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Anson moves around the room, a frown on his face. His attention is clearly elsewhere, as though he's not looking at the machines, but into them. Through them. Before long, he's spinning a screwdriver between his fingers, occasionally stopping it to rap gently on the metal coverings of one of the machines.
And he's muttering to himself. "Help, help, help." No urgency in his tone. It's not a request. He sounds like he's repeating something he heard, and now using the cadence to measure his own thoughts. It's likely he doesn't even realize he's speaking.
He pauses at the center of the room -- the one place there aren't any machines -- frowns at the floor and paces it off. Shaking his head, he turns to the panel on the wall. He taps at the covering once, twice.
"Time to wake up," he whispers.
Nalo moves away from the spot that she was guarding when Anson gets to that area. Moving over she kneels near the purple-haired woman, "What are you looking for?"
Then she smiles, "I like the metal underlights you have."
Ceri looks up and smiles broadly at the compliment. She reaches back to touch something under her hair, looking a little self conscious for a moment. "Thanks! Most people want to kick me out of town when they see it. I like what you've got going on along your arms," she gestures to Nalo's tattoos. "Is that for channeling the electricity? I like them."
She pauses for a moment, then a little "Oh!" She moves her hands around in the debris. "I'm looking for... upgrades. Interesting things to plug in or chew on. The things I've set aside here," she points to the cast aways, "don't feel right to me. Things over here," she gestures to nothing, because she hasn't put anything in a pile to her left yet, "are things I might try out."
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Panamax walks over to the pile of Ceri's discarded junk. He cocks his head to one side, then the other. 1d3 ⇒ 3 He pulls out the thing which is flat and thin (and wrapped in plastic) and examines it.
"Time to wake up," he whispers.
For just a moment, everyone standing in the room hears a whisper in response to Anson's gentle encouragement. The panel opens, revealing a series of buttons with strange symbols on them.
It doesn't take many tries before Anson keys in the right code to open the door into a hallway.
The hallway is as uninspired as the room you were all just in. It curves slightly to the right, and then opens up into three different paths. The path to the left leads to a room with a gentle, and greenish, glow inside it. Straight, more hallway. To the right, same greenish glow, but much fainter and further away.
Tavene steps up to the doorway. "Kilo, I'll follow the group at the rear, if you want to stay near the front? Just in case?" She offers.
Nalo is distracted from her conversation with Ceri when Anson really opens the panel and she watched him work with fascination. "I saw the panel but..." she smiles, shaking her head slightly, "it is like it knew you."
She reaches down and picks up the two button remote. As the group moves on she walks next to Anson, "Can you tell me what this does?"
Nalo is distracted from her conversation with Ceri when Anson really opens the panel and she watched him work with fascination. "I saw the panel but..." she smiles, shaking her head slightly, "it is like it knew you."
"Only because I introduced myself," Anson reassures her.
"It understood you when you introduced yourself." Her voice doesn't hide in the least what a wonder that is.
Nalo slips the remote into one of her pockets after Anson's evaluation. The operation is one button or the other or both and it probably isn't the best time to experiment. She points to the left hand pathway, "Let's try that one first."
Ceri watches Nalo pick up the remote and leave without another word. For a few moments she watches the other woman, then shrugs and goes back to her work. She picks up something with wires, tucks it into her pocket, and stands.
"Left is good."
Panamax moves along toward the middle of the group. He's not scouting ahead, but he's not exactly taking up the rear either.
To the left it is!
The first room you come across has a clear tube running along one of the walls, disappearing into the opposite wall to outside of the room. It's clearly the source of the green glow, though you aren't sure if it's a liquid or something else in the tubes.
There's nothing else of interest in the room aside from smaller piles of debris that Ceri hesitates at.
You move along, taking a left through a long hallway that the glowing green tube cuts across the ceiling of, disappearing again into the wall. The hallway twists and turns, branching off several times, but you group lefts and lefts until you reach a room that narrows enough in the middle that it could almost be considered two rooms.
The furthest half of the room turns into a circular chamber. Projecting from the wall, a set of spindly mechanisms pulse with jolts of energy that arc from one spindle to the next, stop, and start again intermittently. There are no other machines in the room, but there are a few strange tables with drawers and more piles of junk.
Of which Ceri immediately gravitates towards and finds something to "ooh, ahh" at.
Jarris appears to be relaxing as the group moves through the complex, where Tavene seems to be more tense with each room they pass through that nothing happens in.
Panamax looks around at things but none of it seems to pique his interest. "Oh boy. Things.
Once it becomes apparent that nothing interesting is going to present itself immediately, Nalo walks along side Ceri for a bit. Sorry," ducking her head a bit. "I didn't mean to walk off midconversation like that but I didn't think Anson would get the panel open that quickly."
One hand motions to the other arm, "I have these because I channel electricity. They were barely noticeable once upon a time but they grew when I got my control down."
"What do you hope to make better with what you find here?"
Drawn to the pulsing energy, Nalo moves and watches the intermittent force. "Do you think it's dying and needs a charge?" Concern darkening her voice.
Ceri regards her coolly for a moment before smiling. "I can't blame a gal for being interested in machinery."
To Nalo's question, she taps her lip. "I think everything can be improved. One day, I'd like to be an entirely different person from what I used to be." Her smile is still there, but something in her eyes has gone a little distant and dark. "There's something comforting in a change I can control that way."
Panamax walks toward the intermittently-arcing lightning. He watches it, nodding his head as he does so.
Panamax walks toward the intermittently-arcing lightning. He watches it, nodding his head as he does so.
With the nod Nalo looks more carefully at the machine trying to find the safest place to apply energy. Her thumb plays over the pads of her other fingers, a brief spark in the gloom at each touch.
"It understood you when you introduced yourself." Her voice doesn't hide in the least what a wonder that is.
"Well, yeah. Otherwise I'd be..." a guilty glance at Sherine. "So, left it is! Left's a good way."
The furthest half of the room turns into a circular chamber. Projecting from the wall, a set of spindly mechanisms pulse with jolts of energy that arc from one spindle to the next, stop, and start again intermittently. There are no other machines in the room, but there are a few strange tables with drawers and more piles of junk.
Of which Ceri immediately gravitates towards and finds something to "ooh, ahh" at.
"What'd you find?" Anson asks.
Kilo looks thoughtful as he considers her words, "That's a good idea." he says, then adds "Can I see it?"
"If you can decipher my scrawl, you'd actually have a chance of understanding it." A shrug in the dark, "Since it is my deepest hidden thoughts, it is written half in Truth and half in Mother's Tongue."
A breath out, "Maybe. Let me make sure there isn't anything too embarassing in it, k?"
Another pause, though not nearly as long as hers. His head shifts slightly, so that he can look at her face out of the corners of his eyes, "I think I would like to help you do that U'i, if you will have me that is." he says earnestly.
She smiles at him gently, "As long as you don't try to protect me from what I want to do. I left home because I wanted to figure out what I can do, what I can become without everyone trying to keep me safe. If you can do that then I'd be very happy to have you as a companion on my journey."
After a closer look gives her no greater insight, Nalo carefully puts her fingers at the base of the spindle on the side where the arcs start. A pause, "Might want to back up, I've learned how to control this pretty well, but the when I was learning," a wince, "I have a few scars from blowing up things."
Then she lets power flow into the machine.
"I think everything can be improved. One day, I'd like to be an entirely different person from what I used to be." Her smile is still there, but something in her eyes has gone a little distant and dark. "There's something comforting in a change I can control that way."
huh mmm Nalo is quiet for a few turns of the hallway, "While I do think most anything can be improved, I've always believed the core of who you are shapes what you come into contact with as much as it shapes you. I don't know if I'd want to lose everything I started as because then you'd no longer be you."
8/29 8:48am
8/29 9:00am
8/29 7:38pm
When she walks away, she looks pleased with the outcome of the conversation with Ceri, then moves to stand next to Kilo.
"What do you do, to entertain yourself in places like this?"
Kilo glances at Tavene as she approaches, his lips form the hint of a smile, then scan the room before becoming unfocused. "Concentrate on breathing." Kilo says, to all appearances completely serious. He breathes in through his nose as his hand circles to palm facing upwards, fingers together. As his hand stops, so does his breath. Then circles slowly back down, breath moving past his lips in a measured fashion to match the movement of his hand. "And any movement that might signify trouble." After a significant pause he flashes her a grin, that belies his steadfast appearance, "and sometimes something really interesting pops up."
Tavene steps up to the doorway. "Kilo, I'll follow the group at the rear, if you want to stay near the front? Just in case?" She offers
Kilo nods, separates himself from the wall, "Got it."
"I saw the panel but..." she smiles, shaking her head slightly, "it is like it knew you."
"Only because I introduced myself," Anson reassures her.
Kilo cocks his head, considering that.
Drawn to the pulsing energy, Nalo moves and watches the intermittent force. "Do you think it's dying and needs a charge?" Concern darkening her voice.
Kilo's attention snaps into focus on Nalo...until he decides she is not about to try to become one with the energy.
After a closer look gives her no greater insight, Nalo carefully puts her fingers at the base of the spindle on the side where the arcs start. A pause, "Might want to back up, I've learned how to control this pretty well, but the when I was learning," a wince, "I have a few scars from blowing up things."
Then she lets power flow into the machine.
He opens his mouth. Visibly clamps down and ends up saying nothing. He breathes out heavily but silently, shakes his head and makes sure the others have given Nalo and the machine some space.
To Nalo's question, she taps her lip. "I think everything can be improved. One day, I'd like to be an entirely different person from what I used to be." Her smile is still there, but something in her eyes has gone a little distant and dark. "There's something comforting in a change I can control that way."
Kilo looks back from his position at the front, just for an instant. He shakes his head and refocuses on the way ahead.
"If you can decipher my scrawl, you'd actually have a chance of understanding it."
Kilo perks up. It looks like he might be interested in that challenge.
A shrug in the dark, "Since it is my deepest hidden thoughts, it is written half in Truth and half in Mother's Tongue."
He merely looks confused. Not at all disheartened, but confused.
A breath out, "Maybe. Let me make sure there isn't anything too embarrassing in it, k?"
"Deal! he says quickly and maybe a little too exuberantly. He finds his right hand moves the inch or two necessary to give Nalo's left a little squeeze, then releases all pressure, allowing hers to withdraw if she wishes. "Thank you, 'ui."
She smiles at him gently, "As long as you don't try to protect me from what I want to do. I left home because I wanted to figure out what I can do, what I can become without everyone trying to keep me safe. If you can do that then I'd be very happy to have you as a companion on my journey."
Kilo just smiles, saying nothing.
I am in the room with the lightning, Panamax thinks. I will go near it. Where should I look? What should I do?
See the tubes here? I'm trapped within them. There are valves near by. Please, help me, open the valve.
It's in the chamber just before the circular chamber; the green-lit tube that runs along the wall does have a few valves near one of the corners.
As Nalo's power moves through the machine that spits lightning, the hair on everyone's bodies stands straight up. The sound of snapping and crackling fills the air, and then...
Nothing.
The machine powers down, apparently overloaded by the additional boost of electricity. When it was activated, it looked like a single-function machine. But now that there's no electricity, you can all see that it has different pieces welded onto it.
Although the machine is off, the green tube in the other half of the room is still glowing gently, and seems to be pulsing.
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"What'd you find?" Anson asks.
When Ceri looks up from the pile and turns her head to face Anson, she's wearing a ridiculous set of goggles that don't have an obvious purpose, as both lenses are thick and opaque. She grins, staring in his general direction for a moment, then turns to address the air somewhere near his right shoulder.
"Well, these might have been something interesting at one point, but I also found these."
She pulls the goggles off and reorients her gaze to where Anson is actually standing. She brings up a vial of liquid in one hand, and a piece of metal with a plug at the end of it in the other. The metal object is about as long as her pointer finger, and just a couple of centimeters thick.
"It's amazing what can be found in overlooked piles of garbage." She sets both items down carefully, then pulls the sleeve of her shirt up on her left arm. There's a delicate looking port on her wrist she tries to match the plug of the metal object to with no success.
"One of these days, I'll find something that fits this. Is there anything in particular you'd like me to keep my eyes out for?"
"While I do think most anything can be improved, I've always believed the core of who you are shapes what you come into contact with as much as it shapes you. I don't know if I'd want to lose everything I started as because then you'd no longer be you."
Ceri stares at Nalo for half a minute in silence. "That's fair, but maybe I want everything but the core of me to be someone else." She smiles abruptly. "But that's the beauty of everything that old worlds have left behind."
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Tavene smiles when Kilo demonstrates his breathing technique.
"I traveled, for a while, with a man who claimed to be a Master of Breathing. I'd never heard anything so ridiculous in my life, but after a few days..."
She steadies herself, closes her eyes, and places both hands on her stomach. She takes a deep breath with a slightly open mouth, a breath that seems to stretch longer than it should and fill more of the inside of her than space actually allows.
The exhale is just as slow and precise, and her whole demeanor changes as the breath leaves her. Her face relaxes, her shoulders drop, and she seems smaller. More vulnerable, and at the same time, stronger.
She opens her eyes. "I forget to breath that way most of the time. But when I do, I find I'm relaxed and able to pay more attention to what might be going on around me. And, hopefully, nothing really interesting pops up to interrupt me, and kindly waits until I'm done."
She cocks her head as she looks up at the taller man. "The hand motions make it look like you're conducting music."
When Ceri looks up from the pile and turns her head to face Anson, she's wearing a ridiculous set of goggles that don't have an obvious purpose, as both lenses are thick and opaque. She grins, staring in his general direction for a moment, then turns to address the air somewhere near his right shoulder.
"Well, these might have been something interesting at one point, but I also found these."
She pulls the goggles off and reorients her gaze to where Anson is actually standing. She brings up a vial of liquid in one hand, and a piece of metal with a plug at the end of it in the other. The metal object is about as long as her pointer finger, and just a couple of centimeters thick.
"It's amazing what can be found in overlooked piles of garbage." She sets both items down carefully, then pulls the sleeve of her shirt up on her left arm. There's a delicate looking port on her wrist she tries to match the plug of the metal object to with no success.
"One of these days, I'll find something that fits this. Is there anything in particular you'd like me to keep my eyes out for?"
"That's a nice look for you," Anson deadpans.
He watches her play with the port for a moment, frowns slightly, but whatever words were in his head never get a voice.
"Thinking machines are best. Or, at least, the bits of themselves they leave behind."
"I wouldn't get much done with them on, but at least I'd get not much done in style."
She nods after his second comment. "I haven't found anything here like that, yet. But as soon as I do, I'll interrupt everything you're doing to tell you about it."
After a moment, she holds out the goggles. "There might be something in the lenses you can use? They seem too heavy and jangly to just be glass." She jangles them for effect.
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As Nalo's power moves through the machine that spits lightning, the hair on everyone's bodies stands straight up. The sound of snapping and crackling fills the air, and then...
Nothing.
The machine powers down, apparently overloaded by the additional boost of electricity. When it was activated, it looked like a single-function machine. But now that there's no electricity, you can all see that it has different pieces welded onto it.
Although the machine is off, the green tube in the other half of the room is still glowing gently, and seems to be pulsing.
"Hōʻino wale." Nalo curses under her breath as the machine powers down.
"I think I killed it." Looking down at her hands.
Ceri stares at Nalo for half a minute in silence. "That's fair, but maybe I want everything but the core of me to be someone else." She smiles abruptly. "But that's the beauty of everything that old worlds have left behind."
Nalo considers the words, her mouth starts to open, then closes in a soft smile.
"I wouldn't get much done with them on, but at least I'd get not much done in style."
She nods after his second comment. "I haven't found anything here like that, yet. But as soon as I do, I'll interrupt everything you're doing to tell you about it."
After a moment, she holds out the goggles. "There might be something in the lenses you can use? They seem too heavy and jangly to just be glass." She jangles them for effect.
"Thanks," says Anson, clearly touched. "I'll do my best to find something disgusting for us to drink. Maybe some engine degreaser. Or... antifreeze." He accepts the goggles, inspecting them closely. He pushes his own up his forehead, exposing his eyes to natural light. They're brilliantly, unnaturally green. After a moment, he covers them again with the goggles, wraps his new treasure in an oilcloth, and stows it in his pack.
"I think I killed it." Looking down at her hands.
"But it was an impressive display, just the same!" Jarris offers with a smile.
"Thanks," says Anson, clearly touched. "I'll do my best to find something disgusting for us to drink. Maybe some engine degreaser. Or... antifreeze."
Ceri puts a hand to her heart. "Antifreeze! How did you know!"
At the reveal of his eyes, she looks like she wants to ask questions, but says nothing and turns her face down to hide a small smile instead.
After Nalo jump starts and overloads the machine, the sound of it shutting down is what catches Ceri's attention.
"Huh. I wonder if that shut something off somewhere else? Or... is there anything interesting on the machine now that it probably won't kill you if you touch it?" She gets up, dusting off her knees as she wanders over to the silent machine.
Panamax leaves the circular chamber, comes back in.
"Any of you good-with-machines types want to look at a set of valves before I start opening them?"
Ceri puts a hand to her heart. "Antifreeze! How did you know!"
At the reveal of his eyes, she looks like she wants to ask questions, but says nothing and turns her face down to hide a small smile instead.
After Nalo jump starts and overloads the machine, the sound of it shutting down is what catches Ceri's attention.
"Huh. I wonder if that shut something off somewhere else? Or... is there anything interesting on the machine now that it probably won't kill you if you touch it?" She gets up, dusting off her knees as she wanders over to the silent machine.
The interplay draws Nalo's attention from her hands, a wistful twerk to her lips. When Ceri comes over, "Figuring out machines is a love hate relationship," a shrug, "As evidenced by this poor guy's death."
Edit... yeah that's about right for Nalo's mood
The voice is silken and pleasant in your mind, like a warm blanket. Or delicious, creamy cheese. There's the slightest hint of impatience at its last comment, and it's the first time Panamax has picked up anything other than 'pleasant neutral' from the creature.
Nalo points out a few really obvious things to Ceri, stuff that Nalo is pretty certain the other woman has already noticed. "I think we can take some of these off..."
A little frustration but mostly stark curiosity, "But how do we figure out what they do?" Her grey eyes asking both Ceri nearby, but she then turns to Anson further away.
"Hmm..." Ceri leans forward, eyes mere inches away from the machine's pieces. If it were to start up again, it's certain she'd get a face full of lightning.
She pokes one of the pieces with a finger, and then takes a multitool out of her pocket and prods at a few of the pieces. "This is very shoddy work." She criticizes the past.
She turns her attention back to Nalo. "One of the most equally frustrating and rewarding things on these sorts of trips is exactly this. Machines with purposes we'll never understand. Machines that work in multiple ways, and even if we see one, there might be five more we'll never see." She taps her tool against one of the most out of place looking pieces. "This for sure doesn't belong here. But as to what it does, or what it did?" She grins mischievously. "Pull it apart and wave it around a little!" She takes a few steps back, gesturing for Nalo to have at it.
Not that he's checking the Nano out, but Jarris has glanced back towards where Panamax is wandering around in the other chambers a few times.
"There are valves? Whe... oh." His eyes fall on the aforementioned valves in the other room. "I'm not good with machines, but I would advise you not stand directly underneath the glowing green stuff if you do open one. It might stain your clothes."
Nalo pulls a small tool pack from the side pocket of her bag. Starting with the obvious pieces she knows doesn't belong she disassembles the dead machine. She slows down once she is past the obvious bits, working with an absorbed focus, fingers trailing components in an attempt to keep like together and discreet apart.
She makes three piles as she goes.
"Thanks for the advice," Panamax flashes a smile at Jarris.
"I'm going to go let out this thing that's trapped in the tubes."
Panamax wanders back out of the circular room.
Nalo is a little careless with the disassembly of the machine, but seems very focused on each piece as it comes away from the whole.
Although most of the pieces all look to be roughly the same age, you do find a few pieces that would fit comfortably in the first pile you've created. The most interesting pieces of these are the something that looks vaguely bird shaped, a cog with some foreign script on it, and a strip of metal with a reflective piece of glass embedded in it.
Your second pile is the smallest of the three; you found a rectangle that, with a little bit of playing, turns into three smaller cubes that are nearly impossible to pull apart due to magnetism. You also found something that looks like a wrench with an odd assortment of wires hanging out of it.
The third pile is, as described, Everything Else. Springs, strips of metal, spikes.
As you're sorting through these things, you wonder why this machine was so cobbled together. You don't get a sense that there's any magnetic pull coming from the larger machine, but it was almost like...
An altar?
In the other chamber, Panamax begins spinning valves. After a moment, a panel slides open in the side of the tube above his head.
No green goo falls out of the tube, but several ropy tendrils made of energy reach out to grope at Panamax's face. Specifically his beautiful blue eyes.
Because he was specifically (not) checking Panamax out, Jarris sees this happen and shouts in response. Tavene whirls around to see the tube open, and she runs towards that side of the large chamber.
"Hi," Panamax says to the energy.
The creature sounds remorseful as it tries to devour your eyes. Rather than plucking them from your head, your vision is obstructed by a very pleasant glowing light and an unfortunately intense pain in your head.
A wash of strange pleasure or content washes over everyone in the room for just a moment as the energy tendrils try to pull Panamax's eyes from their sockets. Panamax seems to be frozen in place, as though he's quite content to have an energetic being trying to make a meal of him.
I was hoping to save my eyes for later
But living tissue is so rare, so delicious
It sounds slightly distracted.
I would agree more if I was less your meal. Don't eat all of me now, please.
Anson runs to the doorway and pauses, furrowing his brow and muttering to himself. "Off, off, off."
Having Tavene, Anson, and anyone else in the room running towards Panamax is enough to cause the creature to retreat to the safety of its tube. The panel is left open, but no energy tendrils seek meals outside of it.
There is no machine to follow Anson's muttered command, but spinning the wheels on the valves near Panamax does seal the tube shut once more.
Jarris and Tavene both skid to a stop near Panamax. Tavene has her sword pulled, while Jarris is going through his many pockets for something that might be of use to the frozen man. Ceri definitely doesn't lead the pack; her focus on what was in the other room distracted her mightily from the commotion in the other chamber.
"Are you okay?" Jarris asks with concern. After a few moments of no response or movement - "Of course you're not okay, you just had an energy monster try and steal your eyes out of your head." He lets out a grunt of frustration as he can't seem to find what he's looking for. "Not that I blame it. They are your best feature." He shakes his head. "Sorry, that was probably an inappropriate time for a joke."
He presses slender fingers against Panamax's throat, feeling a pulse and relaxing. "You don't seem to be obviously hurt... if you still can't move in a few minutes..."
He turns to Nalo. "Maybe you could give him a little jolt?"
Anson holds up a finger. "Wait. Hold on." His head cocked, his fingers twitching, he approaches the pipes. "Where are you? C'mon now, where are you? Been looking for someone." As he gets to the valves, his hands play over the surfaces as though looking for something.
"Panamax?"