GHB 8 | [Orb]

[somewhatpointy]

[Ryo’s visit to the White Forest following that fire had proved to be an interesting one. There, he’d found the most judgemental tower in existence, and he’d gone inside despite the fact he could tell it didn’t want him there. He’d explored the tower a little bit, and before it had finally driven him out by spitting fire at him every single time he tried to pick up one of the books in the library on the third floor, he’d found a few things.

Problem is, he doesn’t know how to interpret what he’s found...and he would love to know what was in those books in that library, too. He’s taking to the orb today on a two-pronged mission: find someone who can read the papers he found, and find someone the tower won’t hate to the degree it hates him. Perhaps someone else would have better luck with the books in the library than he would (not that this would be hard).

The orb video feed opens, and Ryo’s looking as casual as casual can be. He’s holding up a handful of papers he scrounged from the tower.]

Hey. I need someone who can read these. I think they might be important.

Comments

[shadow_sage]

[He has managed to catch Liara's attention.]

I can't promise I'll be able to read it, but I've been learning some of the local script. No help, of course, from the locals, but it is what I do.

[somewhatpointy]

If the locals ever actually help with anything important, I'll eat that stupid axe they saddled me with when I got here.

[He's holding up a couple papers close to the orb so she can get a better look.]

Does this work, or do you need me to bring them somewhere?

[shadow_sage]

[There's a moment of pause as she considers the best way to say, 'It's a tiny little rock, what do you think?']

I'd like to get a proper look at the paper, maybe compare it to some sample I have. See if I can place it in an approximate time frame, compare the scripts...and I might have to make copies if I'm going to try to translate it.

Do you know where the mansion the king gave to the 'Heroes' is? There's a library on the first floor, if that isn't too far out of your way.

[somewhatpointy]

[Ryo nods. This is pretty much what he had been hoping for. Someone who seemed as though they knew what they were doing.]

Yeah, I know where it is. Anything else you might need for it before I swing by?

[shadow_sage]

I believe I have everything. When you arrive, you'll have to tell me where you found it.

[She's been working on similar projects for a while, now.]

[Orb] > [Action]

[somewhatpointy]

[He nods.]

Yeah, there's a bit of a story to that. I'll be there soon.

[Ryo cuts off the feed, and after a bit, will show up at the library, papers in hand.]

[Action]

[shadow_sage]

[Liara is sitting in the library with a few books in front of her, and a stack of papers. The quill in her hand was dry as she leafed through the book almost absently, occasionally muttering to herself. She doesn't even look up when he walks in, but does wave at some vague point across the room.]

There's a chair over there somewhere. Please feel free to pull it over.

[somewhatpointy]

[Ryo grabs the chair, carries it over, and sits himself down in it before setting his papers down on the desk.]

That's all I got. There were more books and things where I found them, but I couldn't bring anything else with me.

[shadow_sage]

[She laid her quill down and turned towards him, forcing her attention to refocus from whatever she was working on. She leaned against the table and looked over the papers.]

We only managed to get a few books, too. May I look at them?

[somewhatpointy]

Yeah, go ahead.

[He'll slide the papers closer.]

I was lucky to grab what I did before the place pretty much threw me out.

[shadow_sage]

Throw you out? What kind of place was it?

[This was an almost absent question, however, as she started thumbing through the papers. After looking at them all, she pulled a couple out, and turned back to the beginning of the book she'd been studying.]

[somewhatpointy]

Tower in the White Forest. It was...

[He hesitates, not sure how he wants to describe it.]

It didn't want me there. Didn't think I was good enough. I could feel it. There's a library in there, and the books started throwing white fire at me. I figured that meant it was time to leave.

[shadow_sage]

White tower. Hmm.

[She pauses, looking up from the papers to study him.]

The tower didn't want you?

[She frowns. She doesn't like places with emotions. It evokes certain...uncomfortable...implications.]

White fire? How big was the library?

[somewhatpointy]

Felt kind of like it was judging me and decided I wasn't good enough.

[He shrugs dismissively.]

I've gotten that before, just not from a piece of real estate.

It was about the same size as this, I think. Maybe a little bit smaller. Like I said, I couldn't stay long at that point. The books--when I tried touching them, they started throwing me back with magic. They weren't worth the hassle at that point.

[shadow_sage]

[Liara offers a slow nod.]

What do you do? At home, specifically. I recall you travel between pocket universes, or something like that.

And you're a knight, according to the locals, correct?

[somewhatpointy]

[Ryo shakes his head.]

Nah, I just fight monsters in my world. Was just a swimmer before that. You might have me confused with someone else.

[He seems a little awkward when the matter of what the locals call him comes up.]

Actually, they've been calling me a berserker. Gets me a bit of personal space, at least.

[shadow_sage]

[She frowned at him, studying him for a moment. She made a little noise at the back of her throat, and then shrugged.]

My mistake.

[She smiled, despite being annoyed with herself.]

Berserker. Perhaps the tower identified you as such, and that is why you were rejected. Perhaps a sage might be more welcome. Would you be willing to show me this place?

[somewhatpointy]

Not a problem.

Wouldn't be the first time anyone's driven me away because of what I am. I'm used to it.

[There's a quick, bitter smile.]

Sure, I'd show it to you. Can't miss it once you get to what used to be the White Forest, really.

[shadow_sage]

[She shook her head.]

Doesn't seem like much reason, but I've seen it happen before.

Let's look at what we have here, first.

[somewhatpointy]

When you're dealing with a monster, most people would call it common sense.

[There's a rueful grin as he turns his attention to the paper.]

Yeah, I'm not even sure if it's important or not. I figured I'd take what I could and figure the rest out later.

[shadow_sage]

Most people have an incredibly unreliable definition of 'Monster.'

[Her tone is firm, even a little angry.]

Sometimes, something as simple a grocery list can be vital in translations. Even if it's not important by itself, just have more to work with can help.

[somewhatpointy]

Most people don't turn into giant bug-things.

[He nods.]

Yeah, I see where that would come in handy. Kind of like making a key to work with for more important stuff.

[shadow_sage]

[She laughed.]

I've lived with Humans, Turians, Quarians, Salarians and a couple of Krogan. Not to mention the last living Prothean. I work with Geth and Rachni, as well as Batarians, Drell, and Hanar. I have a half-sister who is part Hanar. I've fought beside ardat-yakshi, and I know four people who have killed a thresher maw on foot, and having fought them myself, let me say that it is not a feat easy to accomplish.

[Well, that's not exactly how it works, but it makes her point. As she speaks, she continues leafing through the papers, conversation seeming almost absent.]

And we're all being hunted to extinction by giant machines that look like crustaceans. My best friend took one out by herself, on foot, and fed another one to a thresher maw. Big eyes and shape-shifting? Interesting, but hardly monstrous.

Hmmm. Some of these words seem very similar, but a few characters off. Maybe prefixs that alter the meaning of the word. I'll have to see if the pattern is in any of my books.

[somewhatpointy]

[He doesn't know what those names mean, per se, but he's got an idea of what she's talking about. He smirks a bit.]

That's usually not how they see it back home...but I've got to say your world sounds a bit more interesting.

[He's looking at the pages of text now.]

So you think you'll be able to make some progress with it?

[shadow_sage]

It took humans decades to settle into the galactic community. Change isn't easy for anyone.

[She looks up, frowning.]

It's possible. I might find something tomorrow that puts everything into perspective. Or it might take me two or three centuries. I'm sorry, but there's no way to estimate these things.

[somewhatpointy]

Where I come from, humanity's changing. Trying to surpass what it is now in the next stage of evolution. It's...not always going smoothly. A lot of people have been killed over it, but things should be better now...

That's fine...just the fact that you're trying is something.

[shadow_sage]

[She considered this revelation for a moment.]

As far as I know, that is nothing by speculative fiction where I'm from.

[And she'd probably know, otherwise.]

I have to do something, or I'll never get to go home.

[somewhatpointy]

Can't say it's anything I ever expected to live through...

[Ryo nods in understanding.]

Yeah...I was hoping to find something that would help when I went poking around in that place.

[shadow_sage]

Life has a way of surprising us, doesn't it? I never expected to see the galaxy sucked into a war that meant extinction on a truly galactic scale, but there was no way to stop it.

[She sighed, and shook her head.]

We'll hope, then, that it is helpful. And there may be more in the tower, too.

[somewhatpointy]

[He grimaces.]

Sounds like what happened on my world on a wider scale...only we were able to stop it.

I can show you the tower whenever you're ready.