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

[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.