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Once she had the drone in place, and figured out what was going on, Raelle flitted back and forth between the display and doing what she'd came here for, which was inspecting the mechs. Sighru finally got impatient with this and set up a portable screen for her so she could keep track of both at the same time. Or more accurately so Ardiente could keep track of the screen and tell her what she'd missed while she was making lists of what adjustments the mechs needed before they were fit for use.
Raelle takes to the controls with surprising ease for someone who can't even drive a skimmer without crashing. It's possible that the higher degree of complexity is actually helping. Or it's just dumb luck. She's able to follow the 'I didn't tell you this' instructions to get sound to go with the picture. A couple minutes of listening shows that the scene is indeed one of crisis as several people were murdered including Embre Soleil and Fieri's mother. The gathering had turned to complete chaos. The scary blonde woman ordered a recess to let emotions die down. The gathering was expected to reconvene later that day in order to decide on a temporary government to see them through the move to a new location. Whoever she is, she is either respected or feared enough to get the rest to obey her at least for now. She also insists that the trial of the del Sols be put off until the next day as they had to have a government before they could reasonably try anyone and there was obviously more evidence to collect in light of these recent developments.
Doing just that, the lava bender looks to the screen "Yeah, you'll definitely need to zoom in closer, but you were right. This is a much better, and safer, way to see what's going on." She nodded as she adjusted the dials. The image zoomed in close enough that individuals can be identified. "There's Fi and James. There's my dad. I don't know who that lady is but it looks like she'd bossing people around. People look really upset. Oh. They're leading more people into the holding pen. More of my grandparents' victims, I guess...." She turned her attention back to Sighru. "Hey, is there any way to get sound on this thing? Or is it visual only?" she demanded. Sighru shook his head. "No sound. Not unless we send a drone to that area to transmit it back to us...oh, fudge..." he said as Raelle's eyes lit up. "I'm not authorized to do this...."
As Raelle had Sighru showing her how the observation program worked, the other crew member tapped Ardiente on the shoulder. "Do you think this is going to take a long time? Velys is downstairs waiting for her and I'd like to let him know if he should go and take a coffee break now instead of hanging around," the large half-orc said in a voice so quiet it seemed like it was apologizing for existing. She let her hair fall over her face in a gesture that was familiar to anyone who had spent a lot of time around Vai. Whoever this woman was, she was clearly shy around new people.Sensing the woman's shyness, the young monk smiles pleasantly "You better have Velys go on his break now. Raelle is learning something new, and knowing her, she might be here awhile." He says, placing solid emphasis on the last word. She nodded and shuffled off. "So if I adjust the dial like this, it magnifies the viewing area?" Raelle asked, not waiting for an answer before she started turning dials. Sighru tried to object, but she was going too fast for him to get a proper word in edgewise. He was starting to get a horrified, worried expression as it occurred to him how much trouble he could get in for not stopping her. "Oh, look, Ardiente, there, check it out on the screen! You can see it from here. That's a lot of people. I think I need to set it a little closer though. From here all you can see is the tops of their heads..."
Raelle brightened and then stopped, face falling again. "No, we shouldn't. It might make things worse. If there's one thing I had drilled into me over and over last night it's the importance of not rushing into things without thinking first. Come on," she said, getting an idea. "Lead the way to the hangar. James said there was a mission control center there, right? What are the odds that they don't have some kind of observation program running there? I mean, they have to know where trouble is so they can send you guys to deal with it, right? And I'll need to know how it works, after all..."The young monk catches up his girlfriend in a big hug "Raelle, you really are a genius! Let's go!" With that, he grabs her hand, and they make their way to the hangar, and the mission control center. They hurried to the hangar and Raelle was impatient with the security scan even though it was fairly quick, and then they were inside the ready room, a large room lined with lockers for all of the pilots to store their flight suits when not in use. Lockers were marked with their call names rather than their real names. Through that room was a hallway lined with training rooms, and at the end of that hallway was the entrance to the hangar proper, the mechs inside lined up in rows like toy robot soldiers....except their size made them seem like anything but toys. There is a stairway leading up to the catwalks where the command center was located. Raelle barely even glanced at the mechs as they passed them on their way up the stairs she was so focused on finding out if her sister was okay. The control center was located on a large platform looking over the hangar. It was lined with various machines and computers all focused right now on basic surveillance. There were only a couple of people here now, although there was clearly enough room for a much larger crew. Presumably they had more people here during active missions. One of the on-duty crew looked up and saw them. He frowned, and his tail twitched. He appeared to be some sort of simian species. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.Raelle stepped forward with a smile, her hand extended. "I'm Raelle del Sol," she said, noticing how his frown cleared up when he found out who she was. "Ardiente was just showing me around since I haven't been here before. James told me I would be spending some of my time working here in the control center going forward. I'd love it if you could show me how things work here. You know how important it is to get a head start with him," she said sympathetically. The simian rolled his eyes. "He forgets the rest of us can't keep up with him," he agreed. "My name is Sighru. I'm just a junior tech here, so I don't know how much I can help you, but we can at least try and go over the basics."
"Well," Raelle said uncomfortably, standing there between the buildings after James's abrupt departure. "Not like I'm worried now or anything," she said with a frustrated sigh, biting her fingernails as she sometimes does when she's stressed. "I guess....I guess we just do what he says? Ugh. This is so frustrating."Aridente sighs himself "No, that will do you no good. If we don't go see what he rushed off for, you'll likely chew your fingers off." He pauses, thinking. "Hey, I don't suppose you could either render us invisible or otherwise disguise us, huh? If James was worried about our safety, it might be best if we were unseen." Raelle brightened and then stopped, face falling again. "No, we shouldn't. It might make things worse. If there's one thing I had drilled into me over and over last night it's the importance of not rushing into things without thinking first. Come on," she said, getting an idea. "Lead the way to the hangar. James said there was a mission control center there, right? What are the odds that they don't have some kind of observation program running there? I mean, they have to know where trouble is so they can send you guys to deal with it, right? And I'll need to know how it works, after all..."
"Well," Raelle said uncomfortably, standing there between the buildings after James's abrupt departure. "Not like I'm worried now or anything," she said with a frustrated sigh, biting her fingernails as she sometimes does when she's stressed. "I guess....I guess we just do what he says? Ugh. This is so frustrating."
Once safely in the hallway, Raelle breathed a sigh of relief and slipped her hand into Ardiente's. At least now there was only one family member here to embarrass her in front of her boyfriend. It was harder when they were outnumbered.Squeezing her hand softly, Ardiente offers a slight apology "Sorry for calling you Rae, I shall strive to do my best to only call you by your full first name, since you don't seem to really like nicknames." "It's okay. I know you didn't mean anything bad by it. It's probably just a bad habit you picked up from Ace. He's a nice guy, but not the best at the listening," she said with a small grin. "Nicknames were mostly just used to make fun of me when I was little. And even when I first came here. I tolerate James calling me Elle because he has nicknames for everyone, and it's not so bad. Nobody ever teased me with that one. Ra, Rawr, Rae, Rail...and the variations of those. They were all used in a mean way, so I really don't like them," she said, shrugging apologetically.
Once safely in the hallway, Raelle breathed a sigh of relief and slipped her hand into Ardiente's. At least now there was only one family member here to embarrass her in front of her boyfriend. It was harder when they were outnumbered.
"Moooo-ooooommmmmm," Raelle complained, exasperated. "Please, let's just go before she thinks of any other ways to embarrass me," she pleaded.
"I'll just get my jacket, then, shall I?" Raelle asked, shaking her head.
"If your being some sort of uber math whiz is the worst I have to put up with, I suppose I got off light, yea?" Ardiente says as he follows Rae's instructions as meticulously as possible. "You say that now," she joked. "It's the little bad habits that get the most irritating over time." But he can tell that she seems to be feeling better about it. Raelle pops the first tray of cookies into the oven and they keep on until all of the batter is used up and the smell of burnt cookies fills the apartment.
The young lava bender smiles at Rae's precision calculations "It would appear you're both the beauty and the brains in this relationship. At least I know that with you making sure the exact right mix is used, these are probably going to be the best cookies I have ever had." He says, trying to set his girlfriend's mind at ease. Raelle blushed. "I was so gonna be calm and laid back and not do this. I may have understated the facts when I told you I was kind of a math nerd," she said with a self-deprecating grin. "I may on occasion get a little bit nuts when things aren't just so." She picked up a scoop. "These are for shaping the dough into cookies. Umm....it has to be these ones and filled exactly or they don't cook exactly perfect...." She put her hand over her eyes. "I'm just making it worse aren't I?"
"We have to let her 'fix' it before we actually bake the cookies, or her brain might implode," Ignace said, rolling her eyes as she stepped aside to let Raelle have access to the bowl.Ardiente follows the instructions closely, but botches cracking the eggs a few times. He smiles a bit sheepishly "You're right, this is way harder than it looks."Raelle is making funny faces as she tries so hard not to freak out as Chara picks the eggshells out of the batter. "It's fine," she said through clenched teeth, attempting to smile. "Everyone has to start somewhere." Raelle gave a forced laugh. "Don't be silly. I'm not that uptight! It's just....it's just...." And that's when her self control broke. "It's just that it needs 3 more grams of flour and another quarter teaspoon of baking soda and an eighth of a cup more chocolate chips," she muttered as she started adding ingredients to make the ratios right for the mathematically perfect balance.
Ardiente follows the instructions closely, but botches cracking the eggs a few times. He smiles a bit sheepishly "You're right, this is way harder than it looks." Raelle is making funny faces as she tries so hard not to freak out as Chara picks the eggshells out of the batter. "It's fine," she said through clenched teeth, attempting to smile. "Everyone has to start somewhere."
Ignace sighed and rolled her eyes. "Your boyfriend is so weird, Raelle," she complained. Raelle laughed as she tied on her own apron and pulled her hair up into a messy topknot. "Sorry, Ignace, you're just going to have to get used to him. I'm planning on keeping him," she said with a wink. "Alright, Ardiente, you stay there, we'll get all the stuff out and then Ignace can walk you through how to make cookies," she said, starting to pull out bowls and cookie sheets, while the Ignace and Chara grabbed other bins and boxes out of the cupboards.
Ignace sighs and opens a drawer. She starts pulling out aprons. "You're going to need to wear one of these. It gets quite messy," she said, pointedly staring at Chara, who promptly stuck her tongue out at Ignace."You've never made cookies?!" Chara demands, shocked, as she returns to the kitchen with Ignace in tow. "Well, you need to learn then." Raelle laughed, taking an apron from Ignace and putting it on. "It's a family tradition for us. Whenever one of us is feeling sad or discouraged we make feel-better cookies. Sometimes Chara pretends to be sad just because she wants cookies," she added in a fake whisper that was clearly meant to be overheard.
Ignace's tears finally stopped around the same time as Chara's story finished. Raelle sent Ignace to the bathroom to clean up and headed to the kitchen.
"How can you be so calm?" Igance snapped. "You almost....you almost...""Hmm. Well, it looks pretty. You're really talented. But you don't have to just work all the time." She paused as Ignace glared at her. "I'm not suggesting you have to stop," she said, putting up her hands to ward off the angry tirade that was threatening. "But maybe you might like me to ask one of your friends to come and spend time with you? I know there's a lot going on, but it's easier with friends. That's all I'm saying.""It's the front panel of a new dress," Ignace said stiffly. "Except I wasn't, so I'm still here to annoy you like a good sister, and it's okay to be upset, Ignace," she said hugging her sister. "It's okay to cry. You can even have a full blown tantrum if you need. You can't hurt anybody here. You don't have to keep all your emotions locked up all the time." The only response was a muffled sob, and Raelle sagged with relief. She had been afraid this was going to be like before, and just when Ignace had started acting like a real person again.
"It's the front panel of a new dress," Ignace said stiffly. "Hmm. Well, it looks pretty. You're really talented. But you don't have to just work all the time." She paused as Ignace glared at her. "I'm not suggesting you have to stop," she said, putting up her hands to ward off the angry tirade that was threatening. "But maybe you might like me to ask one of your friends to come and spend time with you? I know there's a lot going on, but it's easier with friends. That's all I'm saying."
He knows that he's got her attention when she starts suggesting changes to the story, making it more and more ridiculous as it goes. (In Chara's version the pirates need to be rescued from the princess and her knights with help from the scary monsters.) Meanwhile, Raelle sits down on the sofa next to Ignace. "Whatcha making?" she asks, trying to draw her sister out a little.
"Yes, I know all of my stories are boring and you've heard them all before," Raelle said, exasperated. "Maybe if you ask him nicely, Ardiente can tell you a story. After he's had some breakfast." She smiled up at Ardiente. "Hey. There's pancakes on the counter. None of us were very hungry this morning. Please help yourself."
The young monk waits patiently outside of the Del Sols apartments, and once invited in, almost immediately senses the somber mood. He stays quiet, not wanting to press whatever might be going on. Inside the apartment, Ignace was sitting on the sofa working on some embroidery for one of her many sewing projects. Meanwhile, Chara was pouting, her lower lip quivering as she was on the edge of a tantrum and Raelle was trying to coax her out of it.
"Glad I could help you not do something you would regret later, even if I was unconscious at the time," she said, squeezing his hand. "I can only imagine how hard all this is for you. And how much betrayal you feel. I mean, they're strangers to me. I wasn't raised as a part of firebird society. They're all strangers to me. And I barely understand the customs. But you were raised to be a part of it. And you really believed in it. And they let you down in the worst possible way. I'm sorry you've had to go through that. I wish there were anything I could do to fix it. But I know there isn't. Just know I'm here, and I can at least listen if you want to rant about all of it. And don't worry about sparing my feelings if you have nasty things to say about my grandparents. I probably agree with you. They're awful people. Really, truly evil."He smiles fondly at her "Yea, they let me down, in ways I can't even begin to explain. I used to believe in literally everything they drilled into me. From a rather young age. And they shattered my core belief system, into a million tiny pieces. Then you came along, and helped pick them up, putting them back together. Both literally and figuratively. I owe you more than my life, I you my very being and identity" "No pressure or anything," she said with a wry smile."And you've helped me too, remember. Not just tonight. When I was trying to figure out what my real emotions even were after everything with Dave. So the way I see it, we both help each other when bad stuff happens. Pretty sure that's how a healthy relationship is supposed to work. At least if my parents are to be believed," she added with an impish smile.
Ardiente smiles a bit sadly " I have to be honest, I came close Rae. Like really close. It was only my thoughts of you that stopped me." He says quietly. "Glad I could help you not do something you would regret later, even if I was unconscious at the time," she said, squeezing his hand. "I can only imagine how hard all this is for you. And how much betrayal you feel. I mean, they're strangers to me. I wasn't raised as a part of firebird society. They're all strangers to me. And I barely understand the customs. But you were raised to be a part of it. And you really believed in it. And they let you down in the worst possible way. I'm sorry you've had to go through that. I wish there were anything I could do to fix it. But I know there isn't. Just know I'm here, and I can at least listen if you want to rant about all of it. And don't worry about sparing my feelings if you have nasty things to say about my grandparents. I probably agree with you. They're awful people. Really, truly evil."
"I keep waiting for some kind of feeling of betrayal. I mean, technically they are my grandparents. But I can't even muster up that. After what they did to your parents...after what they did to you...there's no way I could ever forgive them for that, no matter what kind of excuse they gave. This just feels....expected. Like, yes, they really are as awful as I thought they were, and everything they ever said was just lies and more lies. Which isn't to say I'm not furious with them for trying to erase me. It's just that it's consistent with their track record. Mostly I'm impressed you didn't actually kill either of them. That says a lot of good things about you. One of the many reasons why I love you," she said with an impish smile and then blushed bright crimson and looked away.
She shrugged. "Physically? Yeah. Clean bill of health. But they're keeping me here for observation just in case there are any complications from the ritual magic they tried to use on me. That's how they explained it to me anyways. Emotionally? I don't know. I thought my sister was in trouble, and then when I went to save her I ended up being attacked by a group of soldiers. I fought as hard as I could, but I'm not exactly the combatant type, you know? And when I woke up, I was in the infirmary being fussed over by my family and told that my grandparents kidnapped me and tried to do some kind of spell to erase my personality. So, yeah. That's gonna take some time to process. I hear you were pretty heroic with the rescuing and stuff," she said with a wobbly smile, reaching out and taking his hand. "So, thanks for that. I'm really glad I'm still me."He grins happily "I'm really glad you're still you too, and you're welcome. I uh, got out a lout of uh, 'frustration' during the rescue. I think that was really good for me. Not exactly how I would have preferred to have that chance, but I'll take it" He takes her hands in his "I was so scared for you. We really need to start teaching you some basic self defense, and I bet we could figure out some combat applications for your smoke magic, even if it's just creating a smoke screen on command so you can then disappear." "Well, to start with, I can not start out crippled by being unable to use my abilities or call for help," she said, wrinkling her nose with disgust as she glanced at the psionic inhibitor that was sitting on a table near her bed. "I'm not using it anymore. Writing equations on the walls until I drop from exhaustion is not that bad compared with being helpless. But yeah, I definitely could use some self-defense training. Like how to get free when someone grabs me. Not exactly my strong suit there. Obviously." "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, concerned. "I mean, the last time you saw them..."
She shrugged. "Physically? Yeah. Clean bill of health. But they're keeping me here for observation just in case there are any complications from the ritual magic they tried to use on me. That's how they explained it to me anyways. Emotionally? I don't know. I thought my sister was in trouble, and then when I went to save her I ended up being attacked by a group of soldiers. I fought as hard as I could, but I'm not exactly the combatant type, you know? And when I woke up, I was in the infirmary being fussed over by my family and told that my grandparents kidnapped me and tried to do some kind of spell to erase my personality. So, yeah. That's gonna take some time to process. I hear you were pretty heroic with the rescuing and stuff," she said with a wobbly smile, reaching out and taking his hand. "So, thanks for that. I'm really glad I'm still me."
Smiling back, the young monk asks "Is it alright if I come in? Your room is already a little crowded, and I can wait till your sisters leave, if you would prefer" He says with a slight bow. "No, don't go," Raelle blurted out and blushed. "Umm...please, come in."
Ardiente flies back to Avalon, lands, and touches the walls. He thinks of Raelle, and follows the arrows to his girlfriend. The arrows lead him to the infirmary where Raelle is still being held for observation. Her sisters are perched on her bed and Chara is telling a long, convoluted story about her day. Raelle smiles when she sees him.
She struggled into a sitting position as the nanites did their work and she felt more clear-headed as the drugs were cleansed from her system. "Dad," she croaked as she saw him standing at the end of her bed.
Infirmary She tried to open her eyes, but they felt so heavy. She tried again. It was hard to focus. She thought she saw a shape. She tried to look. She couldn't move her limbs because they were too heavy. "Raelle? Can you hear me sweetheart?" a familiar voice asked. "Mom?" she croaked, not sure anymore if she was dreaming or awake. "Shh, it's okay honey. You're safe now. Don't try to move just yet. They're still trying to flush the drugs out of your system. You're back at the school now and safe," Pyra said, sounding reassuring right up until she burst into tears. She had been so afraid she would never see her baby again.
"I don't have any particular plans, no. It's kind of hard to think with the inhibitor on honestly. So if you have something you want us to do, then that's great. Really I just want to spend some time together. At the risk of sounding disgustingly sappy, being with you makes me happy," she said, blushing and looking away. Raelle shivered with pleasure and lay back on the grass, still smiling. Okay, so not everything sucked. And now that she wasn't busy feeling sorry for herself, she began to notice that it was actually a really nice day. Maybe she should go find Morrivan. In a little while. Once she could stop grinning like an idiot.
"Definitely. If for no other reason than Jiminy has me coming out to the factory for a while for an 'orientation' for my new work study class that technically starts on Monday. But I'm hoping that we can spend some time together outside of training too. It is a weekend after all. I'd like to spend some of it with my boyfriend," she said with a shy smile, still getting used to using that title for Ardiente."That sounds nice. Anything in particular in mind, or should I come up with something?" he asks, and despite his apparent need to be going, he isn't really hurrying off quite yet. "I don't have any particular plans, no. It's kind of hard to think with the inhibitor on honestly. So if you have something you want us to do, then that's great. Really I just want to spend some time together. At the risk of sounding disgustingly sappy, being with you makes me happy," she said, blushing and looking away.
"Definitely. If for no other reason than Jiminy has me coming out to the factory for a while for an 'orientation' for my new work study class that technically starts on Monday. But I'm hoping that we can spend some time together outside of training too. It is a weekend after all. I'd like to spend some of it with my boyfriend," she said with a shy smile, still getting used to using that title for Ardiente.
Raelle giggled uncontrollably. "No one's ever going to accuse us of being sophisticated," she joked. "But at least I know that I'm not the only one who totally loses all social graces when we're together." "And it's okay. I know you have to go learn how to save the world," she said, smiling. "I'm glad you were able to stop for a few minutes though. I'm happy to see you. And I really needed that laugh,' she added, giving him a quick, light kiss on the lips.
"Yeah I've still got alot to learn so I won't be around much tonight I want to check-in. How are you holding up?" Ardiente tries to suavely slide his hand onto hers but ends up being a bit awkward about it as he misses slightly."Hey," she said, brightening up. "I didn't expect to see you this afternoon. Not complaining," she added with a big smile. "I know you've been busy training. And it's probably just as well," she said, taking his hand and leaning her head against his shoulder. "I haven't been very good company this week. But I've missed you anyways." "Well, my brain feels like it's wrapped in down and I honestly can't wait until I'm allowed to take off this stupid inhibitor," she said, pulling on the hair clip that she was obliged to wear. "And I think I might go crazy with all the waiting while they're trying to put Ginni back together and find Melody. I feel like I should be doing something, but all I do is either hang around uselessly or cover the walls in math that nobody even understands. And I can't hang around Morrivan any more right now because I swear we just make each other worse. So, about as well as can be expected. Sorry. I don't mean to just complain at you. I'm just having a really hard time trying to find the bright side right now." "You smell nice," she added after a pause, seemingly out of nowhere and then started blushing furiously. "Oh, crap, I just said that out loud didn't I?" she stammered, totally embarrassed.
"Hey," she said, brightening up. "I didn't expect to see you this afternoon. Not complaining," she added with a big smile. "I know you've been busy training. And it's probably just as well," she said, taking his hand and leaning her head against his shoulder. "I haven't been very good company this week. But I've missed you anyways."
Friday afternoon Raelle sat on the grass outside, soaking in the sunshine. Because waiting around in the infirmary was just too depressing. Ginni was still unconscious. There was still nothing she could do to help. Melody was still missing. There was nothing she could do to help with that either. And she couldn't believe she was even saying this, but she actually missed going to classes. She knew she'd get in trouble if she was caught sitting out here alone. After all, there was still a murderer on the loose. But it was this or take off the stupid inhibitor and cover her room in math graffiti again.
"Gi-Ginni...Ginni was murdered this morning. They b-brought her back, but whoever hurt her shattered her mind. Phaezeriel said it could take days before we even know if it's possible to...to.....she may not ever be the same person she was," Tamina wailed, sobbing even harder than before. Raelle felt like she'd been kicked in the stomach. She couldn't get a breath in. The color drained from her face. It was her fault. If she'd gone after Ginni instead of going to see Morrivan....No, that wasn't right.....but what if it was? What if she could have stopped this? What if Ginni really was gone for good? She had barely started coping with the idea of Joneh and Rodhas being gone. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be true. It couldn't. She was trying to breathe, but she couldn't get a breath in. Little dark spots started dancing in front of her eyes. She thought she heard someone say something but it sounded like it was coming from a long way aways.
Raelle had been going to respond to the Professor's suggestion by telling him that the Headmaster had already vetoed that suggestion due to the overlap between basic psionics and basic arcana which she'd already taken, but all of that completely flew out of her head when she was interrupted by Tamina's sudden outburst. Followed by tears. "Tami! What is it? What's wrong?" she said, wobbling a little as she hopped off the exam table to comfort her friend. She knelt on the floor beside Tami and put her arm around her.
Raelle drank the medicine obediently, but then made a face when she was done.
Professor Nix smiles as he places a calming hand on Raelle's shoulder, his voice newly familiar to her, "Easy, now. You are in the infirmary. You pushed your power too hard and passed out from the effort. You are safe, and your psychic ability will not work here for now. Somehow the power you used got locked on and was preventing you from recovering. If you give it time, the headache will pass. If you promise not to leave, I will have something brought to ease the pain." "Yeah, sure no problem," she quickly agreed. "Not like I'd get far. I can't keep my eyes open, my head hurts so bad. Apparenlty mapping the mathematical equations of a rift between universes has side effects. Go figure. And I have no idea how to use or stop using my powers. They just sort of switch on and off by themselves. They only started last week."
With Dave's departure, Nix bends back to his patient. Examining her hypercognition closely, and trying to to understand this other psychic signature, he evaluates the effect of simply placing the girl into a null-psi field. This seems to achieve the desired effect as the symbol on her neck finally stops glowing red and fades to its usual black as the null-psi field forces it to switch off. It does not seem to have any effect whatsoever on whatever this other thing was. It was...slippery. It seemed like nothing at all, but there was definitely something not normal there. Raelle's eyelids fluttered and she groaned, bringing a hand over her eyes as she regained consciousness."Gods! My head feels like it's going to explode! What happened?"
"I'm not exactly sure. She was working with something complicated and this happened. The symbol on her neck is glowing red, which doesn't seem very good to me. I told you everything I could figure out from a quick assessment. Ardiente might be able to tell you more if he can calm down a bit, but he's understandably worried right now." diagnosis:
Professsor Nix can recognize the glowing red symbol on the side of her neck as one for hypercognition. She is suffering from exhaustion and (now healed) damage from overchanneling, but the power is still switched on, as it were. Without the mental resources left to continue manifesting the power or the control necessary to turn it off, she is locked in an unconscious state. Also there is a strange residual psychic energy clinging to her psyche. It is not a known type and the effects of such are likely to be unpredictable.
There is a definite bump on her head, and a little bit of blood trickling down her forehead to match the blood trickling from her nose. The symbol on her neck is still glowing red. It might occur to Ardiente that this looks a lot like damage taken from overchanneling. Which still doesn't account for why she fainted, but then there's no accounting for the effects that staring into a rift in the universe might have.
"Hermes, record" Arthur commands as he produces a torch from the tip of his finger. "Thanks," she said as smoke began to pour out of the lit smokestick. As soon as it did, she shaped it, using the smoke to create a visual mathematical model of the rift. Although to anyone but Melody it just looks like a lot of circles and lines, trailing around each other in an increasingly snarled looking pattern that resembled nothing so much as a child's scribbled drawing. "This is the data you were missing. And here," she said, highlighting a section near the center in red "is your interference pattern. It really is. You were right about that," she added. The tattoo on her neck was glowing a brilliant red now and blood was starting to drip from her nose. The spent smokestick dropped from her hand. "I don't feel so good....I think I need to lie down for a min-" she started to say right before she passed out.
"Music to my ears," he says as he backs the two of them several yards away from the tear, then fires his spell and brings them back to the lab. Raelle takes a few seconds to readjust to the change in surroundings. And then she pulls out a smokestick. "Can someone please light this for me? And get ready to record this. I can only hold this in my head for so long, so I think you've only got this one shot at getting the information. Melody, I'm gonna use that notation system you showed me. It'll be easier," she said, using all of her willpower to keep it together. Holding this equation in her mind felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside. The symbol on her neck was becoming more red by the second.
"Just a sec....there's a complicated bit in the center," she muttered, her fingers twitching as if she were tracing symbols as she stared at the rift. The glowing tattoo on her neck was starting to develop a red tinge. "Okay, that's it. I've got it," she said confidently.
They arrive in what appears to be just a normal, ordinary meadow. Except that there is a feeling of wrongness here. The air seems to ripple in strange ways. "Whoa," she said, eyes going wide as the symbol on her neck starts glowing even brighter than before.
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