Ephebe giggled in spite of herself.
"So...you were listening?" she asked Taron.
"You were loud. It reminded my of when we all shared a room and you were always snoring."
"What can I say, bro? When you're as great as I am, you deserve to have these things done by the best...which is me," he said with his most charming grin.
"You've got some food stuck in your teeth." Taron points out.
The kobolds bolt goes thru the swarm, on its way back down they devour it then drift off exposing the sun on him once more.
If left undisturbed Solivala finishes his work quickly. As the last mold is completed and disappears into the ground he takes to the sky. He stops at the center of the school just outside the wards, using his six orbs he starts to connect. A number of his gems go dark as the ritual comes to a close, his work is finished dispite showing no effect or signs. Only his eyes can see the changes or rather the addition.
"Now we wait, I wonder how long it will take for them to notice. If they do they will summon us."
He floats down towards the front gate but remains outside. He takes a small object from his pocket and tosses it before him. It grows into a clockwork gate with sealed doors. After a moment it opens, he walks thru. The gate seals itself shut once more and remains, a panal on the gate opens with a pair of clockwork hand holding a plate. It reads "Ask gate for directions"
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"You were loud. It reminded my of when we all shared a room and you were always snoring."
"You've got some food stuck in your teeth." Taron points out."What can I say, bro? When you're as great as I am, you deserve to have these things done by the best...which is me," he said with his most charming grin.
"That was Master Quo. Down the hall. Shook the walls. There was something seriously wrong with his sinuses."
"And that's because I was munching on greatness. Greatness apparently looks like spinach," he said with mock pride.
"Now stop keeping her in suspense or I'll sic Fieri on you. She's scary when she's mad."
Vakkler stares at the drow blankly from the window. "Alright. Either he's being overly elaborate or just an idiot, or he's trying some sort of attack." ::What do you think, scary voice in my head?::
He looks troubled for a moment.
"Fire bird versus thunder bird would be interesting to see." Taron says as he points to Feiri and Kamenwati, respectively. "As for keeping Ephebe in suspense, I'm not the one doing it. I haven't run from the room screaming after all."
"Besides, it wouldn't matter if you did sic her on me. I have an impenetrable pillow fortress."
"...yet" Krays adds with a smile, happy that this is going well for Ephebe.
"Fire bird versus thunder bird would be interesting to see." Taron says as he points to Feiri and Kamenwati, respectively. "As for keeping Ephebe in suspense, I'm not the one doing it. I haven't run from the room screaming after all."
"Besides, it wouldn't matter if you did sic her on me. I have an impenetrable pillow fortress."
"So...you're not freaked out that I'm in a different body than the one I left in before break and that this one has unknown demon modifications? Cause I'm freaked out by it. A lot."
Vakkler stares at the drow blankly from the window. "Alright. Either he's being overly elaborate or just an idiot, or he's trying some sort of attack." ::What do you think, scary voice in my head?::
He looks troubled for a moment.
::Looks like wards to me. I believe he is trying to impress us with his intelligence. Or his crafting abilities. Or both. Nothing to fret about.::
She sipped her tea again as she watched the display.
"I share a bed with someone who isn't in their original body and has unknown demon modifications. What do you think?" Taron says with a smirk and a glance to a probably-blushing-behind-his-illusion Kam.
"I share a bed with someone who isn't in their original body and has unknown demon modifications. What do you think?" Taron says with a smirk and a glance to a probably-blushing-behind-his-illusion Kam.
"Oh. I hadn't really thought of it that way."
"Sorry, Kam, didn't mean to embarrass you."
"Somehow in my head I thought this would be worse. I did some really awful things. I had to, and I didn't want to, but still. I did them. I've spent so much time hating myself for it I thought that everyone else would feel the same way."
"Sorry, Kam, didn't mean to embarrass you."
"He did. You know.. we're in the infirmary.. I could probably throttle him and he'd be fine..."
"Somehow in my head I thought this would be worse. I did some really awful things. I had to, and I didn't want to, but still. I did them. I've spent so much time hating myself for it I thought that everyone else would feel the same way."
Kamenwati gives Ephebe a strange look, like he thinks she's completely crazy.
"You hated yourself for doing what you had to to survive? Taron may be on pain killers, but even he's not that loopy right now. Come talk to me about this later and I can set you straight on the whole 'I did what I had to to survive but I hate myself for it' thing you've got going on."
"He's right, I'm not that loopy. I can't bend far enough to make a loop in my human body." Taron says with eyes that look slightly glazed around the edges.
"I guess you would understand better than anyone, Kam. Yeah, we'll have to talk later. But it looks like now we should all let Taron rest until the drugs get out of his system. And I have to go talk to Mom anyways. More difficult conversations. Yay," she said, making a face.
"Thanks for not freaking out, guys," she added more quietly.
"Don't worry, I'm freaking out on the inside." It takes a moment for Ephebe to realize that's a joke.
"You want backup?"
"Don't worry, I'm freaking out on the inside." It takes a moment for Ephebe to realize that's a joke.
"You want backup?"
"Honestly? Yes. Mom can be a trifle...pushy. But I don't want to take you away from Taron while he's...really, really drugged. How much did they give him? It's got to be at least enough to trank two elephants..."
"You don't want to see the needle." Kam says as he knocks down Taron's 'fortress' and watches the inevitable struggle for a while. "Let's go before the drugs wear off and he realizes how stupid he's looking right now."
"I will, of course, go if needed as well."
Taron stops struggling against the pillows as soon as the others leave. Glancing around like he's paranoid(he's not, really), he then reconstructs his fort so that he actually has room to move in it. A blanket rises off of a empty bed nearby and covers any holes that would allow light into the pillow fort.
With Ammy standing guard in the shape of a minuscule gargoyle, Taron creates a screen that shows him quite a lot of the universe and all the planes. He quickly enters a description of their most recent attacker. That guy had messed up their little getaway trip. Taron was p*ssed. He would find that guy and rip him into tiny little Hunter pieces.
He might even managed to get a wolf pelt coat.
Tom watches the dark skinned man walk around the area playing his little game, and ends the trip eating an apple standing on the inside of the gate.
Both of the turtles are walking around at Tom's feet.
A bird comes down from the sky to sit on the gate. A panal near by slides open and a clockwork hand comes out to shoo the bird. The bird promptly returns this time releaving itself on the gate. Another panal slowly creeps open this hand bearing a small rune inscribed tube like item, it points at the bird from behind but at an angle that clears the gate. The tube glows to life giving off a blast of fire akin to a dragon's breath, the bird is perfectly cooked and falls towards the ground. Yet another panal slides open this hand bearing a plate to catch the bird, another pair of hands places fruits and vegetables around the cooked bird with a garnish and light suace. Hands pass it from one to the other til they work their way down to mouth of the gate, it unseals the doors opening the gate. The hands toss the dish thru, then it seals itself once more. A large eye at the top of the gate blinks open, it looks around then shuts. Two clockwork hands with a rag and bottle clean the gate where the bird had stained it, once done they disappear behind a closed panal.
Tom seems to be happy when the bird lands on the gate. He leans over and speaks to the turtle.
Tom than looks up about the same time the bird gets cooked. He laughs a little grabs his turtles and walks off.
With the help of Kam and Krays it was a little easier facing her mother and explaining to her the truth about what happened to her in the time loop. It still made her sick to her stomach every time she said it. Maybe that would go away in time. Maybe there would come a day when she didn't loathe herself when she thought about all the things she'd had to do. But truth be told that day was still a long way off.
She was grateful to the others for keeping her mom on track and in listening mode long enough to get through the whole explanation. Mom had a tendency to try to fix things before she finished listening to the problem. There were tears, rather a lot of them, on both sides. But in the end Ephebe was assured that she was in fact still loved by all of her family and that nobody thought she was a monster. She still had some trepidation on that. After all no one had told grandma yet. And they still didn't know what had been done to her. Her mom took a small sample of blood, just a pinprick, but enough for the nanite medibots to analyze. Hopefully that would give them some idea.
About thirty gallons of rocky road later she was starting to think that maybe everything was going to be okay...
The shadows lengthened as afternoon wore into evening. There was still no reaction from the school to Solivala's gate. Evening darkened into night.
Well after dark a hole opened in the earth near where Solivala was waiting. Steps led down into the dark. A voice made itself heard in Solivala's head.
::You're welcome to come down and join me for a cup of tea as long as you behave with courtesy and good manners.::
The shadows lengthened as afternoon wore into evening. There was still no reaction from the school to Solivala's gate. Evening darkened into night.
Well after dark a hole opened in the earth near where Solivala was waiting. Steps led down into the dark. A voice made itself heard in Solivala's head.
::You're welcome to come down and join me for a cup of tea as long as you behave with courtesy and good manners.::
The gate's eye opens looking around then unseals itself opening, the plate disappears behind a panal. Solivala walks thru standing for a moment, he then turns as the gate reseals itself and shrinks back into a tiny version of itself. Using a minor spell it floats into his hand and he drops it into a pocket. He then makes his way down the stairs,
Tom will make his way to one of the gardens for the night
Solivala came down the stairs, quite a bit further down than he was expecting. At one point it seemed as if the stairs would never end, but eventually they came to a room, if you could call something the size of a small castle a room. The walls and floor were stone, and bits of crystal were imbedded in the rock here and there. In the center of the room there was a wooden table. On one side of the table there were crystals of varying sizes and shapes, many of them on stands to make it possible to easily view all of them at once. If he looked closely he could see images moving in the crystals, but he can't quite make out details. On the other side of the table was a tea service.
A woman sat at the table, observing him as he came in. She looked human, probably in her forties, a petite woman with long purple hair and violet eyes.
"Please, sit down," she said indicating a chair on the opposite side of the table from her.
Solivala came down the stairs, quite a bit further down than he was expecting. At one point it seemed as if the stairs would never end, but eventually they came to a room, if you could call something the size of a small castle a room. The walls and floor were stone, and bits of crystal were imbedded in the rock here and there. In the center of the room there was a wooden table. On one side of the table there were crystals of varying sizes and shapes, many of them on stands to make it possible to easily view all of them at once. If he looked closely he could see images moving in the crystals, but he can't quite make out details. On the other side of the table was a tea service.
A woman sat at the table, observing him as he came in. She looked human, probably in her forties, a petite woman with long purple hair and violet eyes.
"Please, sit down," she said indicating a chair on the opposite side of the table from her.
Solivala's orbs are back orbiting around him scanning everything with endless attention. Solivala himself pays attention to the crystals both in the stone and those bearing images. He takes his seat without a word, his orbs rise to the ceiling and expand to keep both the woman and Solivala in orbit. He waits for her to speak first.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" She asked, picking up the delicate porcelain teapot.
Solivala takes a moment.
"Yes, that would be kind."
She pours the tea, first for him and then for herself. She offers him milk and sugar, choosing to use neither for herself. She picked up her delicate teacup and took a sip of the fragrant steaming liquid.
"I've spoken with my daughter. It seems you and she got off to a bad start, young Solivala. Ah, forgive me, I have not yet introduced myself. You may call me Ryleh. I am not affiliated with the school personally, but since my daughter teaches there and my grandchildren are students I do try and keep track of the goings on. Oh, do please help yourself," she added sliding a plate of shortbread cookies closer to him.
She pours the tea, first for him and then for herself. She offers him milk and sugar, choosing to use neither for herself. She picked up her delicate teacup and took a sip of the fragrant steaming liquid.
"I've spoken with my daughter. It seems you and she got off to a bad start, young Solivala. Ah, forgive me, I have not yet introduced myself. You may call me Ryleh. I am not affiliated with the school personally, but since my daughter teaches there and my grandchildren are students I do try and keep track of the goings on. Oh, do please help yourself," she added sliding a plate of shortbread cookies closer to him.
Solivala takes the cup but does not drink rather holding it in his lap.
"She was.... taken aback by my ability or attempt to explain. I am unsure. I think towards the end it had more to do with her own past events or something to that effect. I have attempted to draw attention in the triditional manner of the Al-Sharaz. I must now wait."
The Al-Sharaz were a magically advanced civilization that disappeared hundreds of years ago on a far off world.
The Al-Sharaz had a tradition concerning their magical schools where only those who presented a worthy gift of magic were allowed to enter the grounds.
She chuckled. "Well, that does take me back a bit. The Al-Sharaz. There were a few, you know, who came here with the rest. But of course there were or how else would you know their customs? I believe there is still a remnant of them somewhere, but they are a poor imitation of their former glory and don't even remember their own history fully. Much like the rest of Agartha. It is a world full of forgotten things. It has even forgotten itself."
"How long has it been since you have had conversation with living people?"
She chuckled. "Well, that does take me back a bit. The Al-Sharaz. There were a few, you know, who came here with the rest. But of course there were or how else would you know their customs? I believe there is still a remnant of them somewhere, but they are a poor imitation of their former glory and don't even remember their own history fully. Much like the rest of Agartha. It is a world full of forgotten things. It has even forgotten itself."
"How long has it been since you have had conversation with living people?"
He takes another moment.
"It seems it has been long indeed, the Al-Sharaz was an empire at its peak when I left them. It did not seem so long ago to me."
He places the cup back on the table, you notice its empty. He then starts to take out a number of small tools on his lap. He removes small bars of various metals, then removes a couple of gems from his pockets. After spreading everything out that he needs between his lap and the table he touches a gem its light diming, he then takes a bar molds it as if it were water in his hands. After repeating the process the bars have been shaped into a number of clockwork parts that are spread out. With the last gem's light dimed he seems to be done with the metal's. He scoops up the gems putting them away, he then uses the tools to set the parts and finish constructing the item. Finally he clips the last part in, screwing it in tight. He puts the rest of his tools away, wiping the item with a cloth he puts that away when done. The whole process took only a few moments, his hands working with unnatural speed and precision.
"This should solve my problem, I simply never had a need for one myself."
He flips the completed item open, it is a pocket watch. You notice it is two clocks imposed on one another. The first moves to the current time, yet the second seems to run much faster. He stares at the clock for a moment.
"It seems the last time I spoke to a living being was over one hundred years ago maybe much more depending on your consideration of time."
"Interesting," she said, nodding at the watch. "It seems that you and my daughter have a great deal in common. But if you mean to keep up you will have to move fast. She seems to be stuck in permanent haste. I don't know where she gets it. Certainly not from me. Or her father for that matter. He was the sort who had to analyze every decision carefully before acting."
She set down her cup and picked up the teapot again.
"More tea?"
"Keep up.....I think there is a misunderstanding. Her nanite technology is based off my 8th generation proto type nanites, her modified nanites are akin to the 11th generation. My nanites are far more advanced in comparison. I am here to improve my wizardry among other things but my crafting is beyond any other. That is the reason many attempt to capture me. I would spend my time learning that which can be improved."
He takes a moment, seeming to look between the cup and pot.
"I am fine, the tea was impressive."
She pours herself another cup.
"The misunderstanding is yours. I wasn't speaking about nanite construction just there. Though that is one aspect. How long did it take you to develop your technology between the eighth and eleventh generation? And how many distractions did you have in the meantime? She did it in slightly more than two decades, presuming you've even analyzed the level of advancement of her creations accurately, while fighting demons and other assorted bad things, raising three children, helping her husband with the resistance, and teaching at her adopted brother's school. As a side project. I'm really not sure where she gets so much energy. Always moving, everything goes so very fast. Even the humans, who live such a short time it's like they're gone in a blink, even they move slowly in comparison, and I used to wonder at how they could flit about so." She shook her head. "I'd say it was the energy of the young, but even my grandchildren don't have quite so much energy as that."
"Thank you for your compliment about the tea."
"I have asked how long it has been since you engaged in conversation, but now I am beginning to wonder if you ever did. You do not seem to have learned the art of it. Is this accurate?"
She pours herself another cup.
"The misunderstanding is yours. I wasn't speaking about nanite construction just there. Though that is one aspect. How long did it take you to develop your technology between the eighth and eleventh generation? And how many distractions did you have in the meantime? She did it in slightly more than two decades, presuming you've even analyzed the level of advancement of her creations accurately, while fighting demons and other assorted bad things, raising three children, helping her husband with the resistance, and teaching at her adopted brother's school. As a side project. I'm really not sure where she gets so much energy. Always moving, everything goes so very fast. Even the humans, who live such a short time it's like they're gone in a blink, even they move slowly in comparison, and I used to wonder at how they could flit about so." She shook her head. "I'd say it was the energy of the young, but even my grandchildren don't have quite so much energy as that."
"Thank you for your compliment about the tea."
"I have asked how long it has been since you engaged in conversation, but now I am beginning to wonder if you ever did. You do not seem to have learned the art of it. Is this accurate?"
Solivala thought for a few moments.
"The time it took me to develop the technology in truth was none. I only create enough of what those who wished it desired. My current nanites are not perfect, they are as advanced as I would risk."
One of the orbs breaks orbit and hovers before him. It dissolves into a small black cloud, then reforms into a cube, then into a smaller model of Solivala, then into a bird, finally returning to an orb.
"I consider it very unwise to create something without purpose, even for myself. My ability to create is without limit, if it can be made then I can make it. Few of my captors ever had the foresight or knowledge to consider more then what I gave them, or the flaw of their own reason."
The orbs seem to stop a moment, then orbit once more.
"As for your assessment I would agree. I have often been spoken at rather then to. Those few who would speak to me quickly challanged my claims in crafting as many have before, it is disappointing when your only expertise exiles you from others. Few understand what other things they have or the difference between soulless perfection and art. Perfection comes easy to me in my craft, but it lacks.....life if that can be understood."
His head slightly turns to Ryleh.
"You think me prideful and arrogant as your daughter does?"
"Yes, I think you prideful and arrogant," she said with a wry smile. "My daughter thinks you are willful and selfish, though. Quite a different matter."
"Pride and arrogance are difficult things. They separate you from others, blind you to possibilities. Even in your area of specialty, there are always things to learn. Often from those you dismiss as your inferiors. And who is to say they are inferior? You? Are you truly the best judge of such matters? What if you are wrong? How will you ever know?"
She sipped her tea.
"It must have hurt at first, when these people who talked at you instead of to you treated you so poorly. As if you were just another tool and not a living being. I imagine it was a great deal easier to just stop feeling altogether. You are who you are now because of the choices you made then. However, it is not too late to make different choices, embrace different experiences. Learn how to live rather than simply exist. If that is what you wish then Avalon can help you. You would have opportunities there to further your learning in other areas as well, but for you I think the most valuable lessons are the ones in how to relate to and understand other living beings. Would you like me to help you?"
The orbs freeze in place, slowly shaking for a few moments. Solivala spares a glance at them. They once more begin to orbit slowly. He remains silent for a while.
"Yes"
He gives no hint of saying more, you notice an orb slightly jerk from time to time among the orbit.
"A wise decision. You are already starting to learn."
"For you, the first step is learning the basic protocol for what is expected of you in a school. For instance, if you are a student, then it is your responsibility to comply with requests from teachers. Whether or not you believe them to be your superior in ability. When you are given a punishment you must endure it as best you can without throwing a fit. Punishment, usually referred to as detention, most often occurs in an isolation chamber. Given your horror of confined spaces, I think that they will make an effort to minimize such punishments in your case, but if a teacher forgets you must keep your head as best you can and stay calm. Punishment usually occurs for either disobeying a teacher, for disobeying the school rules, which you will become better acquainted with during enrollment, or taking violent action against another student. It should not be too difficult for you to avoid such actions in the first place."
"A school is full of many people. You are expected to respect them, their personal space, and their personal property. Interfering with school property without permission will earn you punishment, or possibly expulsion, depending on how grave the offense. In general I would advise you to stay clear of the security systems and the medical systems without permission. If you show that you are willing to respect boundaries then you will earn trust and will be treated with respect in return. Because you are responsible for your creation," she said, nodding to the orbs, "you are expected to make sure that it follows those rules too and will be held personally responsible for any lapses on its part."
"If you think that you are capable of doing those things, then I will write a letter for you to take with you back into the school. It should help smooth out any further difficulties."
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With Ephebe's fears of familial rejection put (for the most part) at ease, Fei remains in the Infirmary while she, Kam and Krays go to speak with Mrs. Sunwake.
After a few hours there, he goes to the Cafeteria to eat a modest dinner, then returns to the Materials and Supplies building to check the shipment roster, and finally takes his rest.