both Riesenlied and Mariel in paticular, considering their words and analysis.She nods to Venetia, too. "You see why I thought you should have that spell," Persephone's Sign, "At the ready just in case."

She comes over to stand by Xiumei for a moment, just a little contact to buoy her for what's going on.

As she does, "Yes," she says to Mariel. "Just so. You see exactly the problem."

She looks over Holly's suggestion, too. And Ida...

"Your sorcery may be unusual," she adds to Noeline, "But your insights are welcome."

Then she walks back to Hannah. "...One at a time," she suggests. "Take a breath." 

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah shakes her head quietly to Venetia. "No, it's... it's what we need to do this safely..." And then afterwards. "I'm glad you understand. That's... why I wanted to show everyone." She considers the question. "It's more that it bursts out. It's not... not really my intention for things to happen this way. If I had my way, it'd... well, it'd be normal, and not dangerous."

Hannah nods gratefully to Miss Riesenlied as she shares her observations. So something coming from within her. That doesn't exactly... make her feel great, but.. it is still useful information. "I... so it really is somethin' corruptin' my magic." A heavy sigh. "Thanks for checking, Miss riesenlied. I really appreciate it."

In the middle of Hannah's demonstration of flame, Ruth, of all people, can perhaps see her clearly regardless--Hannah may not be concerned for her phsycai safety, but this most personal bearing of her problematic magic has spiked her anxiety through the roof. Afterwards, she sees Ruth out of her seat and offers a pained, worried glance. 'I'm sorry,' she mouths, quietly.

Hannah has a moment, once she's done, to give that device Mariel a curious look... but her attention is pulled away by the questions. Did anything happen to her to cause that? Hannah shakes her head. "Not that I know of... which is... part of the problem. Without knowin' what it is I can't counteract it precisely." Hannah nods. "It's always the same. Any time I use a crest graph."

Mariel doesn't use Crest Sorcery? Hannah makes the (very reasonable) assumption she must be a Symbologist, but then the way she discusses the Ley... There's a brief quizzical look as she considers that, but there's more explanation. "If it is me, then... I don't know why or how."

Hannah looks to Xiumei next. "I... all the work I do with 'em is to make others safe around me," she admits, sincing. "It's never hurt me before..." She considers the offer of help. "Maybe with research? I've been pulling from what sources I can, but until now my access to materials has been rather... limited."

"Thanks for bringing the book, Holly. I wish I'd realized, I could've arranged to get you some help carryin' it... but I'm curious to see the contents." If Holly took all that effort to bring it, she'll definitely want to show appreciation for that effort. Then she nods at that question. "I've tried a lot of things. If I don't redirect it in some way it just goes out of control again. Ideally I'd just restrict it completely, but it seems to resist that..."

"I'm okay, Ida," Hannah says quietly after she's stepped out of the wards. How could she hear that in the middle of the conflaguration? Zephyr caught it, and that's enough.

Hannah listens intently to Noeline, and shakes her head as she discredits her own explanation for not being scientific. "No no, it's... an interesting perspective." Hannah tries not to anthropomorphize her own magic, because, well... Because. But it's still interesting to hear, nonetheless. But maybe this demonstration can bring control? "I... I hope so... that's why we're doing this, after all."

And of course, a grateful nod to Eleanor for her continued assistance. She takes that breath to center herself...

"So... since I've been asked a bunch of things before, I guess I should get all the basics out of the way. I didn't always have these problems. They first started manifestin' at Sielje. It... it wasn't a practice issue, 'cause I practiced a lot. If anythin' it just made it worse. It wasn't the crest graphs, because they happened even when I used other peoples'. I tend to think of it as somethin' corruptin' my magic, but... I still ain't really sure what's actually wrong. I've been designin' all of my crest graphs to filter it out or channel it, and I've had... some success." Hannah glances back to the door laying flat on the ground. "... but it's been getting worse," she notes sadly.

Her expression turns pained as she admits, "I... might be hittin' the limits of what I can do on my own, with 'em. So... I can share the designs, for anyone who's curious."

"Since I've been asked..." Hannah sighs. "No, there ain't been any compulsions tied to the corrupted magic. No strange or intrusive thoughts. So it's probably not possession. I'm sure Zephyr would tell me if anythin' like that was happenin' anyhow." Wait, what? Why would that be the case, Hannah?

You keep forgetting not everyone knows about you and Zephyr.

"Ain't had much luck identifyin' a cause, neither. Um... I don't remember bein' exposed to anythin' unusual. It probably ain't environmental since nobody else at Sielje is havin' this issue. And it doesn't appear to be Malevolence, Valmar, or..." A brief pause. "One other thing that'll take some explainin'." 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

If Mariel has any Symbological tattoos, they don't show - but then again she also doesn't have any bare skin below her neck except her hands, so it wouldn't be very hard to hide it. (Though people have seen her legs when she wore the lighter, formal robe to the wedding, so not there either.)

"And that's the problem... Crest Sorcery is designed *not* to do that." Mariel glances toward Noeline. "I'm not entirely sure how to put this, but... the goal of Crest Sorcery is to make a reliable pattern to be filled with energy. The work is done ahead of time, to make 'channels', and then energy fills those channels, like water in pipes. You can put more or less 'water' in, but the shape is the same, it follows the same routes. Some advanced Crests can make channels that only open when the... ah, water pressure is high enough, but a Crest like they've described shouldn't have anything like that."

"So it should do the same thing, if to a greater or lesser extent, in both their hands. But it doesn't." Mariel looks concerned. "So it has to be something interfering with it, and because it only happens when Hannah is using it, not just her presence, it must be something done with how she channels energy... Even if she couldn't control the amount, the *effect* is still different..."

Mariel spends a moment unhooking the cats-cradle. "I can think of a few tests I'd like to do, but I can't do them right now, because I don't have what I'd need. But, Hannah, if you're willing, I'd like to invite you to my home - I have some things there..." She glances toward the others. "Do you remember at Jairon, the greenstone I took? It's meant to filter out imbalances; that's what it was designed for... but it could also be used to help with detection."

She can't think of much else she can do here and now, short of ask her to demonstrate again - and Mariel isn't going to do that in front of a crowd; she doesn't need to be treated like some kind of performer.

"It's not Malevolence," Mariel adds. "I can tell you that at least, right now. Malevolence makes me ill. So does Malice." She carefully is not looking at Ruth when she says this, but she *did* sit herself about as far away from Ruth as it is polite to. "I am curious what else you think it might be. Maybe it is something I've heard of...?"

Of all the things said today, though, it doesn't even occur to her to ask about Zephyr. Being linked to an animal just makes sense to her. Of course some people do it, right? (The fact that she has not met anyone who has done it in a very long time has slipped her mind for the moment.) 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

Venetia glances at Riesenlied and then towards Mariel as they level the assessment. It's not an external force. "Huh," she says to Mariel's assessment, re-crossing her legs.

She does indeed see the need for such precautions, now.

"Hm," she says. Her eyes turn towards Holly at the topic of the book brought forth by the bibliotechnical fairy. After this, Hannah relates some more of the facts of the case. "At Sielje... did something happen there?" Venetia asks. Her eyes cut towards Riesenlied. "Even if we may have ruled out some sort of a third party..."

Her lips turn into a deeper frown as Hannah disclaims any sort of unusual or intrusive thoughts or cause. Her nose wrinkles for a moment. There is, it seems, SOMETHING ELSE in the offing.

"Of course, go ahead," Venetia continues. She can sense, perhaps, other people trying to be reassuring, so she attempts a similarly supportive smile. One hand almost raises up into a big thumbs-up, but: No, Venetia thinks, that's going too far.

"Oh, yes, the pressure gates, that was fun to implement," Venetia remarks to Mariel. "Useful, but I think you can't get them to work on a regular Crest. Still, we may yet find a way." 

<Pose Tracker> Xiumei Klein has posed.

Xiumei reaches over, taking one of Eleanor's hands, and giving a gentle squeeze.

"Well, you're in the right place," Xiumei says, in regards to research. She smiles -- and then she looks at Noeline. "Much like her, I'm no expert. But we have plenty of experts on magic here."

She quiets down as Hannah explains. The fact this is a new problem makes her wonder -- even if it does point to something corrupting her magic.

Mariel rules out the most worrying forms of corruption. But, that still leaves a mystery on their hands. She looks at Venetia, and then she nods. "A similar principle, maybe?"

<Big Scene> Eleanor Klein says, "haha" 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    It's not lost on Riesenlied how ironic it is that Noeline is focusing on emotional descriptors where she's being very analytical, given their usual roles, but she thinks it's a useful explanation nonetheless. She didn't really want to go that route, though, since she's concerned she'll put words in Hannah's mouth, but perhaps she's worrying overmuch... (she always worries overmuch.)

    "I think that is a relevant point, still, given how you control your Arcana..." Riesenlied muses to Noeline. "As much as we pretend magic is completely measured, even something as consistent as a Crest has individual flairs."

    Mariel has a slightly different perspective, as she realises they've largely come to the same conclusion. A ripple passing through water changing how the bottom of the pool looks...

    "In a way," she explains to Mariel, "It does remind me of how I channel the Ley. It is affected by how much Ley there is; how active it is being used to other Crest Sorcerers and Mediums present; and even natural fluctuations in the air."

    Mariel also has a suggestion for what to measure... there's a serious look from Riesenlied for a moment as she says, "If I were to fully channel the Ley -- that is, forcibly redirect all Ley energies to pass through me -- there may be more of a clue, but..."

    A quiet sigh. "That is tantamount to burning my body, so I cannot do that lightly."

    But when Hannah has a heavy sigh, saying that something is corrupting her magic, Riesenlied shakes her head and says, "I wonder if... well, 'corruption' is a biased term. You mentioned yourself that there is no such source as Malevolence, or the influence of Valmar. There is no compulsion, intrusive thoughts... and when I sensed it, I was not immediately alarmed to the presence of something evil either."

    She bobs her head one way. "I think what Noeline said may have a light of truth in it. Even if subconsciously, you think of what changes your magic as 'corruption', it may come out violently and aggressively because of those feelings. But..."

    Riesenlied straightens up and has an empathic smile to her. "I think it is worth thinking about how you contextualise this phenomenon. Is it truly 'corruption'? Much like how the outlook of a patient influences their health, I think thinking of how you view your own magic may have an effect here too."

    The Hyadean moves closer to gently lay a supporting hand on her elbow, given her height. "I promise that I will not be afraid of you, no matter what we discover, each step at a time. And if I hear of others who are, I will not be afraid to mince words to them." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Once it becomes clear that's the end of the demonstration, Ida's hands unclench. She takes a deep breath, and turns to Mariel. "I haven't sensed so much as a whiff of it from her," Ida says. "Nothing that would cause this, anyway." There could be anything at play here, and ruling out some of the more common causes just means... there's something much rarer at work.

    "Even if it doesn't affect your magic, it's..." She swallows.

    "You're afraid of yourself." Ida's voice is tiny.

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    Ruth's still upright through all the explanations and thoughts about whatever's going on. Mariel takes point on running down the known forms of spiritual corruption to the gathered.
 
     "It isn't Malevolence," she echoes Mariel's sentiment. Ruth doesn't seem too offended with the stated fact of how it makes the Elw feel, though some of the talk about the principles behind Crest Sorcery sees her looking to one of her own Crest Graphs. (Beyond using the Muse quadrant in all of them in some form, there's nothing special about it.)
 
     "What drew you to sorcery?" Ruth asks of Hannah, verbally stepping in as Ida trails off in a small voice about one's fear for themselves. Her eyes close as she looks away from her own Crest Graph, lowering it down from her sight. The chair was so nice she forgets to sit back down on it.
 
     She settles on having her gaze track Zephyr. 

<Pose Tracker> Holly has posed.

Holly holds a hand up at Ida's comment, "I considered curses of varying stripes which is why I brought my homework." She sounds chipper briefly at htat. Though she returns to a more neutral tone, "I need to.. do some practice befroe considering the other options though. I uh.. my method of dispelling magic has gotten." She looks for the right word. "Excessive?" That works.
 
 Riese's suggestion that it might be partially shaped by Hannah's thoughts on it does get a side glance though. She's drifting back towards the book. Fiddling with the strap for now as she thinks out loud (Thankfully not in a rambling stream. Focused tonight!) "Could it be both? Corruption could just be a departure from the original." She flips the book open, skimming along the pages with a practiced hand and a hint of magic. Looking for ideas that might mesh there. "But since it's wrong, it feeds into itself and manifests funny." There's a pause. Then a scowl, "I've seen it in use though. It's an idea though." Her voice tilts towards clinical towards the end.
 
 As for Hannah's concern, she makes a dismissive wave, "It was nothing. Nothing, don't worry about it." And silently she's calling herself an idiot still. Business as usual.
 
 "Maybe something else. You ever kick over a grave marker?" That's a long shot, but hey, hauntings do have a basis in the idea and.. probably not. 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    "I can only offer things from that perspective," Noeline admits with a smile back towards Hannah and the faintest grin towards Xiumei. "I am someone who does not follow a particularly classical style of sorcery, and so my understanding of it is coloured in that way. I am sure a lot of summoners would wrinkle their nose at me for my rather uncouth methodology as well. Besides, I have been an avid people-watcher for many decades; it's simply easier for me to think of things in terms of how they relate to people's behaviours."

    And if the issue only happened once she went to Sielje... Noeline frowns to herself in thought. Despite Hannah saying that it's not anything to do with how much or how little she practiced, the Hyadean can't help but look towards the change in environment as a clue - and how it would differ from anything before it. The stress of learning, the inevitable comparisons to her peers, the worry that may have been born by those feelings is something she can't help but lean towards.

    Mariel points out this is a rather unconventional tack to take, though, and Noeline dutifully listens to her explanation, not least because this is a learning process for her as well. "Then I suppose it would follow that it is something else working in concert with the Crest?" she muses in return, careful to pick her words: she deliberately doesn't say 'interfering'. "Ether has always seemed to be a terribly unpredictable source of power, for instance."

    She wrinkles her nose immediately afterwards. "Still, that feels a lot like I am making excuses for it, and ascribing it away to one extra word. Hmm." She shakes that thought away instead, and nods to Riesenlied's support. "At the very least, I feel understanding what it is should be one step on the path to learning control - because once you have that control, does it really matter where the power itself comes from?"

    "I got my power by training under someone who wanted humanity dead and then exploding a Medium," she adds blithely and with a toothy grin. "I am sure there are members of ARMS who have less than savoury origins as well. But I believe it is what you do with that going forwards that counts most." 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor lets Hannah answer about what happened at Sielje, though she gives Venetia a look that suggests she knows something. Mariel's explanation leaves her nothing to speak against; it's exactly the case. The tests, though--those might be useful.

She can appreciate Xiumei's reassurance, at least.

"Yes," Eleanor says to Riesenlied, "Please don't hurt yourself."

Corruption... And thinking of it differently? Eleanor frowns thoughtfully. "I admit, I find the idea dubious, but... It's true that sorcery is affected by one's mental state. But then, so many years of fear are hard to overcome..."

Eleanor looks down. "I've looked over your Crests myself--I don't see any indication of what is causing this. It's like trying to identify someone by the shadow they cast from a fire."

"If I knew more, perhaps something in Rauru's memories would help, but..." But she doesn't, and so she doesn't know where to start.

"Some kind of ghost?" Eleanor wonders of Holly's suggestion. "I don't know. I don't sense any lingering spirits, but I suppose I've only met a few ghosts..."

"I do agree that understanding is key," she says to Noeline. "...And that Hannah is one of us, now. We have plenty of scary people in ARMS, just as she says. But we're comrades nonetheless, and I won't give up." 

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Then again, Mariel is awfully knowledgeable about the particulars of Crest Sorcery for someone who doesn't use it... Maybe that's a question to ask later. "When Miss Rochelle started teachin' me back at Damzen, I didn't use to have any issues... it was only once I got to Sielje that it started happenin'. If... if I'm doin' something wrong then I don't know what it is." Tests? Hannah glances to Eleanor, and then reasons, if Eleanor trusts her, Hannah can to. She nods to Mariel. "I'd appreciate the assistance. If you think you can help..."

"An Oracle I know confirmed it wasn't Malevolence for me..." As for other things? "I... let me get back to you on that."

Hannah shakes her head to Venetia. "Nothing happend to me at Sielhe far as I'm aware. And nobody else has this issue-- Eleanor can attest to that, too. For all I can tell it might not have anything to do with Sielje, it might just happen to be where the problem started." She considers, frowning. "I mean... I was castin' a lot more magic there, so... maybe... if it was a preexisting ocndition I just agitated it...?" she floats a half theory.

Hannah nods as Xiumei assures her she's in the right place. "I sure hope so..."

Hannah looks a little alarmed as Riesenlied makes a suggestion, and even if it's discarded just as quickly-- "P-please, Miss Riesenlied! There's no need to do that on my account, honest!" But she has more to say... "Corruption's just... I dunno, the only word I could think of.. I haven't had much luck finding another effect like this..." But maybe how she's viewing it is making it worse... Hannah looks down. "I guess... I guess I been afraid of it for an awfully long time..."

For a moment, the troubled sorceress looks like she might crumble under the weight of that reassuring hand, but instead she just kneels down and gives Riesenlied a tight hug. "Thanks, Miss Riesenlied," she whispers. "I really appreciate it."

Hannah nods to Ida, glumbly. She's been afraid of both her magic and herself for at least five years now... Ruth knows that particular anguish of hers all to well, in fact.

And Ruth asks that question, which is honestly one Hannah wasn't expecting. She blinks a bit. "Oh, um... I dunno... I was just always curious about, like... both magic and technology. Miss Rochelle--er, she runs the..." Deep breath. "... orphange where I grew up. She showed some of hers to me when I was younger 'cause I was curious about them... took to them like a tadpole to to a pond. I guess... I just like knowin' how things work? How the world works, I mean?"

Zephyr, however, very pointedly does not look directly at Ruth. (He's not avoiding her gaze, he's just very concerned for Hannah. But yes he's also avoiding looking at Ruth.)

Holly has further comments on the issue potentially feeding into itself. She winces. "Someone I know posited that putting all the restrictions on my magic might've just made it stronger, like I was training with weights..." She sounds less than thrilled about this possibilit, and there's definitely no way she's taking the weights off now.

Kicking over a grave marker? Hannah looks shocked. "Land's sakes, no!"

As it turns out, Sielje was stressful for Hannah in a lot of ways. A new environment, certainly, and a sense of not quite fitting in. She was gifted--she got a full scholarship, after all--but her lack of a more structured, formal education still left her on the back foot. Eleanor had to convince her to take tutoring help to get up to speed with how things worked.

Noeline mentions Ether. "Um... I'll get back to the Ether in a moment..." But as for control... "I... I want to know what it is, though. I... I hate not knowin'. I'll always worried it'll do somethin' different or weird I don't know about. Or I'll have... another reaction, like I did in Damzen." Which she will also get to in a moment.

Hannah nods to Eleanor. "An' I was only... kind of guessin' with those. Trial n' error, since... well, I didn't have a lot of tools, or a proper lab. But maybe..." She looks to Mariel. "I could show you how I've been developin' my crest graphs? Maybe that'll give you an idea, too."

She winces. "I'm glad I ain't alone, but... I don't..." she mumbles the rest, "... like bein' scary."

Hannah sighs, dreading the next topic. Zephyr moves to perch on her shoulder and give her an encouraging chirp. Hannah smiles at him and quietly says, "Thanks."

She looks back to the rest of the crowd. "So... um... In Damzen, there was a robot unearthed recently. It identified itself as a Svalin-class Witchbuster. It's an old Hydean anti-magic war robot. It was... it was programmed to identify and capture anomalous magic users. It, uh..." Hannah glances aside. "Identified my magic as anomalous. And attacked me."

Hannah takes a moment to cross her arms, or... perhaps she's hugging herself. "It tried to neutralize my magic. It, um... succeeded. For a moment." She looks down and shivers. "Whatever's wrong with my magic didn't... didn't take kindly to that. It... it flared up in a way like it never had before a-and... well... the robot ain't a problem no more."

She looks up again. "Wayside took custody of the robot afterwards, since it was Hydaen tech an' all. We were able to... interrogate it, I guess, after. I wrote a report, but if you want to know more you can also ask Miss Riesenlied or Miss Noeline. But after questioning it, we think the anomalous magic it was programmed to identify was... Ether."

"I..." Hannah sighs. "I ain't so sure that it is. I ain't ever been able to cast magic without my crest graphs, but..." She glances back to the magic circle where her demonstration took place. "... kinda afraid to try, considerin'." Back to the crowd. "I also... checked with someone who knows way more about Ether than I do. She didn't recognize it as any type of Ether she's ever seen." 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel smiles at Venetia's statement. "Yes, well - other people have done it with High Crests, too, though not in the same way as your metal. I don't pretend to be able to understand the fine details of exactly how it works; I only know it can be done."

She agrees with Riesenlied a moment later, "Yes. You and I and other people who affect the Ley instinctively - it's very different from Crest Sorcery. The two aren't really compatible... that's why I don't use it. To me it's stifling. Restrictive. But most humans - and elves, and other people - who can't feel the flows directly the same way - it does help them. And it *is* very efficient to do all the construction ahead of time... less complicated, in the moment. I imagine you can do a lot of refining of basic concepts that way."

The way Mariel does it is much more by feel, and so is Riesenlied's style, though not in the same way. Mariel doesn't really use any of the sorcery in use by anyone else in Filgaia, after all; it has more to do with Ley balance and natural stability than anything else. It's what gives her that deep connection with a natural aspect - in her case, plants.

On the other hand, Mariel can't throw a fireball no matter how hard she tries, so who can say whose style is better?

Noeline has a good way to put it, and Mariel nods. "Yes, exactly. The Crest construction alone isn't doing it, or Eleanor would not be able to use the same Crest and get a different result. But it isn't something *completely* separate, or the effect might occur without a Crest being used at all... so it's an interaction. An interference?" She's thinking of it in the 'wave' sense, because - unlike the vast majority of Filgaians - Mariel actually had a scientific education, for certain values of 'science'.

She does flinch at 'exploding a Medium', though. She can't help herself.

Other people try to reassure Hannah. Mariel remembers how being alone felt, but also how overwhelming it was to suddenly *not* be, and so she holds back, offering only a slight smile. "I don't know if I can help but I do know I can try..."

Showing her the Crest Graphs? "I don't know how much I could make sense out of them, if they're particularly advanced," Mariel admits. "Most of my knowledge is theoretical, not practical. But it would not be a bad idea."

Mariel tries to remember the Svalin-class. "I don't remember the Svalin-class specifically," she says, slowly. "I was very young then, you understand... but it isn't very uncommon for suppressed magic to, um, rebound. It's ... if you try to compress something, and then it springs back into shape, sometimes it does so violently. So that might not be your particular effect, but merely a side effect of how it neutralized it..."

She glances at Noeline and Riese, because Hydaean war technology is pretty outside of her field of expertise. 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

 
"That could be, but it's strange if it's something internal to her," Venetia muses at what Xiumei says. "I suppose nothing's impossible - but it also sounds as if it weren't always the case, while some innate factor that added-on to one's sorcery would have shown earlier..."

A pause at Ida's words.

Venetia's brow knits. She looks back towards Hannah, then to Ida. Perhaps she understands yet does not; something in her elemental makeup does not harmonize with that sort of issue. Then back to Noeline: "Well, it all came out alright," she says, a little vaguely.

Back to Hannah. "It could be possible, but I doubt it would take that long to manifest if you had previously had much of a career as a sorceress," she muses, reaching up to rest a fingertip on her chin. And then something else comes up.

"Ether," Venetia says, slowly. "Hm."

She glances towards Mariel, then back ahead. "It's a mystery," Venetia states, leaning back in the chair and stretching out one arm over the back of an empty chair. "At least it sounds as if we have ruled out the impossible. I don't know much about the Ether phenomenon, myself." 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Ida comes to much of the same conclusion, one that Riesenlied cannot discount. After all, she's been there as well... but she also appreciates Ruth approaching it from the basics.

    Risenlied nods to Holly. "'Normal' is a very charged term in many contexts, and magic is only one of them. We have not seen any of the known malicious factors at play here..."

    She squints in turn at Noeline to say, "And those summoners should consider just how few Shaman there are nowadays, and then be baffled that you were able to undo the seal of Duras Drum." Defensive, defensive!

    Eleanor mentions how it's hard to overcome many years of fear. "Yes, I am not saying it would be easy... much like therapy, it would be a long process that needs to be supported along the way."

    Riesenlied does find Mariel's own connection to the Ley very interesting; they haven't really sat down to compare it, but she has a lot of faith and trust in how she can sense when it is misaligned, or being abused. "In the context of adventuring or combat, the reliability of Crest Sorcery to do what you measured out ahead of time certainly cannot be discounted. It is likely why it has prevailed for such a long time."

    Hannah dissuades her full-channeling idea, and Riesenlied has a sad smile in turn. "I suppose so, but... it is not as if I have not had to use it in desperate measures. Perhaps the situation might align some day."

    Corruption's the only word she can think of... but she does admit she's been afraid of it for an awful long time, as Ida surmised. But as Hannah leans in for the hug, she hugs her githly in turn.

    "I think you are taking steps already, even as we speak. Was demonstrating this magic to a circle of people you know will not react negatively one step in this journey?" Riesenlied suggests. "Personally, I would call it... a mysterious talent that could develop into something wonderful, perhaps?"

    She bashfully says, "After all, I still have much of my own channeling I know little of. I always worry, when I turn into a Dragon, what may or may not happen, either to me or those around me..."

    Hannah explains what they investigated with the Witchbuster, and Riesenlied provides a summary to give a bit more context to everyone else.

    "The Svalinn-class automaton was programmed to detect sorcery from one thousand years ago, from the era of the first Metal Demon Wars, and came from the understanding of one particular Quarter Knight back then. They knew of Crest Sorcery, Material Summoning and Arcana, and Symbology, but notably, Ether was a mystery to them, and what is more..."

    She gestures faintly. "The automaton described a group of people using the 'anomaly' that I believe lines up with what they knew of Solaris, back then. The Witchbuster was not a fully-sentient automaton, so it is limited to what it is programmed to detect."

    "Which is not to say that what Hannah possesses is Ether, but... I believe even in the field of Ether, there is remarkable variance -- the Ether power of Miss Elly and Miss Lily are quite distinct, for instance. But it does explain why the automaton reacted such. It detected something it could not cleanly classify into a category it possessed." 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    Noeline nods towards Eleanor, pleased that ARMS is at least ready to offer that sort of support and protection more or less in the blink of an eye. She hasn't had a lot of dealings with the organization, but she'd rather see people working together than not.

    She watches Hannah offer Riesenlied a hug, and nods alongside it with a soft laugh. "To be clear, I am not saying you shouldn't learn what it is. More information on anything is always a good thing. Just that you should not be afraid of what it might be. Whatever your origin, wherever this comes from, that will not suddenly change who you are and what you've done. It will be something from the past that may give you peace of mind and understanding, no more than that."

    Between what Hannah says and what Mariel adds, Noeline slowly folds her arms. "So we are potentially dealing with something that is not precisely Ether, but follows many of the same rules regarding its pliability and flexibility. ... a link to a Material summon?" she wonders, before frowning. "But I would think that you would remember coming into contact with a Guardian to make some sort of pact or agreement. It wouldn't exactly be something to forget."

    Speaking of which, she does catch the way the Elw flinches, and plasters a glum frown on her face that is at odds at the way she snickers at Riese's defensive posture. "It bears pointing out that it was Duras Drum's idea to rather violently undo that seal and not mine. And I assure you, Mariel, that my esteemed patron Guardian--" said with a rough annoyance born of familiarity, "--still makes sure to remind me that it was 'extremely funny'."

    She's already given away Siegfried's presence once before as someone that might be able to confirm their suspicions around the Witchbuster, and this time she manages to keep her mouth shut, though Ida gets... something of a glance. "We are continuing to look into it, though it is difficult to say how much more we might get out of it." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Insecurity is not something that can be undone with simple positive thinking. It's like a pernicious, thorny weed that sets down roots everywhere, and will regrow, gradually, and it only grows faster when something like justifiable fear is added. Ida turns her right hand palm-up, and clasps it with her left hand. She flexes the fingers in a slow, meditative motion before we speaks.

    "So, the current working theory is that it's likely coming from within, can be exacerbated by stress, and is 'anomalous' while not being definitely Etheric. It's also inconsistent with Malevolence, Malice, and Valmar's taint." Ida meets Noeline's gaze, and nods. "It gave us something. I do hope you manage to put what's left of it to a more positive use." She turns back to Hannah. "We're here," she says. Perhaps it's a bit presumptuous, but: "We're not going anywhere."

<Pose Tracker> Holly has posed.

Holly gives Riese a wry look and says in a matched tone, "It's a textbook definition of the word and fits the case when a spell with known variables devivates significantly from an unknown vector. It was an attempt to look at the idea away from the-" she nods to the assemebled people who suggested possible maleavolence, "Idea of it being something of maleavolence and more towards the suggestion it might be neutral or even benign. We don't have a dataset to make anything beyond a firm guess." She pauses, "Admittedly, it's a long shot on the latter two, but it's something to pin and consider."
 
 To Hannah, "It might just be a progression of whatever it happens to be, as well, regardless of what's done to stymie it. There's also no real clean way to test it." Which feeds into the same reason she's not just trying to rip the curse-stuff out. Because she's still pretty sure it's a curse, intellectual exercises aside. "Doesn't fit the usual brands of curses I know of." She adds, personal opinions on the matter aside. Looking to Ida as she gives a rundown. "There's a lot of theories and ideas bouncing around. Even if we don't have something immediately, I've already looked at it from a few new angles as I'm sure-" she gestures around, "The rest have too. That on it's own has merits even if there's nothing to immediately show."
 
 "On that note" she suggests, "A corkboard, some pinned notes and shared research would probably help out here." 

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    Ruth keeps an eye on Hannah's beloved companion throughout, quiet through the explanations and theorizing about what exactly may be going on with her power. Only when there's the threat of eyes meeting directly does she avert her gaze.
 
     "So it wasn't a strong desire into just sorcery," she muses, bringing her hands together over the Crest Graph she's holding as her attention's drawn upon her own, closing her eyes.
 
     "You're still Hannah." She says, thoughts drifting further down a train she decides to not voice. 

<Pose Tracker> Xiumei Klein has posed.

"Mm." Xiumei nods her head, once, at what Eleanor says. She considers what Ida says -- and it's not an unfamiliar thought, though more one she heard of. She was never scared of herself, but she had Varius and Avile to help guide her through using the Biometal.

She is quiet, though, as Hannah explains. The Witchbuster -- that was a problem. She nods.

"I wonder about that," Xiumei says. "How the robot detected it.... but I'm glad that Wayside is taking it on. Unfortunately, Ether isn't very well understood..."

She nods. "But, as they say: you're with friends, and your magic or its mysteries won't change that."

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

She considers Mariel. She at least appreciates being specifically called out as an elf, rather than lumped in with the humans, not because she dislikes humans, but because it was a major difference for her growing up. As for what she says, though...

"Yes," she says. "It sometimes feels strange now, to use the Crests, now that I can 'feel' the flow. I try to understand it in terms of drawing out the magic of extant things, but I still mostly rely on my Crests." Mostly. Not completely, as some have seen.

But the construction... "Yes," Eleanor agrees with Mariel, and then to Venetia, "I don't think any Filgaian scholars are very familiar with Ether outside of Solaris and maybe Shevat," Eleanor admits grimly. There is one--but Eleanor doesn't know her. Hannah does.

Mariel will try. Eleanor appreciates that. And as for the Crests, "I can walk you through the Crests themselves, since you have such an understanding of the underlying sorcerous principles."

Then she nods to Riesenlied. "But it's just so; Crest Sorcery is so enduring because of how reliable it is. In my opinion its consistency makes it preferable to most Symbology..." But that's getting into departmental rivalries.

She looks thoughtfully at Ruth for a moment, though Ruth is unlikely to meet her eyes. "She is," Eleanor agrees, still 'Hannah'. Though she's wincing at how she accidentally hurt Hannah's feelings there.

"She smiles at Xiumei, though. "Xiu is someone you can count on. I always have." 

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah blinks as Mariel claims to affect the Ley by instinct, giving her a quizzical look. "You can do what now?" But effects occurring without a crest graph... Hannah frowns in thought at that. "The way my magic kind of flared up when we fought that robot... Still ain't sure what that was."

"Dunno if you'd call them advanced, but I kind of had to... work stuff out by myself." 'I don't remember the Svalin-class specifically.' That gets an even weirder look from Hannah. "... You say that like you were there..." Susanna is also looking at Mariel curiously, too. (She's mostly stayed silent, but there has been much talking before this, to be sure.)

Previously much of a career... "Um... Miss Vuong, I was like, 13 when I started at Sieje. I didn't exactly have a career at that point..." Hannah is, after all, only about 20. "All I was doin' was learning the basics." Hannah sighs. "Don't know much about it myself, either."

She lingers in the hug with Riesenlied for a moment. Was this the first step? "Mmhmm. Also..." she admits sheepishly, "... was acceptin' Eleanor's offer of help." She's got a history of trying to do everything on her own. A mysterious talent... "I kinda wish that were true..." she admits. Though she sounds dubious--but that could just be five years of fear talking, too.

She adds on to Riese's explanation. "It called my crest graph a deception when I used it to cast a spell, too..."

Hannah appreciates Noeline's reassurances, truly she does. "There was..." she glances away. ".. an accident, at Sielje. I didn't cause it, but my magic made it worse. I... I can't risk that happenin' again. That's why I'm so adamant about figurin' it out." Hannah shakes her head. "Ain't had direct contact with a Guardian, not that I know of, anyway."

A nod as Ida summarizes everything so far. "That all seems right. " She sighs. "Still feel like I got more questions'n answers, though..." But she offers reassurances, and Hannah gives her a small, weak, but genuine smile back. "Thanks."

"Lack of data is entirely the problem, Holly... unless we find another case like mine, we kinda gotta figure everything from scratch." Hannah nods. "Figures it wouldn't be a typical curse, neither." Holly asks for a corkboard. "I've been takin' notes on all my research... I have... well, years worth of journal entries we can look at, too. Eleanor's seen some of it already."

"Well, I guess the biggest thing I always wanted was to go explorin'... but that didn't happen how I thought it would. But, had a lot of tutorin' about ARMS from Miss Marivel, too... Never could limit myself to just one or the other, though." Sorcery or ARMs.

She smiles as both Ruth and Xiumei offer their reassurances. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Eleanor mentions mostly relying on the power of her crests, but she sometimes does more. "... I'd be curious to see how your sage's magic interacts with my crest graphs, but... that's so far afield I couldn't begin to make any predictions, so it might be best not to."

Not without some heavy duty protection, anyway.

All of this talk about her magic is tiring, and Hannah sighs wearily as she glances over to Susanna. "There's... one more thing. Sis?"

The beastfolk woman nods and stands up, moving to join Hannah, then gives the assembled crowd a nod. "Howdy, y'all. Name's Susanna Tanner. I help run the Damzen Orphanage. I understand many of you have been looking out for our dear Hannah, and y'all have our deepest gratitudes for that."

"We'd always told Hannah that Miss Armitage and I found her as a baby by the side of the road, and were never able to find her family to reunite her. This... ain't precisely true."

Hannah is looking down at the ground now. Zephyr, on one shoulder, chirps softly to her, and Susanna places a hand on her other shoulder to give it a comforting squeeze.

It takes Susanna a moment to steel herself for the next part. "Truth is... we actually found her in a mage's lab in Ignas." She pauses to let that sink in. "We were there investigatin' somethin' completely different, and had no idea we'd find an infant. Unfortunately, we were never able to find out who owned it or why Hannah was there."

"Please understand we never meant to conceal anything from Hannah. We checked her out and she appeared to be a completely healthy and ordinary baby girl. We thanked our lucky stars we found her 'fore that mage could carry out their schemes and thought it best not to saddle Hannah with unanswerable questions. 'Course, seein' what we seen now..."

She lets the implications hang in the air unspoken. 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

"Funny or not...!" Mariel doesn't think it's funny, but then again, she's not Duras Drum.

She also knows how much work it is to make one of the stone Mediums, even if she doesn't do it herself. That's like smashing art up!

Hannah asks a question. "Oh! I'm sorry, I thought you knew; most of ARMs does." Mariel sounds legitimately apologetic. She reaches up and brushes back one of her floppy ears, the way you'd brush back a lock of hair. (Which she ALSO does, because she has a lot of hair, okay?)

"...I am an Elw," Mariel says, because there's no easy way to put that. "The last one on Filgaia. I stayed because I wanted to see Filgaia green again, and, well..." It's not the whole story - it's not even most of the story; Mariel gave the whole explanation about Vassim once and it's too painful to do again on short notice, if she doesn't have to. But it's something that is true, and something that will do for now.

"I was young during the first Metal Demon War. More than a child, but not an adult... I mostly remember being afraid, and having to move, several times... my brother was older, but he never wanted either of us to fight. So I don't know very much about the battles." She glances over at Noeline and Riesenleid. "Until later, I was afraid of Hyadeans of all sorts, and their machines. I stayed away from them. But my brother was a smith, and so I heard some things..."

She shakes her head. "I'm sorry I can't help with that. But I can help with the rest, and I will. We can find a time for you to come to my home, and see the greenstone... some of my things are on Ignas, but I can do some here."

Mariel does listen about Hannah's history. An orphan is not, sadly, noteworthy; Mariel wishes it *was* noteworthy, but there's plenty of children without their parents. An orphan found in a mage's laboratory is a little different. Mariel's brows furrow, but she says nothing - perhaps she doesn't think it's her place.

Or she's already said enough for now. One of the two. 

<Pose Tracker> Xiumei Klein has posed.

Xiumei looks up at Eleanor and smiles, looking moderately flustered. "Ah--well... I try," she admits, when Eleanor says she is reliable.

She quiets down for a moment more, though. Xiumei looks at the others here -- scanning their faces, trying to read their expressions. A baby discovered in a mage's lab, in Ignas. She shudders to think of it.

Then, she nods.

"That's... we need to learn more about that lab," she says to Hannah. "But it doesn't change what any of us said about you."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    "It may be so, but..." Riesenlied pauses to Holly, since she thinks, 'Hannah doesn't use the term 'corruption' neutrally.' But it's not something she really needs to get into the weeds of.

    Ida summarises the working theory, and she nods quietly -- though something Hannah supplies also makes her wonder, when it says that her using crest graphs was a 'deception'. But Ruth's reassertion that she's still Hannah is very important to her too.

    She's content Hannah will be in good hands with ARMS, as Xiumei spells it out, though she doesn't intend to shy away.

    "It is difficult to understand Ether fully because Solaris is known to interfere with those who use Ether at the surface," Riesenlied explains. "It is something of a closely guarded secret for them."

    She does smile as Hannah says that accepting Eleanor's offer was the first step. "As Eleanor said -- one at a time."

    But a new piece of infroatmion comes to light as Susanna explains that they discovered Hannah as a child in a mage's lab in Ignas. Riesenlied's eyes widen for a moment, and she bites her lip in consideration...

    But ultimately, she can only conclude with: "... I'm very happy you were the ones to find her. That you were able to give her the nurturing home Hannah deserves."

    There's a bit of a sad smile to Mariel, but... she really is proud of how much they've come, from their very first meeting, until now. "This automaton would not have been kind to you, back then. It was ultimately something built to further the war effort, back then..."

    She sounds pretty regretful of that, but it's not worth covering up history. She has to accept what their people did.

    Xiumei has the right idea. "Investigating it would certainly help provide more clues. ... it has been a long time since we were back in Ignas. I wonder how the New Wayside Village is faring now..." 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

 
"Mm," Venetia says to Hannah, nodding as she explains when she started having the issues. Her eyes turn towards Riesenlied as there is that reminder of the machine calling it a 'deception'. She purses her lips.

Something horrible happened.

But what?

And then--

    -- An orphanage matron!!

Venetia blinks once or twice. Amazing, she thinks, how often these fine people come up. Making a mental note to make some sort of donation to an orphanage, she folds her hands in her lap and then her entire benigh-attention expression snaps into a thunderstruck mien for a while before she leans forwards, rising up to her feet.

"My thoughts exactly, Xiumei, the place is going to hold what evidence we can hope to seize," Venetia says, which is perhaps not the nicest way to speak about Hannah's situation, but Venetia, nevertheless, persists: "Did you recover anything from the place, Ms. Tanner? Is the site still present, intact? I understand you might have been there for other reasons, and that perhaps you would not have been exactly searching like a detective, but even so--!"

There's a moment then.

Venetia turns her head, as if Xiumei has reminded her. Oh right. Venetia looks at Hannah with a crooked smile. "Forgive me, Hannah -- Miss Tanner. It's an academic life, you know; it makes you forget some of the small things." Her hands fold before her and she bows, just a little, to Susanna. 

<Pose Tracker> Holly has posed.

Holly tilts her head and scowls at the lab. "Should show me the lab some time. If you could." That's a different tone. Something more serious. The fairy IS older than she usually acts unless you know, focused and not overloading as she usually is. She nudges the book with her heel and adds, "If not.. tell me where it was. Might have some records to look into." There's a frown after. Sitting down on the thick book, thinking. Leg crossed over and in actual thought.
 
 She does look up briefly at the note that more than one person here is actually older than her caught her off guard. You'd have to be, wouldn't you? Not that she speaks it out loud. The look on her face when she resumes thinking though. Serious. She's pulled out her little satchel and she's taking notes. She won't admit to the fact that being given something she can actually grasp has her feeling younger than she has in a while too. Something she can metaphorically sink her teeth into and actually see results. Finally she says, "Probably wasn't who I worked for." Though it's clear she's got theories. Then there's a pause and an almost look of disappointment as she scraps that sheet. "Maybe not. If they were still kicking around they'd not have abandoned the hideaway."
 
 She does nod to Riese and says, "I get that, but it's also an errant thought and-" she's not in a room of researchers. "Right." It's been too long without real interaction and the first time she's gotten a real taste of discourse might have skewed her thoughts away.
 
 The book is kicked shut. A heel to the seat flipping the cover up with a bout of magic to be more precise and she hops into the air and floats over to.. well she can't offer a hug, but she does move to land on Hannah's shoulder if permitted. It's close enough. She's quiet though. She's put her foot in her mouth a few times tonight she's sure.
 
 Though she does lean forward and briefly call out to Mariel, "I might have some things you'd want if.. I can remember where they went. Museum stuff." She hopes. Realistically she wants to pester the Elw as a note of historical curiosity, but... she's trying to behave. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "Sometimes it helps to put it all on the table, so to speak," Ida says. "It can help you find connections and possibilities that you'd missed before. I'm no sorceress, but... an outsider's perspective can help cast familiar things in a new light."

    And sometimes new information reveals itself.

    There's a little tic in Ida's eyes the moment Susannah mentions a sorcerous lab. Ida's thoughts flash back to grasping hands, and a too-wide mouth. She closes her eyes, takes a breath. "They're right, Miss Tanner. That's--" A glance at Hannah. Ida's desperately trying to gauge her; is this new information to her, too? "Who would do that to an infant?"

📱 From afar, Holly laughs, "You know in hindsight if I'd known about the lab angle I'd almost have suggested a library connection since I.. intentionally left the exact organization vague-ish for plot hooks." 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    "Given the connection to a now-member of ARMS, we'll be happy to share what information we have or might find out in the future," Noeline notes to Xiumei. "That is-- scant little, unfortunately, but I suppose that every little will help."

    Her expression doesn't exactly fall when Hannah reveals what happened at Sielje, but she doesn't look terribly happy about things either; she studies the young woman for a long moment, then lets out a slow breath. "... while I appreciate how difficult that must have been for you... I did have my suspicions that something like that might have coloured your perception of this whole affair. I suppose what I'm saying is that you should bear in mind what Riesenlied said. It may not be helpful to think of it as 'corruption'."

    She pauses, and softens. "And I personally would like to believe that everyone deserves a second chance and the occasional mistake, because otherwise I would be a tremendous hypocrite." Susanna's revelation is enough to lift Noeline's eyebrows, though as she's just spent a while maintaining she doesn't look about to judge Hannah for it. "Well, that is certainly a place to start for any further answers, though it's been quite some time since we were over in that half of the world. Going back does not sound like a bad idea, however..."

    It's... pretty obvious that she's eager to see how Wayside has been doing for itself. 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

A mage's lab in Ignas... Xiumei is indeed reliable--Eleanor smiles, when she says what she does. "That's right."

"We don't know what that mage wanted to do. But if we can find out... It'll shed some light on the problem."

She smiles at Riesenlied. And she knew Mariel's secret there, but not as much about her experiencess with the Metal Demon War.

But who would do that to an infant? "...There are many who would," she says, sadly, distantly. "Ganondorf is not the only one who would seek that kind of power."

This she knows.

"I'd like to talk magic more with you sometime, Holly," she says, noticing her clear desire to Talk even if it's not appropriate to get into all of it now. Instead...

She considers Noeline's words. "I could stand to have a look at the wasteland myself," Eleanor admits of Ignas. But...

"We appreciate your sharing information, at least."
📱 You paged Holly with 'An interesting thought! But there was less an organization involved and more the work of a single mage, I think. (But I do love hooking different plot things toegeher otherwise.)' 

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah blinks as Mariel introduces herself. "... Oh! That explains..." Her eyes roll up in her head in a way that suggests she's putting a bunch of small pieces together. "Well, that sure would be lovely if we could make that happen someday." Aside from the initial surprise, she seems... awfully ccepting of the idea. She counts a Crimson Noble as her mentor, after all.

Susanna, meanwhile, is a tiny bit more agog at the news. Considering who she's pretty sure who Ruth is, the two Hydeans that visited the orphanage, an invisible drunk, a fairy, and now an Elw... She gives Hannah an appraising look, muttering quietly. "You've made a lot of interestin' friends, kitten..."

Hannah nods to Xiumei. "I was plannin' on makin' a trip there when I cold, it's just..." Susanna picks up the explanation from there. "It was about 20 years ago now, and it wasn't exactly on a map. Once I see Hannah settled here I plan on makin' a trip back to see if I can locate it again."

Riese expresses that she's glad Susanna and Marivel were the ones to find Hannah. The beastfolk woman reaches up and ruffles Hannah's hair gently. "Sweetest little girl I know," she says proudly. Hannah huffs a little and glances away, but there's just a tinge of a smile. "Siiiis, " she mock whines... But more seriously she looks to Riese and nods. "The orphanage will always be my home, but... I'm hopin' I can find out where I came from, too."

(It is worth noting that Hannah is human, but freely calls the feline beastfolk woman 'sister' regardless.)

Susanna shakes her head in Venetia's direction. "'Fraid not. What little research we found we destroyed. Most of it was scrambled so we couldn't read it anyhow, and, well... figured it was better that way rather than chance it bein' used for ill ends." She scratches at the back of her feline ear. "Well, we didn't exactly raze the place, but... it weren't exactly on a map, neither.

Hannah nods to Holly. "You'll be one of the first people I tell once sis tracks it down again." She gives Holly a grateful smile as she goes for her free shoulder, and is wholly accepting of it. She knows it's kind of their version of a hug. It's fine!

Hannah is dismayed by the information... but she was dismayed before Susanna got up to speak.

She already knew.

'Are you... sure it wasn't something that happened when you were an infant?' Hannah catches Ida's eye. Quietly, she says, "Sorry I didn't say before, but I was still... processin' it."

"Don't rightly know, Miss. Thinkin' we owe whoever it is a talkin' to, however." And by 'talking to' she really means 'a good punch in the face.'

The sorceress nods to Noeline as she echos Riese's advice not to think of it as corruption. "I'll... I'll try." And she means that, but... it'll also be really hard. Second chance... "I guess they did take me back... With conditions, anyway."

Hannah rubs at her face a little. "I think that's most of what I wanted to say, anyway. If anyone wants to talk to me or ask me somethin' they didn't think of sooner, feel free to get in touch." She nods to Eleanor. "Thanks, Eleanor, for helpin' me with all this. And thanks to everyone for showing up. I'm... I'm hopin' with all your help we can get to the bottom of this."

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