action/text | a few days before the party

[imsorey]

i. action (locked to alisha/rose)

[Sorey and Mikleo have pretty much been sleeping like the dead for the past couple of weeks, following their accidental fight with the Dragon; their breathing is steadily, and they don't seem too debilitated by the long nap, but they also, worryingly, won't stir out of it.

until now -- both of them start to come awake at the same time, turning onto their sides, one of them letting out a queasy sort of groan. this is not an entirely pleasant revival.]

ii. text (open)

hey sorey and mikleo here

sorry if we worried anyone we accidentally got in an argument with the dragon again

we don't recommend doing that by the way. it looks like we were out of it for a couple of weeks. did we miss anything important?

iii. action (open)

[...or if you'd rather talk to them in person a little later in the day, they'll emerge from their room eventually, though probably nowhere too far -- kitchens, library, that sort of thing. they're kind of wobbly and look unwell, though not too terribly so.]

Comments

[superseding]

Is the Dragon something that can be made better? You make it sound like it can be healed or improved.

[ Her only frame of reference for the Dragon is secondhand, and nothing has been indicated that it's a problem that can be saved via the Power of Friendship to her. ]

[oneandmikleonly]

I'm not sure what the physical details of its illness are, but it's incredibly malevolent in a way we're familiar with, and another creature in the Void recognized the malevolence as its illness, and it's reacted to Sorey's powers. We couldn't do it on our own, it's too huge, but we do think that purifying it may be the same as curing it.

...though I can't speak for what it's like when it's well...it's possible it's naturally cranky.

[superseding]

Another creature? Do you mean the one that's... caged?

But I don't think it'll hurt to try to cure it. Even if it's cranky by nature, it should be a little more reasonable when healthy. Even if we can't become friends with it, maybe some agreement can be reached eventually?

[ The base has taught her the power of friendship solves a lot of things, but she can't think of it as a cure-all. ]

[oneandmikleonly]

No! She's smaller than either of those, and she's more in the upper part of the area than way down below. Chihiro named her Mamori...? You might actually like to meet her sometime. She's pretty nice.

[one of the datapads floats down, clicking through windows until it stops on a screenshot from the first drone that went down into the Void; that's her]

And, yeah, that's what I'm hoping. Maybe it'll at least be more willing to live and let live that way...considering how strong it is and how much influence it has on this planet I'd love to work towards that conclusion rather than resigning ourselves to fighting it.

[superseding]

[ Smaller is not wrong, but she's still massive.... Yikes. She won't lie to herself and say the thought of talking to something that huge isn't scary, but... ]

If she's friendly, I'll try to meet her. I shouldn't stay away from everything that could be scary... and Mamori is a cute name.

A lot of people seem to like nonviolent approaches to solutions. It's encouraging.

[ It also means less chance at reckless deaths, so that's a plus. ]

[oneandmikleonly]

Well, we have to try to live here, don't we? Looking at the planet as a live thing...I suspect it will tolerate a certain amount of violence in line with the native life -- most things have to eat, after all, predation is natural -- but if we start trying to hurt things indiscriminately, I don't like to think of the consequences.

Better to engage on friendly terms, if we can...I didn't like the idea of trying to deal with the Dragon violently anyway, even if we couldn't think of an alternative before. It's too...

[too personal]

...too risky. Too many unknowns.

[superseding]

[ They've lived on Iniidae for months, but Hotaru still grapples between wanting to stay there and wanting to go home. They do have to make the best of it while they're here, though. ]

I don't want things to lead to our mutual destruction. I'm all for trying to think of alternatives before we have no choice.

I don't want it to get to that point.

[ Hotaru feels an odd sense of deja vu. She shakes her head. ]

Have you... sung at it? Would the song that helped with the nightmares work on the Dragon?

[oneandmikleonly]

[he nods, then recalls and adds a mental noise of agreement, acknowledgement]

I don't...know? It's possible? The song that helps with the nightmares is also the song of the Dragon's rival, so they might cancel each other out. But maybe if we altered it somehow? Intensified the calming effect behind it?

[superseding]

[ Someday soon, she'll be able to see Mikleo.

Hotaru tilts her head to the side. Music isn't something she's that knowledgeable about. ]

They're rivals? That... kind of makes sense. Their songs sound a little similar to me, but... I don't know how to alter music like that. It... sounds like something Dave could do?

[ She doesn't actually know if Dave can do that or that he did try. ]

[oneandmikleonly]

I think so? He's good at working with music in general, in any case. With those spinny things he has.

[he hasn't inquired closely enough before to find out what turntables are]

Maybe he's done it before? I've never thought to ask.

[superseding]

Spinny things?

[ She has no idea Mikleo means turntables. ]

It's something to think about.

[oneandmikleonly]

You know, spinny music things . . . I don't know how else to describe them.

[hmmm]

Either way, it's worth talking to him about. All right.

[superseding]

Vinyl records? CDs? Turntables?

[ She flashes a mental image of each. There are more important things, but she has to solve this mystery. ]

[oneandmikleonly]

Turntables! Those! They don't look much like tables, though, what a weird name.

[superseding]

I... think it's because you can turn the records on the thing? I'm not sure, though.

[ Maybe this is another (equally important) question to ask Dave. ]

[oneandmikleonly]

Modern etymology is weird. I guess we can look it up sometime.

[superseding]

It makes more sense for the thing you see in Chinese restaurants.

[ She means lazy susans and brings up that mental image. Do they have those kinds of restaurants in Glenwood? ]

[oneandmikleonly]

[puzzlement filters through]

I've never seen one, but we ate at inns mostly, or on the road, so we likely just missed them. It's hard to do a reservation for six when the staff can only see two, you know?

[superseding]

Not everyone from your world can see you?

[ Did she know that? She thought it was because they're from different worlds that she lacked some prerequisite to see him? ]

But that would be awkward...

[oneandmikleonly]

I'm used to it...

Did...did I never tell you? Back home I know a total of, um, three humans who can see seraphim normally. It's a really rare ability...

[he sounds abashed; he must never have explained properly. he can't remember.]

[superseding]

Really? Everyone I know that's from your world can see you, so I didn't think to ask. Why can't people-- humans see you?

[ Let her in on this secret rare ability? ]

[oneandmikleonly]

They don't have...resonance; spirit sense. Sorey does since he was raised as a baby by seraphim, Alisha does since she made a pact with him before, and Rose does since...well, she got influenced by a seraphim for a long time, too, but it took a while for her resonance to trigger. We don't really know what the key to increasing it in the general population might be, though. Sorey can't just pact with every single human we meet.

[superseding]

Does that mean if... humans spend enough time with you or any other seraph, they can slowly gain resonance? Or do humans have to be born with that potential to have it?

[ She sounds thoughtful. It sounds like humans would have to spend years to gain that kind of resonance, and she stops herself from inquiring about pacts with Sorey. That's probably best asked to the person directly. Hotaru doesn't believe that she has any potential for any of the above, but for a brief, glimmering passing thought, she thinks it'd it'd be wonderful if she did. ]

Do seraphim and humans live together or apart where you're from?

[oneandmikleonly]

I don't...know. I think--by the time Sorey and I were really old enough to think about it, he had the ability already, you know? I never thought to ask Gramps if Sorey couldn't see any of our family as a baby. I kind of hope he was able to, though, that seems like it would have been a weird formative experience.

...seraphim do live among humans in the settlements and cities, sometimes, but they're really spread out. I mean really spread out. Even if malevolence weren't an issue, it's hard to live somewhere where there's a lot of people but they can't acknowledge you, is my guess.

[superseding]

[ How sad would it be for a baby Sorey to not see his family? Really sad. Too sad.

The whole humans not being about to see seraphim in general is upsetting. That so many wouldn't be able to meet, see, hear someone as wonderful as Mikleo is distressing. ]

I want to believe Sorey did, too. He's the kind of person who could--who would from the start.

The seraphim who do live among humans are strong. I don't know if I'd be able to do it, if I were... It sounds so lonely.