Sample collection [open]

[fractaljesus]

Who: Yaha-kui zaShunina (fractaljesus) & You!
What: Event log and catchall
When: Varies by prompt
Where: The Market and residential district
Warning(s): None



Holed up in the sea of books that made up zaShunina's house, the anisotropic being was nowhere near the market during the attack. He could, however, hear it from the there, and so had come to investigate only to find the place in a state of absolute chaos. But even as people rushed past him in their escape, the man in white stood perfectly still, watching the scene unfold with impassivity unbefitting the situation. At the time, the Royal Guard had compelled him to leave, but that didn't stop him from returning once the cleanup effort was underway to begin an investigation of his own.

The Marketplace

A. Even now, a few days after the attack, there are wisps of gas still lingering in corners and containers where the wind couldn't carry it away. Wisps that the Institute is keen to collect and study. Yaha-kui zaShunina is also curious to know more about it, and cooperating with them to gain access to the site is the obvious solution.

If anyone happens to be there (whether helping with the cleanup effort or also collecting the residual mist), they might find the man in white standing near a collapsed stall, disembodied arms floating on either side of him. A barrel is the target of his attention--still sealed, but not for long. In the blink of an eye, the top is sliced clean off without any apparent action from zaShunina, spilling water out onto the street. It's not the water he's after, but the small wisp of purple mist that escapes. One of the floating hands "taps" the air, enveloping the gas in a floating, iridescent bubble before it can dissipate. More gas is collected in the same way, and while most of it is given to the workers from the Institute, he keeps some for himself.

B. Without a better means to analyze the gas, zaShunina is limited to the classic method of experimentation. In a corner of the market left untouched by the attack, zaShunina carries with him his bubble of purple gas floating harmlessly above the palm of a disembodied arm. For the most part, he doesn't do much apart from stare intently at the bubble without blinking, so still he could be mistaken for a statue if not for the way his hair and cloak billow softly in the breeze. When someone draws close, however, he'll turn to look at them with what he hopes looks like a reassuring smile painted on his lips--but it's the smile of a mannequin who feels nothing behind it.

"Do you know what this is?" He'll ask, holding the bubbled gas out to them, but continues before they can respond. "It is the material responsible for the outbreak of the disease designated VIOLET2710."

Residential District

C. Apart from collecting and studying samples of the gas, Yaha-kui zaShunina can later be found on the streets of the residential district, talking to a small group of natives who appear fascinated by his floating arms.

"It is not magic," He assures them, smiling. "Your perception of the world is incomplete. Where you perceive the world around you in three dimensions, there are, in truth, many more. I am merely reaching through these additional dimensions." Some respond with 'oohs' and 'ahhs,' while others just seem confused by the explanation, dismissing it as magic and wandering off.

When he sees someone who looks like a refugee, however, he dismisses the small crowd with a wave of his disembodied hand and approaches them.

"Magic is much a much easier answer for the peoples of this city to accept." He muses, the smile on his face never faltering.


Wildcard: Other places zaShunina could potentially be found include Thesa station, where he spends a good portion of his time reading books in the Stasis Unit beside a specific pod. He can also be found in Simwe Institute's library, perusing the books available there.

Comments

C

[planetary_bonds]

Yusei tilts a head, frowning. He's never seen someone with disembodied arms before, never mind said arms acting as if they were connected to the body regardless. It's an eerie sight, but he's grown used to seeing worse things.

Frankly, with everything else going on in the city, this man(?)'s strange words are more concerning.

"Easier?" He purses his lips. He'd had his own doubts about the "magic" of this town truly being "magic," but he doesn't have ways to prove it differently other than trying to understand the devices that channel it. It's obvious he has some idea of what zaShunina is trying to say because of those thoughts, but he's still being cautious, and so asks his own question back instead.

"What do you mean by that?"

[fractaljesus]

"Easier to accept than higher dimensions." zaShunina mirrors Yusei's head tilt, his expression never changing once, almost doll-like. Holding out one of his disembodied hands, he waves to the side in a 'walk with me' gesture.

"Magic is something that is understood in this place as a force that permeates every aspect of life. Thus it is easier to accept the unexplainable as 'magic' when a concept is incomprehensible to them." He explains, walking a few steps in the direction he'd indicated before stopping to see if the human is following.

"Are you a refugee or a native Olympian?" Because his answer would determine just how free zaShunina can be with his words.

[planetary_bonds]

Are you mocking him? The odd way his head tilt is mimicked, like someone is going through the motion without understanding the meaning behind it, it looks like he's staring down some adult-sized child, or a porcelain puppet. But then the hands move again, just out of the corner of his vision, beckoning him to call.

"There is technology that I'm used to, that people would most likely call magic if they heard of it without knowing. I want to say it resembles the 'magic' devices here, but I have little way of confirming that for sure just yet. So as of now, I have little choice but to call it 'magic,' as they say."

Those words alone damn him as a refugee, expressing familiarity with something beyond what a normal citizen would think. Still, he nods his assent.

"Refugee."

[fractaljesus]

Mocking? No, never, for zaShunina is incapable of malicious intent. He does, however, move intently, mechanically, like a mannequin controlled by an unseen puppeteer.

"There is a saying, that 'any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.'" He nods, speaking just loudly enough for Yusei to hear, but quiet enough for the noise of the crowd to drown it out that they wouldn't be overheard.

"This device from your own world is not magic, however. It may be that the 'magic' known to this world is of a technology yet beyond our understanding."

[planetary_bonds]

There's something uncanny about the way this man walks that keeps Yusei on edge, the tones of his voice, the clinical preciseness of his movements. It's like staring at something that's just a degree or so "off," and for a brief moment he's hit with the very idle, very stupid thought that this man could very well be the embodiment of this "magic" they've been discussing, something that can't be explained.

But that can't be right, can it?

"It's an odd direction they've taken their technology-or magic-in then, don't you think? Some things, so advanced, while others so primitive-what could account for that, do you think?"

[fractaljesus]

Could zaShunina hear Yusei's thoughts, he would happily explain his own circumstances, but as mind reading is beyond his capabilities, he does not. He would also argue that "magic" isn't inherently unknowable, they just don't understand it yet.

zaShunina stops a moment, Yusei's words drawing his attention to a steam-powered car puttering down the road.

"I have a theory," He begins, turning back to the human after watching the car for a few seconds. "When a species relies too heavily upon one resource to solve all of their problems, other resources are neglected. I theorize that heavy reliance upon magic has stunted technological growth in other areas."

[planetary_bonds]

Putt-putt-putt goes the car, a sound that Yusei still isn't completely used to. The comforting keening whirrrrrrrrr of a Momentum-based engine is something that's practically engraved in Yusei's being by dint of working with them so long, and the stuttering inconstancy of a steam engine's puffs feel jerky and off. He doesn't quite give it the same attention, but the fading sound as it drives away temporarily steals his focus until the word theory hits his ears.

"That...could be the case. If the benefits this 'magic' gives end up being a bigger priority than expanding other modes of energy..."

Like the neglect of transportation, for whatever reason.

[fractaljesus]

zaShunina nods in affirmation.

"It is only a theory, of course. There are many other possibilities--that refugees like ourselves have introduced individual technologies, leading to anachronism, for example." Among others. Almost anything is possible when many worlds are factored in.

"What do you think?"

Wildcard - Library

[poolhall_killer]

Even though he passed on employment here (despite his magic skill), Venom finds solace in the Institute's library. He's already a regular at the local bookstore, but nothing can beat a library's atmosphere. So far, he's been frequenting the fiction section, curious about their world's novels. He's yet to check out any magic texts, but he's content with fiction. Probably because he wants to get away the only way he knows how.

He's been perusing the area for several minutes, unsure of what to pick out this time. Should he go with a murder mystery? Maybe something more light-hearted and warm? Soon he's drawing out a book, and it's a children's novel that was stuffed between the others. There's someone else nearby, and Venom feels like he should just put it back. But there's a cartoon dragon on the front! Maybe a peek won't hurt...

Then a few seconds later, he's flipping to the next page, "This is more well-written than I thought it would be."

He looks up and notes the other person that yes, is still there. "I hope I didn't disturb you."

[fractaljesus]

Whoever tends this library should be more vigilant about books being stuffed in the wrong place. Children's books have their own section, and yet this wayward book found itself stuffed disrespectfully in the adult fiction. For shame.

However, the young man nearby doesn't even think to judge Venom's taste in books, as he is already halfway through a thick novel with a neat tower of additional books stacked next to him. He looks up when addressed, moving the origami seahorse bookmark to his current page.

"You did not." His focus hadn't been broken at all until he'd spoken directly to him. He'd been aware of Venom's presence, of course, but hadn't minded. "Are you looking for a specific book?"

[poolhall_killer]

"Nothing in particular. I was browsing to see if anything caught my attention." But not the misplaced novel in his hands at the moment, though he kind of wants to finish it now that he's started. The dragon is very endearing in how she befriends the animals in the forest.

He notices the small pile the other has going, wondering how long that's going to take to get through. "Do you have any insight or recommendations?"

[fractaljesus]

zaShunina looks over the cover of the book in Venom's hand, then to the tall man's face (or what he can see of it through the curtain of hair), before finally turning his attention to the bookshelf he'd pulled it from. The classification is all wrong, but if it's fantasy he's looking for...

A disembodied hand appears from thin air to float up to the top shelf, moving as an extension of the man who controls it. Once it grabs the tome it was looking for, it vanishes once again.

"This is written by the same author." He explains, pulling the book he'd just retrieved from within his cloak to offer it to Venom. If he happens to glimpse into the cloak, he'd notice that the young man's other arm is completely missing from the elbow-down. Or, well, it was up until a second ago, but it seems to have reformed in the blink of an eye, yet another book clutched in its hand--a children's book, this time.

"This one shares similar content to the one you are reading. It is about a child who befriends a dragon."

[poolhall_killer]

Well that's unexpected. Venom's been surprised time and again by the many different kinds of magic and abilities his fellow refugees have. A disembodied hand almost seems like something that could occur in his homeworld, like a type of selective teleportation.

Fascinating!

It's tentative at first, but he reaches for the book. "I can't turn away a good fantasy novel, even if it is aimed at children." Plus Venom has an unspoken soft spot for them since he never had much of a childhood.

"M-may I ask about the ability you just used? To reach for the book?"

[fractaljesus]

zaShunina is in no position to judge anyone's taste in literature--he'll read literally anything, from essays on quantum mechanics to children's books about fluffy bunnies to restaurant menus. He appears quizzical for a moment, as if not understanding the question, but it only lasts a brief second before he smiles, arm once again appearing from thin air between them, palm upright.

"You perceive the universe in three dimensions, but there are more dimensions than you can detect. In a manner of speaking, you could say I am simply moving my arm in a different direction." There is a lot more to it than that, but without knowing whether Venom is a native or refugee, he can't go in-depth about Novo and the anisotropic, so he gets the watered-down explanation.

[poolhall_killer]

Watered down as it may be, Venom still finds it curious. He's read about moving between dimensions briefly but has never seen it in practice. But to move beyond the known three...

"Is it a natural ability or is it learned?" At this point, his attention has shifted from friendly dragons to floating arms.

[fractaljesus]

zaShunina shakes his head, but his smile remains in place. "'Ability' is a misapprehension. Moving my hands in this manner is no more an ability than for you to reach out with your own." As he explains, the arm vanishes from the air between them and reappears attached to his shoulder where it belongs. Once there, the alien once again extends it as if to offer a handshake.

"For me, this is the same." In actuality, it actually takes more concentration to move like a normal person than to fold space. "It could be the same for you if you were to gain a sense of these higher dimensions." Something he could have helped Venom with had he been able to bring his anisotropic devices with him to El Nysa. "Humans are not capable of perceiving higher dimensions under normal circumstances, but it isn't impossible for you to learn."

[hurtled]

His clothes are reminiscent of labcoats, so for a while Kanade had presumed he was from the Institute, or some kind of researcher. Only during her second pass through the area did she realize the white was a cloak, and -- now he's addressing her? The smile does nothing to dissuade the apprehension which flares up in instinctive defence.

How has he contained the gas in a bubble...magic, as the natives might say? Why is it floating? Why is the hand floating? The combination of bizarre factors all rolled together in one sight leaves her briefly speechless, until she manages to gather her wits and words together to form a cautious question. "You're showing it to me because...?"

Whether or not what is inside the bubble truly did cause the disease bears no relevance at the moment -- or rather, she'll accept the statement at face value. A false alarm might bring about a few frayed nerves, but compared to the possibility of it being real, and getting loose, she shouldn't take the chance.

[fractaljesus]

Well, she's not wrong about his affiliation with the Institute, but the cloak is his alone and definitely not a lab coat.

"I am showing this to you to petition your assistance in this matter." He extends the floating arm to her, offering the bubble for her to take. "I have discovered a peculiarity in this residual material that I wish to test on a human subject." zaShunina explains, smiling that same eerie smile without even a twitch in his expression.

"If you consent to this experiment, I can assure you with 85% certainly that no harm will come to you." Of course there's always a margin for error.

(and then I realized I lost my subject line posting the previous comment, sorry)

[hurtled]

"Meaning, there's a 15% likelihood I'd be harmed." An attempt to laugh, though the sound comes out wrong even to her own ears, skeptical and rough.

She peers at the bubble with the same hesitation, making no move to touch or come closer to it. Who knows whether the contents won't burst forth at any moment? "Put that down." Then, a moment's pause later. "Please." For good measure.

Still...she can't simply walk away now, if zaShunina's words are true. "You do understand I need a reason to trust you first."

[fractaljesus]

He's about to confirm that, yes, there will always be a possibility of something going wrong, but then she's asking him to put it down, drawing a perplexed tilt of the head from the white-haired man. And so he does put it down--into the palm of his hand. Hey, it's not floating any more, that's what she'd meant, right?

"Trust?" The word is spoken as if foreign, its definition unknown. "Trust is a vague concept. In this instance, you are concerned that I will bring you harm intentionally. This is not the case." His other arm--similarly floating--hovers over the ball of contained gas and taps it, sending ripples across the surface of the bubble, but it remains intact. "This residual material is inert--that is, in coming into contact with living specimens, no effect has been observed. It cannot transfer the disease designated VIOLET2710."

[hurtled]

Not quite what she wanted, but it puts her slightly more at ease, so she decides not to make any further remarks. The little breather doesn't keep her from flinching when he taps the bubble.

"So you say. People didn't start feeling sick right after the explosion went off, either." In other words, how can she be certain? She runs a hand over her face, then through her hair, exasperated without an outlet.

If she refuses, she thinks, he would ask somebody else, somebody gullible or desperate who just might go along. She could try to fight and capture him, turn him over to the local authorities, who have displayed a clear lack of tolerance -- and in the process, provoke him into releasing the gas anyway, accidentally or otherwise. "These tests you're talking about. What are they?"

[fractaljesus]

"Previous subjects have been monitored for the duration of one hour after exposure, as is the observed incubation period of the disease." He assures her, bringing the bubble closer to his face as if this would allow him to analyze it better. Still his smile persists, never shifting or even twitching in the slightest way.

"You would be voluntarily exposed to this material and observed for the span of one hour." zaShunina says as if discussing the weather. Oh yes, lovely day out, it might rain later, would you breathe this potentially dangerous chemical?

"You do have the option of refusal."

[hurtled]

"And have you find some chump easier to intimidate?" There; it's out. No matter how blithe he comes off, a threat dressed up with reassurances remains a threat after all. Work on your sales pitch, creepy smile dude. "I don't want that on my conscience, thanks. I'll do it."

Better herself than a random unsuspecting soul. Plenty of weird and questionable substances have been tested on her body already, what is one more. (She sends an unspoken apology to her friends and advisors in stasis up at Thesa Station, nevertheless.)

"Are we using the Institute's facilities?" To her knowledge, the number of places which would allow her to sit around for one hour under observation, like an animal in a zoo, is quite limited.

b

[vacuum]

To call what's before a 'curious sight' would only be an understatement. Given how there were refugees from all sorts of worlds settling here in El Nysa, it isn't that uncommon to see something quite out of the ordinary. He doesn't even bat an eye when he sees an elf walk by, or if there's someone cradling a strange animal. This man, though, and his alien-like disembodied arms -- suffice to say, that might be a first in Chuuya's book.

He blinks, unable to help himself from staring at one of those d disembodied hands and the purple bubble floating by their grasp. He could chalk this down to another weird day in Olympia, and go about his way, minding his own business, but the fair-haired man speaks, making his intentions known.

"You're kidding me..." There's disbelief in his tone, as his attention stays fixed on the contained bubble. It's his next instinct to step away, apprehension apparent in his features. He's managed to keep himself unaffected by the disease so far. He isn't about to jeopardize himself now, just because some freak likes to play with fire, "Stop waving that around then! You could get someone sick!"

[fractaljesus]

And to Chuuya's exclamation, the man simply continues to smile in that same artificial manner, as if trying to ease his concern.

"The substance contained in this barrier is from the site of the attack, and is responsible for the outbreak of the disease designated VIOLET2710." He reaffirms, following Chuuya's retreating step. "However, this residual gas has had no observable affect on living material. It cannot 'get someone sick.'" One of zaShunina's floating arms reaches out to Chuuya, the bubble of contained gas floating harmlessly above it.