Session Start: Sun Sep 09 22:50:18 2007 Session Ident: #lunar-iog2 ==Lude Begin! (Everyone hide!)== * Niri walks along the sand, enjoying the evening breeze. The sun has just set and she has been enjoying the view, marveling at the novelty of watching a sunset over the ocean. Back home when she visits the beach, it would have to be sunrise, and she never seems to get up early enough to see it... * Trune is sitting against a rock near the water's edge. He's stooped over slightly and faintly you swear you hear some sort of music -- a series of chords in the C or G range. * Niri perks up her ears, heading in the direction of the sound. Seeing Trune, she starts tiptoeing closer to him... * Tanan (~Nehn@dynamic-acs-24-239-125-230.zoominternet.net) has joined #lunar-iog2 * ChanServ sets mode: +o Tanan * Etir (~Nehn@dynamic-acs-24-239-125-230.zoominternet.net) has left #lunar-iog2 * Vytor is seated next to Trune, leaning against a medium-sized rock, his eyes closed and listening as Trune plays. * Trune is strumming on what appears to be a fairly old aucostic guitar. His chords are getting a bit more complex as he goes. Occasionally he stops to retune the guitar, then continues. * Niri stops a few paces behind Trune, takes a deep breath, and shouts. "HI SUNSHINE!!" * Trune starts and nearly drops his guitar, "Agh! Geez! What?!" * Vytor starts and opens his eyes at the sound. Good evening Niri. ;) * Niri grins, climbs up on a nearby rock, and sits cross-legged. "Hi guys, what's up?" Just having a heart attack. You? I've been looking for you, Trune! I had some ideas to discuss with you. How are you, Vytor? Ideas? Better, now that we're on dry land again. * Trune looks intrigued, putting the guitar down for the moment, "Such as?" * Vytor gets the impression that the impromptu music lesson is over, and starts to put his fiddle away. Not a fan of water travel, then? Or do you mean the crazy encounter we had? * Niri eyes Vytor's fiddle with interest. "Oh, don't put it away! I wanted to talk music, actually. You might be interested too." I didn't know you played, Vytor! Running into the Fragarach was not what I had in mind when we came out...eh? Music? Oh sure, my parently taught me to fiddle when I was young. Just haven't had much a chance to do anything with it lately. Music huh? We're not going to start a band, are we? Because I was totally joking about that back at the academy. * Niri nods. "Same thing I was talking to you about just before we ran into the Fragarach, actually." * Niri snickers <> You never know! But seriously, listen. I was working on these ideas, mostly because I was looking for a way to help Mikel control that crazy spell of his. I...don't know what's going to happen with that now, though. You mean he «ooc: evil! » You mean he's finally realizing it's crazy? But there's no way I'm letting all my research go to waste, and I think it could be even more useful to you, Trune... Oh? Well. *Scratches behind her ear* He sorta found out some of the risks. We didn't know before...see, Tanan told us that Johnathan Hylan did something very similar once. He ended up having to kill half of himself. * Trune blinks in shock, then scowls, "Wow, pleasant." Ow. Why? * Tanan speaks up quietly. "Not worth risking, unless circumstances are dire." Yeah, so...it's possible Mikel might HAVE to use it again, but we're not going to just go using it for practice without a good reason. * Niri nods. It's an awesome spell, but I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I...kind of feel sorry for Johnathan, knowing that. But why? Um. I'm not precisely sure...Tanan? I wonder how he split. Mikel seemed to split by elemental affinity. I don't believe he intended to. There are... a number of different reasons he doesn't try to teach what he does. Did Master Hylan use the same elemental splitting concept? Or something more akin to the unusual magic he uses? I don't know the details, unfortunately. I assume not, though. His elemental balance is much more like Trune's... or rather, nothing like it. * Niri frowns, trying to understand this. Er...huh? Can you explain that? * Trune frowns and scratches his head. * Tanan hmmms. How to put this. Mikel has much more lightning and water type energies to him, when he uses his power. Trune has a very even balance. Not exactly even, no one is, but he's one of the most balanced I've seen. Hmm... Most balanced active, anyway. They all get used. Really, I am? There has to be someone who can do what I do. * Vytor doodles in the sand with a finger, making whhat looks like an 8-part yin-yang symbol, with two very large pieces and 6 much smaller ones, "Kind of like this?" If there is, I don't think it's too common! That'd be Mikel, yes. Hmmm. Mikel looks lopsided! * Niri grins and winks. THat's more to bad art on my part. You'd better not tell him that. It'd hurt his pride. And you're right, Trune. There are a lot of people who play with all eight. They generally don't grow too strong with all of them. Now for Trune, all the parts would be around the same size. And for Johnathan... well, the circle would be bigger, but the parts would be smaller. I'm not honestly sure he can reliably use elemental willforce. Hmmm. Interesting idea! I'd love to sit him down and talk with him about it someday. Don't know when that's ever likely to happen, though... * Vytor tries drawing that concept out in the sand, and makes several tries at it, but seems unsatisfied with each try. Yeah, I can't think of a good way to draw it either. He's pretty balanced too, but more in a "these don't get used much" sort of way. I can't imagine an elemental split. Curious. Or for Trune, honestly. Taking yourself to eighths would probably be horrinle. Yeah, that actually is NOT what I wanted to talk to you about, in case you were wondering, Trune. I favor the idea of you staying in one piece. Here here. Yeah, heh, I'd probably split into annoying halves or something. Maybe an angsty half, a sissy half, a psycho half... It would be entertaining for about five seconds. * Vytor chuckles Now, what about your sunshiney half? *grins* It'd be very short and thin. ....I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. * Niri snickers. Be nice, Tanan. * Tanan sounds genuinely surprised at himself. Trune is actually a ball of sweetness and light deep down. He's a big fluffy teddy bear. He's just in denial. I'd be the sweet fluffy teddy bear with an object that stabs. * Vytor grins Anyway! Getting back to the subject at hand...what I was actually going to use with Mikel is a technique I've been working on for...kind of resolving elemental dissonances, in a way. ...Oh? I thought it might help him keep the two parts of himself in alignment when using that spell of his. How? It could be useful for you too though, especially when summoning Elementalors... Well, okay. This takes some explanation. I already told you a little of it, Vytor. See, each of the Elementalors corresponds to an element, but each is also named after a planet. Now, I'm not sure how much significance there is to their names, but if you assume there's a reason for it, and each of the planets has a unique elemental alignment, at least concerning willforce or song magic, it actually works. See, each of the planets revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit, right? *starts sketching in the sand, much as Vytor did...showing a small circle in the middle and a series of ovals surrounding it * Trune looks a little confused, obviously trying to piece things together as Niri talks, "Yeah, right. Hm." * Vytor watches carefully. So, due to uh...the sun's gravitational pull, I think, each planet actually changes speed depending on where it is in its orbit. See how here it would be closer to the sun than at this point? Well, because of this, each planet has a minimum and a maximum orbital velocity. * Niri seems a bit more comfortable with the terminology than she did a few days ago. Now, you can compare these two speeds, which gives you a unique ratio for each planet. You can ALSO, however, express any musical interval as a ratio! ...I won't bore you with the explanation of how. I tried it on one of the Polaris crewmen and his eyes glazed over. * Vytor chuckles Anyway, this means you could in theory assign a musical interval to each planet, depending on what ratio matches up. I did an analysis of the musical properties of each of the planets - and, by extension, of the Elementalors. * Niri searches through her pockets, then pulls out a small sheaf of papers and hands them to Trune. * Tanan speaks quietly. "If we had a fish, we could make fish and chips, if we had some chips." >> Trune can see what appears to be...a relationship chart? * Niri blinks. ....What? Whoa...you really gave this a lot of thought, didn't you? * Trune sounds genuinely impressed. Let's have a look Yeah! Tanan's pretty disgusted with me muttering to myself about it, I think. * Vytor scooches over to look over Trune's shoulder I've been working on this for basically the whole voyage. Impressive. And we are not using my notes to make fish and chips, Tanan, unless you were talking about something else, in which case I'm totally confused. Almost looks a little like a clockwork design. No, I just think you've taken too many things for granted. They're named after the planets, which are named after... whatever. I don't think there's some sort of tether attaching them to the things. This ...this is awesome, Niri! Oh wow, I wish I knew about this earlier! Maybe, but it's /something/! I know, I thought about that, Tanan. It's possible that I'm totally wrong. But the thing is, the numbers DO match up. And I did some experiments with elemental magic and using the appropriate harmonies, and it seems to work. I guess you could test the relationship chart easily enough. It might be true that the illermanternars are just named after the planets, but if there's a relationship there, its worth exploring. * Niri hmmms There's an easy way to find out, probably. Dr. Webbly might be able to tell us more. Or maybe even one of the Elementalors, if he's not around. You'd figure that no one would be too comfortable around their opposing element, and Mars is insane. I already talked to him about my mathematical figures, but that was early on. Session Time: Mon Sep 10 00:00:00 2007 Hmm...want me to try contacting them? Well, that's true....and it IS kind of odd that Mars has the most consonant interval of all of them. Go for it! It can't hurt anything, and maybe we'll find out if I'm on the right track or totally off. Well, there's only one vowel in her name. * Niri facepalms Right, give me a sec. * Trune pulls out the ECC from his bag and fiddles with the knobs. I don't even know if that was a joke or not. Maybe deep down she's a pretty pretty princess or something and likes tea and bubble baths. * Niri stares at Trune, then snrks and starts giggling. *Snrk* >> There's some light static as is usual, but the signal is much clearer out here than Trune's seen it in quite some time. Adjusting is easily accomplished and before long a communication channel is opened. A hologram of what appears to be Mercury takes shape. [Mercury] Mission Control here. What's shaking? * Vytor waves to Mercury. Hey Mercury. We have a theory to talk to you about. We wanted your opinion and knowledge. [Mercury] I can try, though remember we all have our own specialties. I can go collar someone else if you need 'em. Heh, all right then. Niri, you should probably explain in detail. * Niri sums up! With lots of hand gestures. Really, it's quite amusing. * Trune ducks as Niri' flailing almost smacks him in the face! * Vytor tries to follow along with Niri's explnation, taking some notes in his ubiquitous notebook as she talks. Mercury's willforce image just stands there a minute listening. He seems the skittish type, but her serious topic manages to keep him from running off will-nilly and pondering. [Mercury] From what I can remember, there's a reason we're all designated the way we were. The whole mythological conncetions and all that jazz. But a universal harmony? I don't really know.. but it sounds possible. We all managed to act a lot like that the first time we engaged Prophetess. See, that's just it...this all fits with what we did back then. I could tell there were some basic harmonies that just worked. Hmm. I wonder if Dr. Webbly might know more about this. [Mercury] I'd get him on the horn but he's currently recharging. Although.... Mercury looks like he's tapping on a computer console awhile. * Trune hmms and continues to stare at Niri's notes, pondering. He bites his lip. [Mercury] From what we've reconstructed so far of the project data banks on this rock, a lot of rbeakthroughs in ancient willforce was done after research of miracles invovled with Althena's strange abilities to alter matter's frequencies with resonant songs and hymns. * Niri listens intently Might be on to something, even if the planets are just a red... herring... thing. Planet. [Mercury] There was a lot of sketchy theories in meta-science back then about a holographic universal, or reality being mutable in a variety of ways. One result of that was the phase barriers each of us were shielded by. << universe >> [Mercury] As powerful as we are, we still don't know jack about a lot of our own potentials! Hmmm. So essentially, the only way to find out if the theory works is to try it and see, huh? [Mercury] Ain't that part of the adventurous spirit? We've been up to a lot of that up here in a very controlled environment so noone gets hurt. Heh, really? Sounds fun! Well, I do know ONE thing for sure. I can affect elemental resonance using song magic. The question is just how and why it works, really. I mean, it was successful when we fought the Prophetess...mostly. If we knew more about the root basics of the technique, that might answer a lot of questions. [Mercury] We were still missing sister Saturn, though. It was incomplete. * Niri nods ...Maybe we'll be able to answer more questions once we have her. Here's hoping. * Niri glances at Trune and grins suddenly. She elbows him. "Wonder if she's hot?" Be nice, Niri. Probably not as much as Mars. ...Tanan. Was that intentional? Suddenly Mercury laughs. "Hey, Sister Pluto really has taken a shine to you Trune. The Doctor said it's a little aberrant for such a connection to develop, too. But that doesn't stop Sister venus from teasing her over it and trying to make her jealous."" Is this a trick question? I swear, you must spend hours thinking up the worst puns possible! Either that or it's a complete accident, which has to be some kind of super power. * Niri blinks at Mercury, then giggles. I'd bow, but I can't. And Mercury! Maybe it's a sign that you're more human than he thought. That'd be a good thing, I think. The Elementalors may be a little quirky, but I'm pretty sure they're fairly human... * Trune stops for a moment, thinking, "I've got a question. Why would it seem strange for Pluto to...well, like me?" I would suspect they're as human as any of us are. They were created from humans, after all, weren't they? [Mercury] Eh... I don't really know, actually. There's no telling what the hundreds of minds within us are thinking at one time underneath our biological programming. Ha. Yes, you understand. You certainly appear to be human, though. Looks and actions. Leans towards that answer. [Mercury] Why don't you ask Dr. Webbly to explain his theories sometime... or just give the little shy sis a ring. * Niri grins. "Think Pluto would want to say hi before we disconnect here?" ....Hey, Mercury? * Trune looks a little nervous, but shakes his head, "I've been wondering -- is there some sort of reason I'm so...well, connected to you guys?" [Mercury] You want me to get her? [Mercury] That's a very good question, Trune... maybe I do got a little clue about it. [Mercury] It looks like everywhere you go there's a soul problem somewhere... this whole reincarnation deal. Ever think you might've been a project scientist in a former life? One of Dr. Webbly's pals? * Trune 's face blanks and he looks geniunenly surprised, "Er...no, I haven't." * Niri blinks at that idea, and glances at Trune to see what he thinks. Hmm. 'd make sense. It...might! But...neh, I'm not even good at science though! Whenever I tried mixing things at the academy things would fizz or nearly blow up. Still, there's got to be some explanation for why the Elementalors like you so much! Speaking of which, you should go get Pluto, I think! ;) Y--yeah I guess. It might be it. Least my past incarnation wasn't a sewer cleaner or something. mercury winks out for a few seconds My past incarnation was a /rock star./ * Vytor chuckles I don't think you can just decide that retroactively. Oh, come on, I totally was. *grins* Since we'll probably never know, its as good a theory as any. You were a lawyer, Tanan, clearly. After a bit, there's a dark spark of energy and the small goth Pluto appears in the projection. She is actually a lot hapier than usual. * Tanan sounds amused. "You think I had past lives?" Sure, why not? Oh, hey Pluto! * Vytor waves to Pluto. We're discussing our past li---er jobs. Hi Pluto! *Grins* [Pluto] ...Trune! I missed you. [Pluto] No Venus here to bother me now. She looks slowly both ways amidst what looks like a room full of generators. Hey PLuto, guess what? It's Trune's birthday! Uh... * Trune looks a little embarrased and shakes his head, "It's not a big deal. Just a day." What? It is, isn't it? Which reminds me, I have your present! Don't let me forget to give it to you. The small Elementalor looks confused for a brief second, as if this seems strange. Then a flicker of realization. ...If it's a fish... Oh really? I swear I'll scream. * Niri grins. * Vytor thinks, "I'll have to think of a suitable birthday present." [Pluto] Oh, a birthday... I didn't know.... I need to give you a present... Geez, is everyone's birthday's all at once? I didn't get anyone anything. pluto looks around the room another minute trying to think of something in the dim lighting. Just mine and Trune's, Tanan. By some freak twist of nature. We were seperated at birth. For our own safety. [Pluto] Could I... have a while to think on this. I'm.. trying to get the shields working. ^^; * Vytor chuckles Don't worry about it. You don't even have to get me anything. Thanks though. Ha! You'll have to let Trune know when your birthday is too, then. Give him a while to think of something to get you. [Pluto] Wasn't there certain presents to get... I think I'm almost 3221... * Niri blinks That's a lot of candles on a cake. Eh. You have to put thirty two and like a fifth of a candle on and call them hundreds. Or have different colored candles for ones, tens, and hundreds. Meanwhile as Pluto is distracted there's a little squeel as the vison gets jarred around. * Trune sighs and laughs, "Hi Venus." * Niri snickers Hello Venus. [Venus] Silly Sister, you're still on duty! You can only use the ECC on breaktime! [Pluto] *whine* The display fades out as you see the vain woman giving Trune a little wink and a blown kiss. ==LUDE PAUSE TILL TOMORROW YAYS== ==Lude Start! Righteous!== * Niri giggles as Venus and Pluto sign off from the ECC. * Trune sighs and smiles, "Poor Pluto is never gonna catch a break, is she?" Any question if those two are human have just been answered in my mind. Oh really? *grins* By the way, if you tell Mikel this, you will be in a world of hurt. Or anyone, really. Duly noted. * Niri looks innocent Who, me? Yes, you. You especially! What makes you think I would EVER tell Mikel that absolutely nothing is going on with you and Pluto or Venus? Because you're NIRI. * Vytor chuckles. * Niri grins Oh! That reminds me! I have your birthday present! Wait right here and I'll go get it. Wow that was...fast? Trune's birthday? Why didn't you say anything Trune? * Zack is now known as Mikel Because he was hoping no one would find out. * Niri runs off back to camp! * Trune looks a little sheepish, "Uh, yeah. It's just a day anyway." Well, even if it is its an excuse to do something nice for you. Any requests? * Mikel speaks up as he approaches the little gathering, blinking as Niri streaks by in a blur of black Tanan crystal and purple hair. "...someone got into the sugar, I see." Evening Mikel. Niri needs no sugar. She is sugar. As for requests...I dunno, really. My family hasn't made a huge deal out of birthdays for a couple of years now, so I haven't even really given any thought to it. * Mikel chuckles, grabbing a seat on the sand. "Evenin', Vytor. Trune. I suppose you're right, though. So! How's it feel to be another year older and all that?" He tilts his head, staring. "...man, that's no good." Well, if you can't come up with something, I'll take a stab at it. Honestly, I still feel like I'm 16. Maybe a gift will help with that. * Mikel closes his eyes, considering this. She's going to give me a fish, isn't she? ...if she does I'm going to be very put out. That was my idea. I doubt it, that's Mikel's schtick. * Mikel then flicks a finger towards the water. Predictably, a fish comes flying out and lands next to Trune. * Niri returns after a little while, carrying a small, misshapen bundle of red cloth, tied with a wide blue ribbon. I'm resigned to it. ...and there the fish is! I'm naming it Mr. Tubbypants. ...Mr. what? * Vytor chuckles * Mikel rolls his eyes before just leaning back into the sand. "Get a book of names before naming the next thing." Mr. Tubbypants! Look at it. It's big and fat and...c'mon work with me here! You shouldn't tell people what you call that, Trune. Or show them. Its as good a name as any. * Niri blinks He's just being Trune, Niri. C'mon, it's my birthday. For once smile and nod and go with my insanity. You refused the gift of fish. This insult cannot go unforgiven. * Niri suddenly blushes, turning very red. "Tanan!!" * Vytor laughs! * Mikel raises an eyebrow. That's...that's horrible! * Trune blinks, "Wait, did I miss something?" I missed something. Yes, you did. Join the club. Ten silver fee. Just...don't ask. Argh, Tanan. I shall summarize: Tanan can be a pervert like everyone else. Yes. Yes, he can. This is not a surprise. Anyway! Trune, help me change the subject! Open your present. Though for Niri's sake I'll spare the jokes. * Niri holds out the bundle to him. "Be really careful with it! It's very fragile." * Trune colors and looks down at his gift, "Uh, yeah, uh, yeah." Oh come on, it was funny! I'm not arguing that ;) ...Funny or not! I do not want mental images like that in my brain. Gah! * Tanan sounds amused. "Ha! See. Someone appreciates me." Just remember she can let me drag you behind the ATV. Niri, Niri, Niri, you don't TELL people what you fantaize about about others! At least aloud. OPEN THE PRESENT, TRUNE. * Mikel snickers. * Vytor laughs again! * Trune snrks, "Fine, fine." * Trune carefully begins tearing away the paper from the present. * Tanan shifts positions, his voice pitched a bit higher, and a little feminine. "But she's getting those images from meeeeee." * Tanan coughs, sounding normal. "Creeped myself out. Shutting up now." Tanan, I never knew you felt that way about me! ...augh. I'm going to hurt both of you now. Stop, please. It's creepy. * Vytor starts roaring with laughter * Mikel sits up, waiting to see what the present turns out to be. ..... * Niri just blinks. And stares. And shakes her head. * Niri shrugs and gives up on trying to make sense of Tanan, and just grins as she watches Trune. As he unties the bow on the cloth bundle, the bundle...moves? ...What the? * Mikel raises an eyebrow. * Vytor raises an eyebrow * Trune carefully pulls back the cloth to see what's underneath. * Niri covers a giggle as the cloth shifts, and a little whiskered nose pokes out. A soft mewing sound is heard. >> A tiny, tortoise shell kitten blinks sleepily at Trune. ...aw. Where'd you even find that? Wha....wha....where did you get this? This is ...awesome! Wow. * Niri looks a little sad. "There are some feral cats wandering around. I found this one some distance from the shore, in a little grove of trees...it was crying next to its dead mother. Hmm. * Trune seems shocked and rather flabbergasted, "Oh wow, Niri, thank you!" Nicely done Niri. * Niri blinks. "You really like it?" I mean, I saw it and thought, "What Trune REALLY needs in his life is fluffy!" No, I do! I've always wanted a pet but my dad would never let me have one! Aw, seriously? Man Trune, your dad sucks. I am suddenly convinced your dad could do with a fish. * Niri looks and Mikel and suddenly grins. You'd never fit it up there so he could see it. ...remind me to find him next time we're at the Academy. Far too long since I stirred up trouble there. * Niri bursts out laughing at Tanan's comment. Yeah, I'd keep turtles and frogs under my bed to spite him. It was pretty awesome. I'd hide them in my overalls and usually they'd jump out around dinnertime. * Vytor chuckles. Hmmm. Frogs are good too. Okay, I have to admit Tanan, that was a good one. True, too. And the image of frogs leaping at your dad's face and him freaking out is priceless, Trune. ...I was actually gonna get you a turtle, you know! The best memory I had was when a speckled frog jumped out and hid in his beard. Turtle might have been easier. Where we're going, you'll have to keep a very close eye on this thing. Hmm. Yeah, I wonder what would be the best place for it. I'll have to give it some thought. Preferably not near where magic is flying, I'd think. Yeah, I know. I don't know that a kitten was exactly a wise idea for a present. Its possible to train cats to accept leashes. I've seen it done. But I saw it, and it was all alone and probably going to die... ...Cats on a leash? That's a new one. Maybe you can train Shiro to protect it or something. Or at least not chase it. I gotta think of a name for it. Suddenly Mr. Tubbypants isn't that appealing. No. Definitely not! ...You know what, I just realized. I forgot to check its gender. * Mikel smacks his forehead. We'll have time. After all such a youngster will require a good amount of attention. Trune, what is it? We need to know so we can name it! Hmm...looks like... * Trune gently checks underneath, "Looks like a girl." Okay. * Mikel smirks, closing his eyes. "Name it Pluto or Venus." Its name totally HAS to be Sunny. Little Sunshine, and Sunny for short! ....NO. I'll never hear the end of the sunshine comments. It's like mini-Trune! Only a girl. And feline. No, it's SO CUTE. ...that isn't a mini-Trune. I'm cute? That's a first. Come on Trune. It'd be adorable! *Looks sulky* * Mikel opens an eye, raising an eyebrow as he looks at Niri and then at Trune. That look signifying doom is visible. [* Niri blinks at Mikel. "What?" Now now, let Trune decide. Nothing, nothing. * Mikel goes back to laying down in the sand. Niri, naming it sunny and a mini-me is just asking for trouble. * Niri walks over to Mikel and puts her foot on his chest and strikes a pose. "I claim this land for Spain!" * Vytor chuckles ...this land is going to give you a bath in about three seconds. * Niri snickers and backs off. Actually, since we're on the subject of gift giving. I have one to give to Tanan. So, Trune, think about a good name and let us know when you decide! [ Oh, Vytor? * Mikel blinks. "Oh?" * Niri looks curious. Heh, all right * Vytor digs into his bag, and pulls out a small silver and wood box. * Vytor walks over to Niri, and attaches the box to the shoulder with a few discreet wires. So, Tanan. How are you feeling right now? * Niri blinks. * Mikel just watches. * Tanan sounds amused. "If you're attaching a suggestion box to me things will go badly for you." * Niri snickers. Just answer the question wiseguy. ;) You feel like giving me a seven course meal with all the trappings. * Tanan falls silent for a few seconds, then speaks quietly, sounding defensive. "I don't know. It doesn't matter." * Mikel frowns for a moment. "That's a load of bull if I ever heard it." (as Tanan responds, a small sign pops out from the box with an image of a face with a sweatdrop on it, making a small *poonk* sound. It remains in place for a moment before it retracts.) ...oh man you didn't. ...You /didn't/. I got the idea from Webbly. * Mikel starts laughing. * Niri facepalms. * Trune bursts out laughing I think Tanan deserves a chance to express himself like everyone else. ... Oh man, that's perfect. Its removable, if need be. But I hope you find it useful. This really isn't fair, you know. I mean, if Tanan loses his temper at you, YOU can run away. Well, I suppose Tanan could always throttle me in my sleep or something. 'And so, as the ball of crystal loomed ominiously over Vytor's bed...' * Vytor notes Tanan's silence with a raised eyebrow. I think it's awesome, personally. You and Webbly can have smiley face emotion matches to the death. ....it does this involuntarily? Only if you want it to. You can break the connetion on your own if you like. It wouldn't be fair if you couldn't keep some things to yourself. I... see. Like I said, if it bothers you, you can remove it as you see fit. Tanan, this wasn't my idea. I swear. * Mikel mms for a moment, just watching again. * Vytor resumes his spot by the rock. * Mikel taps a finger for a couple of moments before pointing at a spot in midair roughly in the middle of the four. A piece of ice starts to take shape. * Trune looks down as the silence is broken by a mewing kitten. * Tanan starts to talk, but is interrupted by the sweatdrop sign popping back up. "I-" * Mikel snaps a finger as the ice shatters. "I suppose that'll make as good an ice breaker as any." Mikel? I'm going to have Saki punch you. She already got me back. Find someone else. Fine, I'LL punch you. * Vytor chuckles, "Tanan, kill the connection if it bothers you." * Mikel starts rolling away and scrambling to his feet. Th- *poonk* * Mikel dusts off a bit of sand. "Maybe you should take it off for now. Oh, Trune!" * Vytor rubs his temples with this fingers, trying not to laugh. "Tanan. Kill. The. Connection. Get used to it first." Yeah? * Mikel digs into his pocket before flicking something silvery towards the other adept. "For when your new pet finally decides to take a catnap." I don't nec- *poonk* Do I need to remove that? * Trune manages to catch the slivery thing with his one free hand. >> It appears to be a set of keys. Really Mikel? You sure? No, I thi- *poonk, it's the angry face this time.* * Mikel grins. "Well, you don't seem to care for fish all that much. Cruise about in the area with it if you like, though if you put a dent in her you'd be better off shacking up with the Prophetess than letting get my hands on you." Aww, cool it, Hotshot. ;) I'm sure Sunshine won't mess up your precious. Evidently I need to tweak the sensitivity of that thing. * Trune stands up with a grin, "Seriously, I'll be careful...Thanks Mikel." It /shouldn't/ be low on fuel but if it starts to sputter give it a jolt of lightning magic. * Vytor digs into his bag for a few tools, and walks over to the back of the box. * Mikel mulls. "Though Doc Sonyele said that was still in testing." I think I'm going to go ridin'. * Mikel takes a seat again, grinning. "If you summon Pluto or Venus, careful with the showing off." * Tanan has grown a little crystal torso out of his shoulder, which is 'standing' with its hands on its hips, staring down the angry sign. * Trune laughs, "Nah, can't stay out late with the ladies. Got a cute kitty mouth to feed." * Vytor carefully opens the back of the box, and starts making some adjustments, repressing a grin. * Niri starts giggling. * Mikel closes his eyes, leaning back in the sand again as he keeps speaking in an amused tone. "Some ladies like a responsible guy I hear. Pets are also a plus." I wonder if Pluto likes kittens? ;) Of course, now having seen your sculpting prowess, I sense that this box is somewhat superfluous for you Tanan. I can take it off if it bugs you. Probably! Anyway, I'm gonna head out. Thanks again for the present Niri, it's awesome. * Mikel chuckles. "'night, Trune." Eh. Can't make faces on these things. Can hit Niri in the head though, that's been useful one or tw- I mean. um. *the box sounds like it's attempting to do something* * Trune waves and heads off, a cutely mewing kitten crooked carefully under his arm. Good night Trune. ...You see what I have to put up with? * Niri grins. Good night Trune! You're welcome! * Vytor modifies a few of the springs with careful precision. OK, I cranked down the sensitivity for you. Try to make it respond. ;) * Mikel waits a few minutes, opening an eye to make sure Trune's gone before speaking in a quieter voice. "...you're sure he'll be careful, right?" What, with the ATV? Unless he's going to try driving the kitten around or something. If he did he would be super careful. * Tanan hrms, the little shape melting back into Niri's shoulder. The box pops up the irritated face again. ...Oh. I thought you meant driving with the kitten. Trune is a responsible guy. He won't do anything that you would dissaprove of. Wait, people look to me for approval? Oh goddess the world is going to end. He'll do plenty of things Tanan would disapprove of! But not Mikel. * Vytor chuckles at Tanan's continued antics. * Niri snickers. I'm supposed to be the irresponsible one of the bunch. Oh, you are. You totally are. Good. I don't have to play a prank on you all then. * Vytor makes a few more tweaks to the mechanics inside the box. "How's that Tanan?" * Mikel lifts a hand again, a sphere of water with lightning crackling around it taking shape above it. * Niri eyes Mikel. *irritated face again* What? * Mikel focuses for a moment, letting the water stream to the outside of the lightning and then solidfy into a sphere of ice. The lightning merely crackles within. Of course, you realize I have no way of knowing if you're actually feelign that, or the box just isn't working right. Just what are you up to? ...practicing, really. Ahhh. ...Sorry we can't do the magic practice, by the way. Though sometime I'll have to show you my notes. You might be able to make use of them anyway. * Mikel twitches a finger, the sphere turning into a spiked ball. "We can practice other things... but I don't feel like risking having to kill the rest of me or something." Vytor's the one who gave me an idea to try it like this, anyways. Hmm! Is it working, do you think? Can't say until I try things a bit more complex than parlor tricks, I think. ...it works, I think. * Vytor pulls out a jewler's monicle, and takes a closer look at some of the smaller parts. * Niri holds still while Vytor messes with the box. * Mikel starts making the ball spin about in midair. "There's other stuff you wanted to hone a bit anyways, isn't there? Trune's honestly probably more powerful than I am but..." I suppose the fact that I only had myself to actually test it with means its not 100% suited to you yet. Well, it's all about elemental alignment, really. It's kind of like what I did with the Harmonic Engine when we fought the Prophetess. I think I may be able to take that technique and modify it to apply to a variety of types of willforce by altering the resonance with song magic... * Vytor tightens a few screws, "OK, give it another try Tanan. I think I've got the sensitivity dailed down enough." Elemental alignment? * Mikel mulls for a moment before making a gesture, dispelling his little trick. Right. There's a musical resonance that matches up with each element. And an interval that matches up with each planet. * Mikel gets back to his feet, raising an eyebrow. "...Huh. Is there one for each person, as well?" There's some doubt about whether there's actually a connection between the elements and the planets - Tanan doesn't believe there is - but the numbers still seem to work, at least so far. Oh, yes. At least, I hear one. It's a bit different though. People are bit more muddled and complex. The elements and planets have very clear tones, for the most part. The planets numbers change, though. Light's light. Well, that's true. Granted, I can't explain that. * Mikel taps a foot, thinking. "...Hm. Try to get an idea of mine then, I guess. I'm curious about something. Let me know when you've got a rough idea, since I haven't the foggiest how you manage that." Oh, I've got more than a rough idea! But what do you mean, how I manage that? Do you just... listen and hear it, I mean? Or is there more to it? Well, it's more like...I hear a constant musical resonance from pretty much everything. I can ignore it or shove it to the back of my mind, but it's always there. Kind of like...well, you can always listen to your heartbeat or your breathing, but you don't have to pay attention to it if you don't want to. * Vytor removes the jeweler's monicle from his eye, and he waits to see if his adjustments have done their job. * Mikel ahs, nodding. "Alright... now, let's see." * Mikel raises a hand, snapping his fingers before water suddenly spirals out from his hand and surrounds him. Instead of soaking him the stream of willforce infuses the elemental properties of water into his being, however. * Niri watches with interest, apparently concentrating on something. * Mikel blinks a bit, lowering his hand as droplets of water and cold wisps of air flow around him. "...and now?" Even his voice seems calmer, as well. * Niri tilts her head. "Interesting. That's very strange." Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not sure! See, it's like this... Neptune, that is, the planet, has an interval that's something less than a minor second. Actually it's more like a semitone. The difference sounds very strange to our ears, and very dissonant. It should be very jarring. I hear that...but I also hear a complex melody that's constantly resolving itself. That's unusual. * Mikel tilts his head. "Is... it the same melody I normally have, or something completely different? I haven't even tried aligning myself since the tower." Hm. I can see you hearing it, but I can't hear it. It's all relative to our velocity anyway, those numbers are nothing like its true motion. And you're ignoring its tilt and spin and.. *thunk, irritated face* Still too sensitive? * Mikel chuckles. Well, it could just be coincidence! I don't know, I don't have all the answers. I just hear the music. And Mikel, it's...well, it's the same melody, but parts of it are stronger now. Kind of...pushed to the forefront. * Mikel mulls. "...I see. You've got a way to align people to Thunder, right?" Sure, want me to zap you? * Vytor sets his jeweler's monicle again, and resumes his adjustment. * Mikel focuses for a bit, the water enchantments declining. "Go ahead." * Niri concentrates, sparks arcing around her briefly before jumping to Mikel. He glows momentarily with electric power. * Mikel can't help but chuckle for a moment, mind wandering before he shifts from foot to foot. He flicks his fingers a bit, sending electricty arcing this way and that around his person along with the general aura around him. * Vytor begins to look frustrated, as the machine he created refuses to behave as he expected it to. Hmmm. Well, that at least sounds right. Sort of. Maybe. * Niri frowns. "It's not what my calculations said it should be, though. Still, it's a bit closer than water..." Maybe you just prefer the electric me to the watery one. * Tanan makes a puzzled sign pop up this time * Mikel gestures with a hand again, sending little designs of lightning zipping this way and that. * Niri chuckles. "Well, lightning is my thing, after all...but I don't think that's quite it." I don't know. Either my numbers are off, or I could be totally wrong altogether. Who knows? [ Did the melody shift in the other direction? OK, how's that Tanan? Better? Still, there's always the musical resonance I know from before. There's something that just sounds RIGHT and I can try to shuffle it in that direction. You'll never get a pure reading from a person, though. And yes, it did. Whatever signifies the water part of you retreated, and the other part came forward. I.. think it's ok, Vytor? It's just a little... odd. * Mikel mulls, gesturing as the electricty starts to fade. "Now, is that just due to the elemental alignments or..." Your problem is likely that it's set for human emotions. * Mikel gives Tanan a look. Are you saying you don't have such things? * Mikel points a finger at him. "I need to talk to you later, I think." * Niri frowns. Probably not exactly. I can't imagine I work the same way. No glands. Or brain. * Vytor considers that Meh, more to it than just science. If that's the case, then I have to make some more radical adjustments. I think that's the issue here. Do you mind if I remove the box for now? This is going to take some redesign work. Niri, I suppose it is too much to hope that you got some impression of... myself? Myselves? Either or, when I used Gemini Storm up in the tower? I think the reason my theory seems off is because I'm trying to make it work scientifically, when it stems from what's a gut feeling. It's the same problem. Oh, I definitely did, Mikel. That's what gave me the idea to research this, really. Well, that and the books that I found. No, sure, go ahead. Unfortunately, I'm starting to think the books were far more philosophical in nature than scientific. It might even be better to make it command-activated or something. I could use it to lie that way. I mean, I could-.. _drat_. * Vytor detatches the box, and pockets his monacle again. Now now. ;) * Mikel closes his eyes. "Can you compare that to what you heard when I was aligned?" OK, I'm going to head back to camp and get to work. I'll see you all in the morning. 'night, Vytor. That's a pretty nifty thing you cooked up either way. Goodnight, Vytor. ...thanks. * Niri nods. "There are very strong similarities, but something is off when you split. I think the two haves are not used to having the opposite harmonies vanish. Good night, Vytor! You're welcome Tanan. Thanks for chatting with us! I'd love to hear you play sometime. Bring out your fiddle again, okay? Can do! * Vytor waves as he heads off, already pulling out his notepad and pencil out as he tucks the box under his arm. * Mikel takes a seat again, playing with a bit of sand. "Man, I missed the music? Figures." He nods towards Vytor before thinking. "I wonder if it's... them... myself... something expressing itself when I'm aligned to their element." I'm sure it is. What you need is really twofold. Well, honestly I'm more worried that I'm not completely back together. You need the separate parts of yourself to be able to cope with suddenly being separated, to deal with the dissolution of the harmonies. And you also need them to be able to continue to work together while separate, rather than becoming dissonant and fighting each other. ...both sort of require using the spell more though, doesn't it? Not necessarily! I think you could do a lot simply while being aligned. Hrm. Maybe. If you like, I'll work out some figures for you. I think I could try writing out some simple melodies that would work as harmonic exercises... * Mikel raises an eyebrow. "If this involves me attempting music we're doomed to failure. Warning you now." * Niri laughs No, it just involves you practicing elemental magic while aligned, while I work on some song magic to help tweak things. Once it "feels right" you'll know, and then you can search out that feeling on your own. Oh. That's better, then. * Mikel peers at Tanan. "Got any tidbits of wisdom to add, Prof?" ...I'm just hoping he's not irritated at Vytor. Or me. He's... right there, you know. Yeah, I know. ARE you mad at me, Tanan? Huh? Did you just space out or something? Not exactly. Any thoughts to share? Vytor's device has just made me wonder. It'd be interesting to hook it up to one of the elementalors. It's not really relevant to what you're talking about. Sorry. * Mikel rolls his eyes. "Sounds like an excuse I used in class once. Lines for a week, that time." He goes right back to laying down in the sand. "Hm. So elemental magic while aligned.. it's once way to go about it, that's for sure." He peers at Tanan again for a moment, blinking. "Uh...huh. They don't seem to have problems expressing themselves thought. Even with that... multiple mind thing." He shivers for a moment. "Still gives me the creeps." Yeah, I'm a bit confused about that. Is a mind the same thing as a soul? Or are they separate? And what does that mean for the Elementalors- DO they have souls? Hundreds, probably. * Mikel closes his eyes. "...vexingly, the Prophetess probably would be able to shed light there, seeing as she runs about tearing them out." He grits the last bit out, still quite angry over that mess though he manages to calm down a bit. "Well... Venus said, what, a hundred and forty something people's minds went into her making or something?" Just splitting jumbles up my head enough, I can't imagine a hundred other completely different minds in me as well. Yes. It's likely that those people're still bound up in them. But is a mass of humans human? Interesting paper, there. Too bad I'm not a student at the academy. Maybe Niri or Trune can write it out and graduate on that. Heck no, it makes my head hurt. * Niri sighs. "It also makes me sad, in a way." Hrm. I wonder how close their tone is to Niri's ideal elemental tone. They don't appear pure, to me. Darned close though. Well, if they /are/ made up of various minds it'd be set off a bit I guess. True, having a bunch of individual minds in there does throw things off at least a little. Maybe a lot. * Mikel shakes his head. "Honestly the only way to be sure probably would be to find the ones behind the project. Which isn't exactly possible now." Unless information survived the Devestation, anyways. Did you guys find anything helpful before I ran into all of you? Not a lot. Really, the best source of information we have is Dr. Webbly. * Mikel groans. He's awesome, but that isn't reassuring. ....Sobering thought, huh? Like you wouldn't believe. But he was THERE when it happened. His memory circuits are kind of damaged, though. I wonder what he was like before the accident! They could maybe tell us that. Last time I asked questions along that line with Venus Trune and Ryllan got on my case. So go figure. I suppose I could ask. I have a license to be insensitive. Hmmm. You actually have a point there! Sometime we'll have to work out a devious plan for you to get us this information. * Niri yawns. She notices that it's fairly dark now, and starting to get a bit cool out. * Mikel eyes Tanan again. "...Devious? He's just going to ask." He sighs, shaking his head. "Actually, Prof, I want to ask you something before we all turn in.. If you could give us a moment, Niri? I promise to not chuck him into the water or anything." Oh! *Niri looks surprised* I think that's all right...Tanan? You okay with that? Hrm? No, that's fine. Should I come back in a little while then, or what? * Mikel nods. "Sorry 'bout the trouble. I can bring 'im back if you don't want to trudge back out here I guess." Nah. Let's see if I can maintain this away from myself. Good practice. All right then. I'm heading back to camp. I have some reading I wanted to do before bed anyway... * Mikel nods. "'night, Niri." * Tanan goes dark, a translucent image of himself appearing in front of Niri. He flexes 'his' fingers, looking through his hands. "We'll see how long I can do this." Let me know how well it works! Eventually we're going to work out a way to have a fair pillow fight. * Niri smiles and waves, covering a yawn before heading off to camp. * Mikel raises an eyebrow, peering at Tanan. "...It's kinda reassuring to see the old you, actually. Also, pillow fight?" Last time I did this, she threw a pillow at me. You probably deserved it. Probably. So what's.... on your... hrm, this is hard when I'm not near. Sorry. What's on your mind? * Mikel sits up. "Hokay, so. I've got a question for you, really. It'll start from there. Just something that's been slowly nagging me lately." Once we settle the business with Zophar, chop him up into pieces, scatter 'em across the corners of the world after turning them to ash or shooting them up into space or whatever just in case... what do you see yourself doing? Don't know. Won't be any need for me, then. * Tanan sounds a little curious. "I wonder how long I'll last, actually." * Mikel gives Tanan a raised eyebrow. "Don't be so quick to discard yourself and everything. Would you be able to get put back into the academy's network? I don't think Niri would just ditch you, either." That's a possibility, I suppose. I'm not sure what the point would be, though. * Mikel rolls his eyes. "Newsflash, Prof. Just because you revealed you're a weapon crafted to help take out the jackass doesn't immediately send the friendships you made with everyone down the drain. You'd still have a life ahead of you and all." * Tanan smiles. "I'm not really a professor, you realize. That was just an excuse to keep an eye on promising people in the academy." * Mikel facepalms, running his hand down his face. "S'what I mean, though. We still think of you as Professor Tanan and all, I'm pretty sure. I do, anyways. A bit crazy, mucks with chaos magics, tends to knock me out with 'em..." * Tanan looks up at the sky, through his hand. "Might be a bit foolish of you. That's not really who I am. Oh, it's a fun role to play, I'll admit that. It's certainly part of me. Not the dominant part, though." * Mikel lays back down in the sand. "...the dominant part's just focused on axing Zophar though, isn't it?" A weapon will do what it's designed to. It might be important to remember that when dealing with the elementalors, as well. * Mikel frowns. "It's a rather depressing outlook. And harder to apply when the weapons walk and talk and act like people. What do they do after their purpose is carried out? If that part's job is done, won't there just be things like your role as Tanan left?" That's a good question. I don't know. Maybe that'd be the case, and maybe I would be a very dangerous thing to leave lying around. I guess we'll find out. * Mikel runs a hand through his hair, considering. "Maybe... but think about it a bit, at least. You do pretty well at being Tanan even with the objective of Zophar ahead of you. I'd wager a guess you'd do pretty well afterwards as well." Tch. * Mikel raises an eyebrow. "What?" I guess I still just don't understand humans. I really bug you all on some level, don't I. * Mikel rolls his eyes. "There's a joke there, but for once I don't feel like making it." He shakes his head, sitting up. "Understanding folks isn't something done easily even by ourselves. I dunno though, I think I'm kind of comfortable with it once the shock when you dropped that bomb on us wore off. What gets me is when you start saying your feelings and such don't matter, though." Or the thought of you just getting discarded at the end of this, I suppose. When it's all done, I can rest. It's as simple as that. Which means...? * Tanan turns to look at Mikel, his face and voice serious and cold. "Have you thought about what I'll be, if I continue to grow, and eventually make Althena's sword part of myself? You think I'm thinking of myself as _less_ than human? You don't imagine that Johnathan might have considered it dangerous to have something like that, something designed to kill, roaming free? Who knows if I'd even need the academy." If I were him, I'd have ensured that I couldn't. Or... ha. Maybe that's what this intention to sleep when it's all done is. [ Just another programmed response? Who knows. * Mikel shifts a bit, placing his arms on his knees. "...that's the trick, isn't it? How much of what you feel is 'yourself' so to speak and how much is put in as safety precautions. If you're wired to only bring the fight to things like Zophar though, it ought to be safe..." He sighs, mulling. "To be honest, I'd like to ask Headmaster Hylan about some of this as well with you around." * Tanan smiles mirthlessly. "Why do you think he's removed himself from everyone?" * Mikel taps a finger on his leg. "I dunno though. The impression I get from talking to you is more than just something in progress with a final shape both powerful and terrifying. It might be the time spent beforehand causing some bias, but well..." He starts to shrug again before looking at Tanan. "...if you mean at this moment, I'm going to hit him with my staff when we see him again." If it isn't because he's chasing Pandora from one tear in reality to the next, anyways. * Tanan waves a hand dismissively. "Bah. No, I meant before. He stays away, because it would hurt him to spend time with people, knowing he could help them, knowing that inevitably they'd depend on him if he did. But... why not? Maybe not make everyone's wishes come true, maybe not perform little miracles for people." But there are people out there who hurt other people for their own sake, or for fun, or because they just don't care. What would it cost to remove them? After Zophar, why shouldn't they be next? * Tanan shakes his head. "Of course, part of me disagrees with this. Some of those people might turn out to be all right. Who am I to judge?" To kill Zophar, yes. But to protect people, as well. I wonder. I wonder. * Mikel ...goes silent for a bit, looking up towards the sky. He works over Tanan's words in his mind, before finally nodding. "...not all in agreement with yourself? That's a human thing as well. Someone completely and utterly unshakable in their determination about something is a rare person indeed." He looks back over at Tanan. Protecting folks... requires something different from just chopping down the latest monster to spring up. You apply that approach the whole way you end up with another Illusion. We're probably gonna be facing that ourselves after all of this, aren't we? * Tanan smiles, more genuinely this time. "Killing the monsters is a good first step, though." * Mikel chuckles. "It is. We're here to handle what folks can't just yet. S'not like me, but I've been wondering about after all of this as well." He shakes his head, getting to his feet and brushing off the sand. "If you want to understand folks better though, maybe you should do something like ask them where they see themselves afterwards." We already know we're gonna work to put Zophar back into the box and all, but what we decide doing afterwards is what's gonna make the lasting impression one way or another. Maybe the best thing we can do after is let people sort it all out themselves. * Mikel nods. "We should at least in some way. Otherwise they won't grow." He looks back over at Tanan, grinning. "I don't see the others holing up somewhere afterwards though... I don't plan to, either." Ha. Perhaps not * Mikel spares the ocean another look before shaking his head. "Man, too serious for my own good. At any rate... I still recommend asking. Maybe it'll help, maybe it won't. Can't hurt, and you'll understand people better if you know their dreams." He glances towards the camp, chuckling. "No asking Niri though. You have an unfair advantage with that bond of yours." Perhaps. Either way... was that all? This is getting tiring. * Mikel snickers. "Owch, you're sick of talking to me already? Maybe it is a good thing I didn't take your class." * Tanan sighs. "Niri's moved rather far away, which means I'm rather far away. That's all." I was joking, Prof. * Mikel waves a hand as he turns back to the ocean. "That was it though. You've given me some stuff to think on as well, so I'll be out here a bit more.. maybe I just want to reminsice a bit as well. Either way, 'night." * Tanan nods, fading. "Night." * Mikel nods, gesturing with a hand as he starts manipulating the ocean waters as his mind wanders. "I wonder.." >> End, I guess!