* Tanan walks purposefully along a garden path outside the cafeteria building of the academy, following the hesitant directions given him by a student inside. He turns his head this way and that, scanning the benches and side paths along the way.
* Ryllan sits on one of the benches, staring at a small pond as he rests his head in his chin, blue hair hanging down over his face, as he seems lost in thought.
* Tanan pauses for a second. "Ah." He pivots on a heel, turning to walk towards the pond. "Ryllan. Got a minute?"
* Ryllan looks up with a start, "Hm?  Oh, Tanan... Sure thing, what do you need?"
<Tanan> I wanted to talk you, about this whole plan you've got.
<Ryllan> Not sure how much of a plan I'd call it, but go right ahead.  I'm listening.
<Ryllan> 'hair-brained scheme', maybe?
* Tanan sighs. "That's what I was afraid of."
<Tanan> I was just wondering if we'd thought this through. I mean, you know what you can do better than I do, of course. Are you sure you can turn this around?
<Ryllan>  /if/ her magic works like every other I've encountered to date.
<Ryllan> That's a bit of an if, I know, but, if it isn't willforce, then I won't be able to do anything.  It's likely she won't even notice.
* Tanan shrugs. "I'm a theorist, but I don't have any real experience with stuff like that. Who does? It might not be all that different. But assuming you're right, and it is and you can... what happens if she just stops doing it?"
<Ryllan> I've never had someone abort midcast.  I'm not sure how easy it would be for anyone to do so.  In theory, though, I should already have control of the energy and be... draining her anyway.
* Tanan scratches his head. "Well, most willforce you're right. But this seems to take a couple seconds. Maybe longer, depending on the time differential. A sustained effect can usually be halted easily enough, like the barriers at the entrances to the academy, or moving the elevators or something... not too mention that she's draining whole essences and sending them somewhere... I'm a little worried as to what could happen to you if you got a little piece of her."
* Ryllan shrugs, "Well, still, in theory, I should still have control of my half of the effect by that point.  If not, she stops, I stop.  Nothing particularly /bad/ will happen to me from the stop.  Maybe a headache.
<Ryllan> As to getting a little piece of her, well... that's a risk, and there's no real way to tell what'll happen there.
<Ryllan> I hope I can trust the rest of you to subdue me if it becomes an issue.
* Tanan nods. "Mmmm. Well, I guess I was wrong. You did think that far. But the real question now, the real kicker... is let's say you're successful in all this. You make her stop."
<Tanan> I doubt you have the power to totally drain her.. nothing personal, of course, but we've seen what she can do.
<Tanan> Until this point we've basically been witnesses, nothing more. If we manage to actually interrupt her, there's a chance she might stop treating us as witnesses.
<Ryllan> Of course not.  Best case, I'm doing half.  On the other hand, she'll only be doing half of what she's doing at the same time.
<Ryllan> ...As for that.  Well, one of our difficulties has always been getting her to sit still.  She shows up, does her thing, and leaves before we can really do anything.
<Tanan> I hate to say it, but that might be one of the reasons we're still alive.
<Tanan> I want to stop her as much as you do, but if we get her to stay and fight, I'm personally not sure what we can do.
<Ryllan> Of course it might.  But then, if I do manage to do it, she should be... significantly weakened.  If what she's done to the truth seekers is any indication...
<Ryllan> Maybe it'll be enough, maybe it won't.  But that weakening, combined with the elementalors...
<Ryllan> Well, I don't have any numbers to run, but we have to hope.
* Tanan stares for a second, then smiles. "Hah. You're the last person I expected to sound like Nirika, but damned if you don't. Yeah, we'll have to hope. Just be careful, Ryllan. We'll do whatever we can to help, I promise."
<Ryllan> Hah.  Nah.  I'm more of an idealist than I seem.  I'm just as realistic a one as I can be.  But there's times when you can't run the strategic numbers, and you have to try anyway.  It's important to take her down.
<Ryllan> ...Oh, and Tanan?
<Tanan> Yeah?
<Ryllan> If I go nuts or start acting possessed or whatever... Don't hesitate to do whatever you have to to subdue me.
<Tanan> We'll do what we can, if it comes to that. But maybe it won't. 
* Tanan smiles again. "We'll just have to hope."
* Ryllan grins, "Sounds like a plan."
* Tanan nods. "I'm going to go grab some food to take on the trip. Maybe I can get Nirika to bully the cafeteria workers for me. I'll leave you to the pond here."
<Ryllan> Yeah, thanks. See you later.
* Tanan gives a small wave, and starts back down the path towards the cafeteria.
<Tanan> -ENDS-