"Also, we need to schedule a conference with Vakkler and Michael Dacamara. I'm still working at retrieving audio, but visuals show a pretty nasty showdown between the two of them. And Dacamara has a lot more power than we previously guessed. He's the source of the earthbending that caused the unstable floors."
"After the fight I got in with Albin, it was like the headbutt I got jarred my telepathy into working. It let's me copy what other people can do, which is why I went to you for the private training gym. I didn't want it to train though. I got Sadie to come there and confronted her, throwing rocks at them until she put up a force field. I put rocks around it so they would fall on her the field gave out. I thought she'd tell everyone that had bullied me that I was going to fight back. I don't know why she didn't."
"After that I remember going back to my room and hearing this weird whispering. I looked around but nobody was around. A minute later I encountered Professor Relcav and when he was leaving I imagined dropping the ceiling on him."
"Before going to detention I mixed up artificial slurk pheremone. I only wanted to embarrass Albin, I swear! I didn't think the slurks would get violent..."
"Just before the invasion happened, I had blown off Professor Relcav because Saffire, a familiar I made in Alchemy, seemed sick and I was running to see Professor Ormarr. He told me to come to his office and when I did we got into an argument. He called my girlfriend a... a... I lost it and attacked him. I was going to kill him for what he said about her."
Wyrd listens for a moment, then whistles in an exact copy of one of the bird songs that Ehos can hear. After a moment a small and bright red songbird flutters down, perches on Wyrd's hand and looks at him with its head cocked to one side. Wyrd reaches down carefully and takes hold of the Ehos' wrist, turning his hand palm up. Wyrd puts a small amount of birdseed into Ehos' palm and then holds his hand with the bird close to Ehos's hand. The bird looks from the seeds to Wyrd and back. After a moment, it hops from Wyrd's hand to Ehos' and pecks at the birdseed. It stops a few times and sings before continuing to eat the seeds.
Ehos watches as the beautiful little bird jumps into his hand and begins eating, then singing. Ehos smiles sadly, listening to the song. If only he could sing along with it. The bird was indeed beautiful, as Wyrd had promised, though Ehos had no free hand to write anything.
*SQUEEE*"Oh, my gosh, it looks so good on you! Yay!" she said, clapping her hands in delight.
Vai does a little twirl, probably because she's so used to skirts flaring out when she does. The dress comes to about 2 inches above Vai's knees, so she doesn't thing it's too short. "I'm definitely wearing this tonight."
Aananda frowned. "Ah, Yes, I remember now. The footage. From during the invasion. We were supposed to schedule a conference with you..."
"Wait, what? A whispering voice?...Would you allow me access to your mind? More importantly, would you allow someone else I want to ask for help in this evaluation access to your mind?"
She sighed. "I'd like to look at your memories from your point of view first. Before we even begin to discuss potential punishments. And then I want you to be evaluated by someone else. There was someone who had access to the school who shouldn't have and there is a possibility that he might have tampered with your mind. I'd like to know if that was the case and if so to what extent. It certainly contributes to mitigating circumstances."
*SQUEEE*"Oh, my gosh, it looks so good on you! Yay!" she said, clapping her hands in delight.
Vai does a little twirl, probably because she's so used to skirts flaring out when she does. The dress comes to about 2 inches above Vai's knees, so she doesn't thing it's too short. "I'm definitely wearing this tonight."
"Good for you, Vai," she says, smiling. "I think it looks really stunning on you."
She sighed. "I'd like to look at your memories from your point of view first. Before we even begin to discuss potential punishments. And then I want you to be evaluated by someone else. There was someone who had access to the school who shouldn't have and there is a possibility that he might have tampered with your mind. I'd like to know if that was the case and if so to what extent. It certainly contributes to mitigating circumstances."
"I... I guess." Michael tells her. "No one's really been in my mind though."
She sighed. "I'd like to look at your memories from your point of view first. Before we even begin to discuss potential punishments. And then I want you to be evaluated by someone else. There was someone who had access to the school who shouldn't have and there is a possibility that he might have tampered with your mind. I'd like to know if that was the case and if so to what extent. It certainly contributes to mitigating circumstances.""I... I guess." Michael tells her. "No one's really been in my mind though."
"You're allowed to refuse. This isn't something I'd force you to do. It just makes the process of sorting out fact from perception that much quicker and allows me to really understand your motivations."
"How about this. I'll look at your memories and then you can decide if you're okay with someone else examining your mind for potential tampering. Only if you're okay with it. It's your decision."
"My... motivations?" Michael asks. "Okay, you can look, but I can't promise that my mind is a pleasant place. Just don't mess with anything."
He wasn't really sure how he felt about someone else digging around in his mind, but if it might keep him here at Avalon he wasn't about to refuse.
::I am beginning now.:: she sent into his mind, mostly as a courtesy since she wasn't changing anything so her presence would be difficult to detect.
Sifting through all of Michael's memories of the last few weeks was time-consuming. When she was finished she looked at the clock and realized it had been an hour and a half.
"Well, that was interesting. I'm sorry that it took so long. Would you like a glass of water or something?"
Vakkler heads to his office, wondering where Slarrow's got to.
Michael blinks several times before answering, trying to shake off the feeling of getting his mind read.
"Yea, that would be nice. What was interesting?" He asks, afraid of what the answer might be.
"I hadn't realized how chaotic the school was during that time when the anti-violence wards were down," she said evasively.
She hands him a glass of water.
"Michael....I think that there's a good chance that you were being influenced, but I'm not an expert in enchantment. Since she's had some experience with this particular person's work before, I'd like to ask Nala Zamarosok to examine your mind to see. If you're not comfortable with that we can have Miss Jones do it, but all she'll be able to tell us is whether mental influence was present, she won't be able to confirm the identity of who was doing it. At least if it's who I think."
"Good for you, Vai," she says, smiling. "I think it looks really stunning on you."
"Thank you Ephebe." Vai says excitedly, then launches in a long rambling speech about how she thinks she should do her hair, she'll need shoes to match the dress and oh, maybe she should get some makeup while they were in town...
"I want to know who did this." He says simply. "I probably wouldn't have gone that far off the deep end."
She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "No. I don't think you would. I'm not going to be able to decide the consequences of your actions on my own. I'll have to consult with the Headmaster. But the more information we have the better. I'll send for Miss Zamarosok now, okay?"
Aananda punched a few buttons on her wrist comm. "Jim? Can you hear me? Can you please send that little messenger thing you made to Nala Zamarosok and ask her to please come to my office as soon as possible. Er, you might want to add that she's not in trouble. I need her assistance on something."
Jim wakes, ready to get back to work, and in fact missing the smell of grease and particulants.
::Yeah, I can hear you. Will do.::
While on his way to the restricted lab, Jim activates his homunculi.
::Search for Nala Zamarosok, then tell her to report to Aananda's office.::
As he nears the lab, he can see it fly out of a nearby vent, ready to go about its work.
::Upon completion, return to the lab at once.::
Jim opens his hatch, and his homunculus workers get out. They get ready to work for hours at a time, and summarily do so.
Nala sighs as she leans against the window from her spot curled up on the window seat in the student lounge. It had been such a beautiful morning. She'd been looking forward to spending the day outside. The rain had petered out to a light drizzle and then stopped, but now outside was extremely wet. Not really the weather for laying out and taking a nap in the sunshine. Not that that was good for her. She needed cold and shade or she would get really sick, but she still loved the sunshine in spite of that.
A small silver ball zoomed up to her.
Please report to the office of Professor Sunwake at onceit said in a cold metallic voice.
She frowned. She didn't think she'd done anything wrong.
"Why would someone mess with my mind though? There are plenty of people here that are stronger than me, even now that I can copy abilities. Your son Jiminy for instance. I saw him teleport Albin at the same time he corralled the slurks."
"Why would someone mess with my mind though? There are plenty of people here that are stronger than me, even now that I can copy abilities. Your son Jiminy for instance. I saw him teleport Albin at the same time he corralled the slurks."
"From the beginning of the school year to not that long ago...more than a week, I think. Sorry, the days have started blurring together a bit. Anyways, during that time there was someone inside or rather underneath the school who shouldn't have been there. It was quite difficult locating, identifying, and dealing with this person. I imagine it would have been done in an attempt to create chaos and divert attention away from his own activities."
"So I was just in the wrong place at the right time for this person? I swear this school has it out for me sometimes."
"Considering your mind is still functioning and you retain self-awareness, you got off lightly. At least two of our former students will be lucky if they can ever understand rudimentary language again."
She was interrupted by a timid knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened slightly and Nala peeked her head in.
"Umm....you wanted to see me?" she asked nervously.
"Yes." She sighed. "Jim forgot the second half of the message, didn't he? You're not in trouble, Nala. Please, come in. This is Michael Dacamara. I need you to help me with something."
"It seems that Mr. Dacamara may have been mentally manipulated by the same person who framed you before. It looks like it to me, but I'm not an expert. I'd like you to take a look and tell me what you think."
"O..okay. If it's okay with you?" she asked Michael.
Michael takes a drink before answering, not knowing how long this was going to take.
"It's okay. I want to know just how much of what I did was me and how much wasn't."
Nala nodded. "Okay. Here, hold Vasya for me. She's my familiar so I'm really trusting you to let you touch her, but it will help me to have some contact with you and...I don't like physical contact," she said, looking away.
She handed the fox to Michael carefully. It sniffed at his face before curling up in a ball on his lap. Nala bent down so she could look directly into his eyes.
It felt like his mind was being filled with ice.
"If you think threats will get you any ground with me, you are sorely mistaken." Tyrrin was wondering what kind of monster this new person was, to have fangs such as he did. "However, I am not actively controlling the weather now, and yet it rains. So now, if I were to take away the rain, I could be distrupting people enjoying it. You see my dilemma." Tyrrin was much more calm now, using logic. Arguing. Her mother had taught her to never back down from a challenge as clear as this, or you risked showing weakness. But that didn't mean you had to be demeaning. Indeed, Tyrrin had used this boy's own arguement against him.
Taking a brief respite in the simple good flavor of a raisin muffin as he walks, Fei leaves the Cafeteria to ascertain the reason for the new elf's fit of pique. As he finishes his 'to-go' meal, he notes the rapidly darkening sky, and steps outside as the thunder heralds the start of rain.
The young monk looks around and spots the elf out on one of the greens, apparently in a conversation with Asch and Amada. With a sigh (and the quiet hope things will not be as confrontational as they were the last time they met in the Infirmary with Michael Dacamara), he quietly approaches the group.
"Is everything....alright?" he asks the two speakers with a quick bow beforehand.
Michael makes a little sound in the back of his throat as he feels his brain chill uncomfortably, but he keeps eye contact. A small sliver of brown in one eye turns blue briefly before turning back to it's original color.
Michael can feel warmth return to his mind as Nala withdraws.
"That was definitely done by the same guy. It's not a hatchet job like the other ones though. It's...like a seed. Right now it's dormant, but it has roots inside his mind. Basically as long as that thing is in there he's a walking time bomb. As far as I can determine, it seems to be designed to instigate murderous rage, encouraging normal frustration or anger into something more sinister. It needs to come out, but I'm not comfortable trying something that delicate on my own."
"That sounds about right, after what happened during the invasion." Michael says as he hands Vaysa back. "I tried to kill Professor Relcav when he insulted my girlfriend. He managed to talk me down though, somehow."
"So what do we do about the 'seed' that's in my mind, and who put it there?"
"We try to get it out. I'll need to talk to Ryo. And we'll need some help from Miss Jones. I'd like to consult with my mother as well. She may have some insight into how to undo this. Her specialty is clairsentience, but she knows more about the powers of the mind than anyone else I know. Nala, would you be willing to help as well? While they have more knowledge, the fact is you're the best person here at mind-manipulating magics. I think it's likely that the best chance of success will be if we do have you doing the actual removal."
"I...I guess. If I had help," she said reluctantly.
"In the meantime, Michael, I'm going to add an extra monitor to you, just in case. We're going to find a way to help you, I promise."
Her shoulders slumped a little.
"I feel responsible for this. The one who did this to you was my brother. I should have figured it out sooner, should have known there'd be a copy somewhere. I'm sorry. He's been dealt with now. Much more permanently than last time. His soul is trapped so that he can't come back again. Even when he infiltrated the school and started attacking my daughter...it took weeks to figure it out. And the damage that was done in the meantime...I know I'm not responsible for his actions, but it feels like I am, that it's my fault for not stopping him. I'm so sorry."
Tyrrin returned Fei's bow. If someone showed you respect, you had to return it. That's how you made allies. "Nothing whatsoever, Fei. We were having a conversation about the weather."
"So I guess I'm not going off-campus for a while, huh?"
Vai heaves her bags into the hovercar. So many clothes. She was very glad they brought the vehicle. There was like 30kg of clothes there! "Foof! Where to next?"
She shook her head. "No, definitely not. I think we want to keep things as normal and low-key as possible for you since anger and frustration could trigger an awakening of that seed thing. I'm seriously considering keeping you in semi-isolation for a while. I don't know. I don't want to keep you away from Miss Tanaka. Being around her seems to keep that thing in your head calm. I need to talk to Ryo about this."
Vai heaves her bags into the hovercar. So many clothes. She was very glad they brought the vehicle. There was like 30kg of clothes there! "Foof! Where to next?"
"Shoes, cosmetics, fencing gear, or music store....your choice."
"Don't forget the jeweler, either. There's some stuff I need to pick up there."
"Isolation was one of the problems! I was the only one here who couldn't do anything and got shunned for it!"
"Let's go to the jeweler first then." Vai agrees, waiting for one of her sisters to lead the way.
Phaezeriel finishes his fourth full tray at breakfast when a wave of utter exhaustion washes over him. Flying his tray back to the kitchen takes almost all his strength. Confused as to why he is so tired, Phaeze teleports himself to the infirmary and collapses in a chair in the waiting room.
After seeing the girl storm out Enre shakes his head before saying "Well come on than I got to see what you both can do before I can see if I can leave you alone should things turn bad." Enre than leads them to an empty practice room.