mental link; it's a catbus!

[wille]

[ It's an ungodly hour of the night as these things go, with both Misato and Gildor's minds flickering to announce their presence to all. Forceful and unapologetic, for her part, while urgent and unsettling, for his part. They insist on your attention. ]

( Everyone. We found something out there beyond the barrier. It was too dark for us to see much-- )

(Or anything, for some of us, but-- )

( But it's massive-- )

(Big as the shuttles that brought us-- )

( And predatory. At least, it seemed pretty clear that it wanted to take a chunk out of us. Some of you found tracks the other day, right? Let's talk. )
 

Comments

[perroquet]

( Yes, it was rather cat-like. Reminds me of a displacer beast, only larger. I could feel about as many legs on the ground. Six, maybe more. Did you see any barbed tentacles on it's back, Miss Katsuragi? )

[ FANTASY MONSTERS they're all horrible. ]

[aluminumandash]

[ Why did he ask. ]

( Couple things. ) [ His attention homes in on Misato, the thrum of her mind. ] ( If it's as big as you say, it'll need to eat a lot. Near constantly. Some large predators roam, but from your description that ain't the case here. Begging the question: what's its food source? Is it part of a pack?

Two. If it's as big as you say, and if it's warm blooded, it'll get hot quickly. Given the climate, I'd guess it's nocturnal.

Now, there is another option. Do you think it's possible it's part mechanical? Like the Elin. )

[wille]

( I don't think I saw tentacles . . . )

[ Holy shit, Gildor, what kind of world did you come from? She takes to Rust's interrogation in stride, part and parcel of the job, as far as she's concerned. ]

( It's not mechanical. Or if it is, nothing like the ones the Hyrypians have. We should ask why there are so few Elin left. )

[perroquet]

[ Rust focuses on Misato, but that doesn't stop Gildor from listening or chiming in. Not since he thinks he has something helpful to add - or at least, more helpful than before. ]

( Yes, from what I could feel of it through the ground, I'm certain it was entirely organic. The Elin are rather strange and feel like the insides of clocks, but this was like any other living thing I've encountered. )

[ A pause, as he hesitantly considers another fretful idea based on Misato's. ] ( Perhaps they are feeding it the live Elin, otherwise it's... starving in there. Have either of you seen anyone go beyond the barrier before? )

[aluminumandash]

( Any other living thing that's three stories high. ) [ Look, it's a sticking point. It's fucking impractical for an animal to get that big.

Still. He appreciates having concrete information, baffling as it is. ] ( Low breeding rate, general fragility. Anyway, that's what they said. ) [ Weren't you taking notes during the Elinmaster's lesson, Misato? ] ( If it's starving, it'll move. Unless you think there's something keeping it here. )

[ Gildor's question is weighed, considered, and: ] ( Nuh-uh. How'd you get past it? )

[perroquet]

( I conjured a door from inside the barrier that opened to a space on the other side of it. )

[ Crickets chirp. ]

( Bard magic. )

[aluminumandash]

[ Flat. ]

( Misato. )

[wille]

[ Somehow she gets the distinct feeling of being scolded for something wrong she must have done without knowing exactly what, and so, her hesitance is preemptive. ]

( Uhm. Yeah. It's a door, well, a hole really. It doesn't have a knob or an actual door you open or anything-- Is that what you're asking? )

[greentech]

( Huh. How does that work? )

[perroquet]

( Ah, how do I begin to explain... )

[ The 'how' of his magic isn't really important right now, but he can't bare to leave Miss Pidge wondering. ]

( The long of it involves old lore involving the gods and their creation of the universe, but I'll give you the short version for now.

I am able to draw energy from myself and the music I play to cast a variety of spells that bend the rules of reality. Opening a dimension door is one of them. )

[ Rust must be loving this. ]

[greentech]

( That's... pretty cool. Would you mind if I was able to get a look at that sometime? )

[ There's gotta be more to this than just "MAGIC". ]

[perroquet]

( Of course, though later. Perhaps not till we make it back to the Station. Performing bard magic out here isn't the safest thing, where the only known magic is technomancy. )

[ He stops himself from thinking if they make it back to the station - or more specifically, him. He's still half expecting someone to sell him off to the Hyrypians like old times. ]

[greentech]

( Good point. I'm interested to see how it interacts with... uh. Everything.

Let me know when a good time would be when we get back! )

[wille]

( He said it has something to do with strings and vibration, are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pidge? )

[ For the love of all that is good and holy, please say no. ]

[greentech]

( Quantum string theory? )

[perroquet]

( Yes! Since music is a key component in bard magic, and I prefer stringed instruments - perhaps it's in the same vein as this string theory? )

[ Two idiot adults try to talk science to a genius. ]

[greentech]

( That's... not really what string theory means. It doesn't actually have anything to do with instruments. It's... more about particle physics and the theoretical makeup of the universe. )

[wille]

( Wait, are you seriously telling me string theory isn't about strings? )

[ EVERYTHING SHE KNOWS IS A LIE. ]

[aluminumandash]

[ Silence. The collision of hot and cold, the resultant hiss of steam. ]

( A magical door. ) [ There's no sense to the words, as he thinks them. They fall like blows. ]

[wille]

[ It's unpleasant, of course, but she weathers it stiffly because it must be well-deserved. ]

( Hmm . . . Calling something magical or miraculous is really just a way of saying I have no idea how it works. That's all. )

[perroquet]

( Yes, precisely! ) [ He responds cheerfully, glad to hear at least Rust gets it. As in, there is nothing to get about it. ]

( Well, as to how it works, bard magic is a bit... chaotic in nature. Toes the line between light and dark, good and evil, sensical and nonsensical. It's also an innate thing that not every musician develops no matter how skilled- )

[ He has to stop himself before getting too off-track. Now isn't the time for long-winded yet vague lectures on the musical magics. ]

( Anyway, that is how we moved past the barrier. )

[aluminumandash]

[ Gildor starts to talk. And talk. Starts using words like good and evil.

Rust has experienced the severing of a connection by a veteran host: violent, clean. Final. This is nothing like that. A swell of anger that doesn't quite recede, the writhing of a worm on a hook—then a wrenching, a blurring of focus. Silence turning, at some point, to absence.

That's all. ]

[perroquet]

( I... )

[perroquet]

( Did I say something wrong? )

[wille]

[ What the hell, Rustin Cohle?? ]

( Forget him, Gildor. Some people are just bad at this sort of thing. )

[ This "sort of thing" meaning being part of society, specifically, playing human. ]