>> Start and all that! >> Vytor's poor abused kitchen is... well, a mess, to say the least. Saki has gone through it like a tornado, experimenting with the pub food she encountered the other day, and pots and plates are scattered over work surfaces, many of which are filled with imitations; her potato wedges are underdone and the batter puddings a deflated failure, but she's not done half bad on most attempts. * Vytor sits at the kitchen table, seeming oblivious to the havok that has consumed his kitchen. His old pad sits on the table, while a pen scratches away at a fresh pad, transcribing his notes from Ryllan's bizzare episode earlier that day. * Saki experimentally pokes the poor dead puddings with a finger, apparently in an overprotective sulk about them. She's been deathly silent and serious throughout her work, but it's been interfered with by several bouts of zoning out into space. * ZackDinnah is now known as Zack * Vytor puts his pen down and stretches languidly, pushing the chair slightly away from the table. He's been at this for some time, and decides he could use a drink. He stand and saunters over to the small bar in the corner and grabs a glass from the rack. Leaning down, he pops open the double doors, and extracts a bottle of brandy, closing it behind him with a snap. * Vytor sits back down and pours himself a finger's worth. He sets the bottle aside and takes sip, enjoying the taste. * Vytor thinks for a moment as he looks over his partly transcribed notes, then looks over at Saki. Hey Saki, can I have your attention for a bit? * Saki sighs audibly, and in a sudden motion all but flops down onto the seat across from Vytor; languidly she peers down at a bowl of boiled vegetables, plucking out a few slices of carrot. "... mm. I think I'm done for now, either way." She makes a face, finally noticing the devastation. "... I'll clean up later." * Vytor tips the brandy bottle a little in her direction, offering her some. * Saki pops a slice into her mouth, eying the bottle at length and looking sorely tempted. After a moment's thought she's swallowed and shaken her head. "... thank you, but no. I'd prefer as clear a head as I can get right now." * Vytor nods, caps the bottle and pushes it aside. A lot happened today. Most of which I don't quite understand yet. * Vytor takes another sip of his brandy, then turns his attention back to Saki, "Who is Rachel?" * Saki stares at the table for a long while, before taking a deep breath. Apparently she's been expecting this, as she launches into almost a recitation; "... as far as I understand it, she's... one of these eight Prophets from the past. Like Noah and the Prophetess. She used to be a guard, in Vane, for Noah." Her face turns harder; "... until she burnt. Possibly because of Noah. I'm not sure. I--... know her memories. As if I were her." * Vytor listens quietly, his drink ignored * Gayo is now known as Gayo|Gone * Saki sighs and slumps back, staring up at the ceiling. "... it's my /name/. I mean--... I'm Saki, but I'm Rachel. I think she's that other side that Angie found." Hmm. So, its as if some lingering element of the world-that-was is inside you? Or that when the Unraveling occured, that which was Racehl became you, for the most part? * Saki looks back down across at Vytor, and shrugs expansively. "... I wish I had a clue. I remember the Unraveling as a child, but... at the same time it would explain a lot of things. ... I've no real idea of the specifics." * Vytor laces his fingers in front of his face and thinks Well, I would image that whatever was the mechanism behind the Unravelling was complex. Depending on how much time was made for its design and inception, problems may have occured in its processes. Almost like...something about Racehl either was a part of you from the beginning, or became integrated into you during the Unravelling. Or maybe even after it. Who knows? I'm just wondering if its that aspect that causes your moments of disconnection. * Saki huffs a vaguely amused breath, though she's not smiling. "... normal people just get ghosts of normal people. I'm cool enough to get the jackpot, huh? ... you're right, though. I... saw Ryllan arguing with Noah. I don't get that. It's just me, and two sets of memories." * Vytor thinks Well, if an aspect of Rachel is inside you...hang on a sec. * Vytor stands from the chair and starts rummaging around in the kitchen. He comes back with 2 glasses, one full of a clear liquid, one full of a golden amber liquid, and a teaspoon. * Saki blinks once, then deadpans. "... please tell me we're not going to literally get me smashed out of my mind." Let's say this (indicates the amber liquid) is the world that was. Everything within it is uniform and acclamated to the to whole of its existance. This (indicates the clear liquid) is the world than is. Same situation. Everything here is uniform and integrated. * Vytor scoops a small bit out of the amber liquid with the spoon. "Now, we take a little of that which was, and add it to the world that is." * Vytor does so, and the two liquids refuse to combine. SMall amber balls now float in the clear fluid, slowly sinking to the bottom. Now, if you were that amber blob, wouldn't you find the world to be wrong and confusing? I'm wondering if that analogy works in some small way with what you're experiencing. * Saki nods, leaning back in her chair and watching. "Mm. It'd explain a lot. ... however this happened to me, it... wasn't like Ryllan and Noah. Any exorcist just said it was me in here." She taps her head with one finger. * Vytor thinks again, thinking back to what something the Prophetess said earlier. Or maybe its not so much of what-was versus what-is. Maybe its what-is versus what-might-have-been. Didn't the Prophetess say she's was trying to make some kind of correction? * Saki leans on the table with an elbow, plucking at the vegetables again. "... mm. The question is /what/ correction." A long pause, and her voice and focus turns just a little far-away. "She was /furious/ at them both. Noah and the Prophetess. Used to love them, now just..." * Saki shakes her head violently, knocking herself out of it. "Ryllan said there were eight prophets in the Prophetess. Minus one. Somehow, for some reason, Rachel-- I'm that minus one. Out of the loop somehow; disconnected." Isn't Noah one of those? THen isn't it a -2? * Saki frowns briefly, and opens her mouth once or twice before managing to settle on the words. "... Angie said it was like a hive mind in there, a kind of network of minds. Maybe Noah's still connected; he sounded a lot more lucid than I get." Hmm. Wait a minute. Let's assume for a moment that Rachel is not one of the eight. Given that she was betrayed by Noah and Prophetess, maybe her being inside you isn't completely part of the Prophetess' scheme. Granted, the Prophetess obviously recognizes Rachel inside you. But what if Rachel became a part of you for reasons outside the Prophetess' aims? Clearly Rachel has no lover for either of them. She may have a seperate agenda. I have no proof of any of this, but its something to consider. Especially since Racehl isn't trrying to override you so overtly like Noah did to Ryllan. * Saki smirks, and it's just a bit nasty. "Mm. It'd explain the look she gave me back when this all started. Wondering what I was doing here?" A sigh, and she's leaning on one elbow, idly juggling now-cold slices of carrot. "... but... honestly? I don't think she has /any/ agenda. I just get... feelings. Nothing concrete or planned. And they all feel like me feeling it anyway." Hmm * Vytor takes another sip while he thinks. * Saki shakes her head. "It's... never felt like I was being overridden by anything. Just that everything else was... wrong." She looks up, a little lost. "Maybe... we're 'comfortable' with each other. Or I'm a reincarnation and actually all her, or..." She trails off, totally in the woods. Well... * Vytor goes back to his globs-in-liquid, covers the top with his hand and shakes it vigorously. He sets it back down, and the two liquids have integrated, for the most part. Consider that. Parhaps that's more akin to what's going on inside you. The divisions between the two aren't obvious, but they are there. * Saki nods briefly. "... mm... very blurred. ... I think anyone could call me Rachel now and I'd turn around to answer to it. It... fits." SO perhaps its that lingering division that gives you those moments of separation. And especially why they come and go. * Saki sighs and drags a hand through her hair, tugging on it viciously. "... it's a little galling to deal with it all. I've an answer better than 'I know the Prophetess' now, but..." It doesn't make you feel any better? * Saki shrugs again, pausing to take a bite out of another slice. "Somewhat... but not much has changed. I mean, I know why I recognize the Prophetess now, and I know a little of the story, but in the end I'm still going to be wobbly and gung-ho about it." A long sigh, and she nods weakly. "... it is a start, though. A lead. Maybe several. Maybe even more if I can somehow... contact myself." You may not like considering this, but if there's some way to bring out more of Rachel's memories, it might give us some of the answers we're lacking. THe Prophetess hasn't been helpful in that regard, and the heroes of old are annoyingly cryptic to boot. * Saki shakes her head in a spasm of movement. "... no, I-- want to try. For a moment everything was clear as crystal. If we can, I don't know, reconcile or something..." Another shake of the head. "Wish I knew how. Knowing her name might help." Its a start. We know more now that we did earlier. It'd be nice if we could squeeze some answers out of Noah before we boot him, but I don't want to put Ryllan at further risk. * Vytor rubs his finger lightly around the rim of his untouched brandy. Fortunately, it makes no sound. * Saki tilts her head. "... Ryllan mentioned the Treatise. It might help us; a book of spells or magic one Prophet was creating. The Academy might know more." Her face hardens, and she shakes her head vehemently. "Noah needs to come out of his head as soon as possible." Her voice is firm and brooking no denial; "If Noah's connected up still it's an insane risk." Agreed. * Saki rakes her hair again, eyes flashing with anger. "... and if he even tries to tell me he can control Noah I have several counter-arguments. We'll start with years of experience and end with a punch to the face." * Vytor grins momentarily, "You know how Ryllan can be. Sometimes he thinks he has all the answers." I just wish if the heroes of old knew something about this, they'd tell us. In case they haven't noticed, we're 5 heroes down, with 3 more unaccounted for. * Saki grits her teeth, covering her face with one hand. She nods slightly; "... mm. I'd like a return trip to the Academy, and maybe Meribia itself. We've a lot of loose ends to research and I could really do with being home for a while." * Vytor rests his chin on his hand, "At this point, its as good a destination as any. I don't think we have a lead yet as to where the Prophetess is going next." * Vytor slides a glance at Saki, "Do we?" * Saki looks blank for a moment, then tilts her head. "... no. ... odd. If we're 'more than witnesses' now, why aren't we being led around?" A sigh and then she's counting off on her fingers. "... the Treatise. Rachel. Whatever connection to the South Rachel has. Where the last 3 heroes are. ... oh, the Chronicle. ... that's a lot of research to get done." Hey, yeah! Maybe those are our next hint. So she has no need to lead you by the nose this time. * Saki makes a face. "... spending time at the Academy. Lovely. I think I preferred the voice in my head. ... I'll see what I can do to... contact Rachel, somehow. Meditation, chanting her name, maybe just looking at Ryllan be Noah without slaughtering him, or somesuch." * Vytor stops, looking puzzled. "But why go through all that trouble in the first place? If her only goal to make us her personal voyeurs, why turn it into a test?" Is she trying to show us something? * Saki nods curtly. "... and why does a former mage-guard of Vane freak out when magic's all around her. We need more information, no two ways about it." Agreed. * Vytor takes another sip of his long-ignored brandy. * Vytor gets a steely edge to his voice, "Maybe its time we nailed Johnathan and Haylee to the floor again. See what they know about about the Treatise and the Chronicle. And where the last damn 3 heroes are." * Saki rakes her hands through her hair one last time, then starts more dedicatedly attacking the vegetables next to her, only just realising how long it's been since her last meal. She hesitates for a moment, looking torn, then; "... let everyone rest a little, first. You, too. We're allowed our breath back. And I need to go through all this with everyone else." * Vytor nods Yeah, we do need to come to a concensus as to what to do. * Vytor grins a little, "Here's hoping it won't end up like the last time we tried to make a plan." * Saki mutters from behind a forkful. "... I can still carry multiple people. ... besides, I doubt any of us will have much of a problem with asking the two of them what the hell is going on." * Vytor takes another swig of his brandy. I think we've earned a little tolerance from those two at this point. * Vytor glances over at the disarray that was once his kichen, "Is any of that edible? I'm hungry." * Saki waves a hand in a surprisingly airy fashion. "... mmn. It's not really my thing, but I wanted to give it a try. I... figured I'd leave them there for people to pick at later. «ooc: +" » Works for me. You want something while I'm up? * Vytor stands from his chair to indicate the point * Saki lazily waves her bowl of veg in a manner that is probably supposed to indicate that she's good. There is a trace of sulk. "... I need to be back in Horam to really show off." * Vytor head into the kitchen, and starts ladling spoonfuls of stuff into a bowl. "Who knows? We may go off that way sometime." Then you can show us what's like to cook in a place inhabited part-time by a bachelor. ;) <> * Vytor returns to his chair and drops into it. He sniffs once at the compiled whatzit in his bowl, shrugs, and digs in. * Saki pffs, peering at her bowl. "... to be honest, my rooms in the dojo aren't that much different. But it's easier to find the sort of foods I'm used to using." She eyes Vytor's brandy owlishly. "... and right now I'd kill for some of my own stash, and /my/ meditation room." Sorry, got neither of those. *nudges the bottle in her direction again, as he digs into his food* * Saki smirks, and pours herself a shot at last. "... if anyone asks I'm just balancing out from being more talkative than usual." She takes a sip, eyes it suspiciously with a smack of her lips, then downs the rest. Caff caff hack. Sip. Not gulp. * Vytor tries not to look amused while he eats. * Saki recovers herself, muttering lowly. "... needed the gulp. ... guess it's just waiting for the others now." If you need some quiet space, try the upstairs loft. Its got a empty room up there that used to be walk-in closet. * Saki nods, scratching at her head. "Mm. Maybe I'll try having a word with me while it's all still fresh." * Vytor nods in return. "I'll be down here if you need anything." * Saki rises from the table, sweeping over the kitchen once more. "... uh. And leave the burnt pans. I'll elbow grease it out." * Vytor smirks, "I'll leave the best parts for you." * Saki huffs in irritation. "... parsnips are odd, and you need a thinner spatula." With a wave, she starts heading out to poke upstairs. Noted. * Vytor shovels another spoonful into his mouth, wondering exactly what part of the kitchen needs to be attacked first. «ooc: And end? » <> >> If nothing else, Saki has at least refined her stoo. >> END >> START >> A long bout of careful meditation followed by a relaxing talk with Vytor and some bonus meditation, and Saki feels like a new person - pun thankfully not intended. As she passes the bar on a walk through the town, she manages to spot Niri's group and turns to saunter past them; as she reaches Ryllan she gives the collected table a bizarrely polite smile, grabs Ryllan's collar, and yanks - quite hard - before walking off, clearly expecting him to follow. * Ryllan watches Saki walk off, sighs, then stands, without a trace of unsteadyness in his steps, and follows. * Saki saunters around a convenient corner; helpfully out of eyeshot and preferably earshot of the others. * Ryllan simply raises an eyebrow at Saki upon arriving, clearly waiting for an explanation. * Saki all but whirls on the spot, poking Ryllan not lightly in the chest as she hisses the next words out. "Get that rat bastard out of your head." None of her hesitancy or her slight unfocusedness here; her eyes are blazing. * Ryllan steps back just a bit at the poke, "Okay... it's obvious you feel really strong about this. Mind if I ask what's on your mind?" * Saki straightens up, boring a glare straight into Ryllan as she crosses her arms over her chest. "... you cannot control him. Simple as that. You can't, and he's still connected, and it's far too big of a risk." I see. He's weakened severely, you're aware of this, I assume. You have reasoning for that assertion? * Saki clearly decides the glare isn't enough, and raises an eyebrow to give Ryllan a skeptical look for a few moments then sigh deeply. "... twenty years of experience and I can't prevent how I act at times. You think you can after a couple of hours?" The soul drain was at half power, that's all I could manage. the actions of the priests further weakened him. I think I have a good chance of it. And if I can't... well, I trust you to do whatever has to be done. * Saki grits her teeth, uncrossing her arms. "... you realise that is insane, yes? This is not something to martyr yourself over. We have the answers somewhere in here -" she taps her forehead twice, "'Whatever has to be done' is telling you to see those exorcists." Does Rachel have the answers? Are you certain? * Saki shrugs lopsidedly. "Some; not all, I expect. ... reasonably sure. Compared to that, how certain are you you won't be used by her?" How certain are you? * Saki moves, suddenly, and all but throws Ryllan with a burst of strength up against the wall of the inn. A moment later and she's there, pinning him there with her forearm across his neck, her eyes flashing with anger as she all but spits the words out. "Noah is /still connected/. I'm the 'minus one', but the Prophetess can tweak my mind just by being there; you think you stand a chance? This is not a game or a contest, this is /deadly/." A pause, then she wrenches away, taking a couple of steps back with a sneer. Is he now? I think you're letting your fears run away with you, Saki. * Ryllan rubs at his head, "And do watch it, I've been thrown against enough walls for today, thank you." * Saki growls under her breath, and nods. "And you're letting your ego run away with you. ... Enjoy your dinner. Let the others know there's food at Vytor's, too. I'm going to find Mikel; he deserves to know what he's wrapped up in." Thank you. I /will/ look into this, try to figure out whether this piece of Noah I've got is still connected to that greater whole. I can't promise that I'll act in a specific way, but understand that I'm not ignoring this. * Saki watches Ryllan for a long moment, not quite losing that sneer. Then with a shake of her head she's turned and started walking roughly back in the direction of Vytor's house, calling back over her shoulder; "... just remember how adamant you were about Mikel being a security risk. At least he never invited the Prophetess in." * Ryllan moves to follow Saki, "Saki. Do you have any actual reasoning, any evidence that Noah is still connected to the Prophetess? Or is this just another one of your feelings? Because I remember the last time we acted based on your feelings. She found a way to fuck us anyway." * Saki keeps a steady speed, though that's not saying much; she's not doing much more than ambling. "... that isn't the question to ask," she replies, perhaps a little archly. "The question to ask is whether I trust being able to openly explain that reasoning when for all we know he's listening in." She glances over at that point. "Have you considered that?" * Ryllan lets that one bounce around in his head for a moment, then blinks at Saki, "I'm pretty sure he knows if he's connected to the prophetess or not." * Saki stops for a moment, arms crossed again. "And when we debate? Plan our next move, try to figure out what we know, when we learn about where the other Seekers are? Do you want him listening in then?" * Saki goes back to walking. Only if he's not connected to her, which is why that question has to be resolved. * Saki stops dead, and looks at Ryllan aghast for a few moments. Then with a noise of irritation she's covered her face with one hand. "... fine. Resolve it, then. Until you do, I'm sure you'll understand being thrown out of any meeting we have to avoid your precious breaches of security, hn? ... go back to the others." And she's walking again, brisker and more agitated. So you didn't have anything. Good bluff. Thank you for your candor. >> With the tiniest shake of his head, Ryllan turns back and heads back to the bar, "(m) Can't expect us all to snap to on your feelings..." >> Aaaand probably end there!