Difference between revisions of "604/Days of Abstractum Past I Part 2"
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Revision as of 06:38, 17 September 2014
| Days of Abstractum Past I Part 2 | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 13 August 2014 |
| Location: | The Homeworld |
| Synopsis: | Abstractum Users rewind time while in Unshift Space. |
| Cast of Characters: | 2, Vruasa Telash, Fiora O'Brien, 219, 253, 347, 353, 357 |
| Tinyplot: | When They Return |
|
- Psyber (253) has posed:
A floating concept of guardianship and angelic abstractly posits the idea that heading to Oblivion first may be the most informative.
- Hana Umikazeno (357) has posed:
The conglomerated concept of survival, marksmanship, business acumen and a hint of booze that is currently Hana has no particular objection to this, and agrees with heading to Oblivion first.
- Laer (353) has posed:
On the other side, a spirit of both contrariness and, more importantly, narritive cohesion objects to starting with the last page, and instead rather obnoxiously and irritatingly suggests starting with the beginning and Genesis. Barbarians.
- Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
It seems, on at least this point, the concepts of an angel and a magical girl lich are opposed. Homura would vaguely gesture towards the concept of Genesis, communicating that understanding the end is meaningless without a picture of the beginning to go with it.
- Psyber (253) has posed:
The concept of the angel would voice a disagreement to the narrator and the lich, pointing out that the beginning of the book never has the important information that drives the story. It's the lack of information at the beginning that requires a book to fill it in.
- Fiora O'Brien has posed:
The Concept of Fiora, which is amusingly enough, Fiora (though she seems darker and it's hard to put your eyes on her and she is very VOIDY, in a mysterious way. Also she has somewhat infinite hair and is old in the ageless sense) tries to communicate, but just kind of gets conceptually frustrated at the situation.
- Ariel (219) has posed:
The concept of forgiveness and renewal and hope - and adorableness - drifts forlornly toward Tandem before scooting over toward Genesis as well, swayed by the reasonable thought that starting at the beginning is good!
- Vruasa Telash has posed:
The form of VRUASA TELASH, who will not be represented in a particularly strange fashion because he doesn't feel like it, concurs with those who express a desire to understand the beginning first. He points out that while the ending of a story is a very important part, the lack of context for the ending doesn't help anybody. Who goes to a theater and waits for the finale before taking their seat? Besides, insofar as exploring the conclusion of the past of the Abstractum goes, they actually already have more information about that than they do about earlier points in history. In some fashion or another, They were temporarily defeated until finally they overran the people of the past and an incomplete oblivion was the ultimate result.
He underlines this by drawing a great spear of condensed time and writing in light upon the air:
GEORGE BURDEN
Having done so, he reaches over to grab Fiora by whatever passes for a hand here, and tugs lightly towards Genesis.
- Hana Umikazeno (357) has posed:
Hana's conglomerated concept gives as close to a sigh as it is possible to give here, and admits that they are probably outvoted and also there may be a few good points there in the arguments for Genesis. She is willing to go along with the trip to the beginning.
- Psyber (253) has posed:
The concept of PSYBER is finally swayed by Vruasa's points combined with those of the others. He'll trail off after them towards Genesis.
- Fiora O'Brien has posed:
Fiora has a hand, because her concept is just SUPER OLD MYTHICAL GOD FIORA who is hard to think about and look at and remember, but she's there! Totally. Sorta.
Again, it's hard.
She agrees with the general principle of going to the beginning, and even gives some conceptually helpful anecdotes! Too bad they're just The Concept of Helpful Anecdotes.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Perceptions within this space are difficult to define with clarity; it's clear that time travel in the direct sense is impossible, which is to say, the group is unable to interact meaningfully with what appears to not only be a seperate timeline, but in fact a seperate configuration of reality itself. Regardless, an approximation can be accomplished; the concepts of the group are unable to act directly upon the timeline, or observe it directly. However, they do have one thing that they can do: Resonate.
The concepts upon the plane of reality as it was in the First Cycle, the artifacts and people that made up the Precursors, call out to the world around them, their conceptual weight impacting reality like the beat of a drum, each drumbeat only heard and relayed by the one with whom the drumbeat can resonate. And so, the group is limited, in sight, to the precursors of those present, and even then, able to censor their own Precursor's actions. And yet, why would they? There's little that needs hiding here.
Let us look now to the Precursors in the time of Genesis. Let us see what they were, so that we can understand what they would become. We now look to the beginning of the end of the First Cycle...
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
THE STORYTELLER is a concept with which Laer shares much resonance. Pursuit of an important objective concerning the work of THE DIRECTOR recently was finally bearing some fruit. There were a trio of options available to her at the time; direct thievery of her objective through abuse of her substantial knowledge of shipment routes, social abuse of one of the connections she had made several years earlier, or an attempt to gain forgiveness from the Director for past transgressions and accquire an example of the recent work legitimately.
Okay, actually, there were two options.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Homura Akemi's resonance with THE WITCH AT DUSK causes her to find herself experiencing the conceptual life of that same Precursor. Her demand for magical purification growing higher each day, the Director had offered her an option to gain a buffer, of sorts, against corrupting effects. However, doing so would involve a defection against her current factional allegiance, due to secrecy concerns that abound at the time.
What decision did the WITCH AT DUSK make?
- Laer (353) has posed:
Laer will watch the concept she seems most attuned with with interest and curiousity, trying to guess in advance what would make the better story. For this reason, legitimate approaches don't even cross her mind, and while a caper is always fun, one of social skills and conning people into doing what you wanted without even realizing it was all the more fun. She'll figuratively lean back and wait to see if that is indeed what this precursor of herself was to choose; it would be disappointing to be misaligned in that way.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
Ariel's strongest resonance is with the PRINCESS AT DAWN, an individual heavily ingratiated to the Director's faction of choice, who found herself approached, one day, by the STORYTELLER AT MIDNIGHT. Through various deceptions, despite their different factions. the PRINCESS found herself acting as its representitive in dealing with the STORYTELLER, who presented to her a compelling argument; she requested access to a piece of the Director's work, in order to ensure the safety of a critical neutral party. The PRINCESS knew that this could just as well be falsification as truth, as the Storyteller had been an opposed liar before, but she could freely provide an example of the Director's work without consequence to herself.
What did the PRINCESS AT DAWN do?
- Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
If her Precursor was anything like she was...
Homura watches, as she resonates and observes the actions of the WITCH AT DUSK. If she too is driven by a singular goal, and survival in order to accomplish it is absolute, AND she has not met the right people yet...
She will take The Director up on his offer.
- Ariel (219) has posed:
Well this was a quandry! The PRINCESS AT DAWN was not so dull as to entirely believe the STORYTELLER AT MIDNIGHT, and hesitated to provide anything to her. After all, who knows what use they might put this to? But a critical third party's safety /might/ hinge on it.
After much delibaration, a reply is given: agreement. She will provide what is asked for, provided some proof of the need can be given. Trust but Verify, or as close as the Princess can manage.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
THE CARTOGRAPHER AT DUSK is the one with whom Vruasa Telash shares the highest capacity for Resonance. His intent was to convey a critical shipment that required his skills to evade detection. He heavily disliked working for the Director and held little loyalty for the man, which is why he gave serious thought to assisting someone he knew and was friends with, the SUNLESS WITCH, when she found him, offering to help his neutral group in exchange for an example of one of the weapons he was shipping. She was a member of the Director's opposing faction, however; there would be problems, but nothing he couldn't handle. It would mean no more favors from the Director, though.
What did the CARTOGRAPHER AT DUSK decide to do?
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The DEMON OF DUSK, the individual with which Hana Umikazeno resonates best, was considering an extremely difficult request. Her priority was, above all else, protection of the one thing that is most important to her, which was currently adequately guarded by membership in a neutral group. Unfortunately, with a recent arms race of sorts between the two larger factions, it seemed more and more prudent to seek out increased defenses for herself. The Director, a member of one of the two larger factions, had made her an offer, a weapon, in exchange for assistance in a mercenary matter. He would even provide the weapon before the proper job, just to make the deal more appealing. However, this could have simply been a transparent ruse performed by the larger faction to sabotage the DEMON OF DUSK'S defense of the most important thing.
Did she accept this offer? And did she take the mercenary assignment?
- Vruasa Telash has posed:
THE CARTOGRAPHER AT DUSK doesn't go out of his way to burn bridges. But he doesn't hide his selfishness, either. When it comes down to taking sides between somebody who's been a pain in the ass from the very beginning, and somebody who's his friend and ally to start with... well. The choice is pretty clear. From the perspective of the man at the wheel, Vruasa Telash, he's projecting Fiora onto the Sunless Witch, so the choice is an obvious one. Not even a choice, really. Some actions are predestined by circumstance, but if it were him -- and in a fashion, it is -- he would pick the Witch every time.
Once upon a time he might have wondered whether or not that in itself was a bad thing. That's a long long time ago now, before he spent all of those years universe building. Before, even, there was a universe there to be built up at all.
Vruasa leans against Fiora as he continues his observation. He doesn't wonder what else might have been. Many years in the past, in countless universes whose hourglasses emptied long ago, the reset husks of realities that were wiped clean from a single spiteful act of vengeance linger in the wastebin of paradox space.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The GUARDIAN AT NOON, with whom Psyber resonates best, was well known for being an effective hunter of traitors, in a sense, and so the Director had sent him, in secret, to escort the CARTOGRAPHER AT DUSK, a neutral individual, assuming that any offensive gestures would be purely violent. He did not expect that the SUNLESS WITCH, a member of the opposing faction, would show her face and attempt a more social manner of exchange. He also did not expect his charge to assent. He already had his weapon, and so could potentially strike. Doing so might cause a major incident with the enemy faction. Staying his blade and reporting the event was "morally right" but could potentially cause more trouble with the smaller neutral faction.
Did the GUARDIAN AT NOON attempt to stop the deal, report the deal, or keep quiet to assure peace?
- Hana Umikazeno (357) has posed:
The concept of Hana watches in the conceptual equivalent of silence. The DEMON OF DUSK resonates with her closely indeed. She is not sure what she would choose in that situation. It is a difficult call, that could very easily lead to disaster either way. But in the end, possessing one weapon, going into a trap willingly and knowingly, can be safer than blithely waiting for unknown danger.
The DEMON OF DUSK will take the offer, and the job.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The SUNLESS WITCH, with whom Fiora somehow manages to resonate, has returned from a brief incident at the Cartographer's ship. Whether or not the Precursor's weapon has been retrieved yet is irrelevant. However, the STORYTELLER AT MIDNIGHT has come to her, requesting that she use her abilities to assist in a forgery to craft a false diplomatic association with the neutral party with whom she had just made relatively positive relations through the CARTOGRAPHER AT DUSK. This would be straining newly-created diplomatic relations. However, her existing factional needs had to be considered, and the STORYTELLER AT MIDNIGHT had been her ally for far longer. There would be less fallout if she were denied, but there is more obligation to not do so.
Did the SUNLESS WITCH use her command of lies and forgery to help?
- Psyber (253) has posed:
The decision faced by the GUARDIAN AT NOON is one that weighs upon him heavily. To choose between someone he would consider at least an associate, if not friend. To be placed between a choice like that and his loyalties, with his believe in good thrown into the balance. The GUARDIAN AT NOON contemplated at length, internally debating what to do. Using his weapon now would do more bad than good, but doing nothing would allow a betrayal to go unacknowledged. And a wound Psyber carries deep lets him know that the GUARDIAN AT NOON hates, above all else, betrayal.
The GUARDIAN AT NOON would, therefore, report that the deal had occurred.
- Fiora O'Brien has posed:
The SUNLESS WITCH has a conundrum. And it's a pretty bad one, too. Normally, this decision would be easy. She would just make the fake, and then go to ground for a while while the heat, if any, died off. One did not become a highly skilled forger by being obvious about her work, but it never hurt to be TOO careful. And, before, things were clear cut.
The SUNLESS WITCH helped her friends. But before that, the SUNLESS WITCH helped herself. She was loyal to many things, but her own neck was the chief one. You couldn't exactly enjoy things if you were dead or worse!
This, however, was more complex.
And so, she did what helped her friend - she provided the forgeries. But, with a caveat - don't use them for at least a short while. She needed to go to ground... And bring someone with her.
Then, she began to formulate a communication to the CARTOGRAPHER, urging him to join her in hididng, for things would probably go badly... Especially with the Director's Enforcer, the GUARDIAN AT DAWN, having seen their deal. It was for his own safety! But she would not wait long...
She had to protect her own neck, too.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The WITCH AT DUSK, a member of this opposing faction, finds herself joined by the DEMON AT DUSK, who has been assigned by the director who assured her defection to protect her during the process of defecting. The DEMON AT DUSK is in possession of incredible new weapons that prove to the WITCH AT DUSK beyond a doubt that their choice will at least promise them some more time in this world. The Witch and the Demon are both faced with a dilemma now, however; if the Witch at Dusk is known to have traitorous intent, she'll be hunted down. However, her protector is neutral, and therefore she can guard her without any suspicion while she remains ostensibly a member of the faction from which she's defecting. But the Witch won't be able to get the weapon that she will eventually need to save her life. The SUNLESS WITCH was otherwise occupied with other matters, but her ex-ally's command over deception could spell disaster for her if she doesn't get to the safety of the enemy quickly. On the other hand, doing so could make her lose chances to salvage some relations on the side of her allies.
Did she choose to defect in pure secrecy, or more publicly?
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The STORYTELLER AT MIDNIGHT secures a promise from the PRINCESS AT DAWN that she'll definitely get such a weapon if she can provide proof. A useful political position to be in! She has the forged evidence that can allow her to prove her faux benefactor status of the neutral faction. Unfortunately, she was asked by the SUNLESS WITCH when she was provided that evidence that she needs to keep it under her hat, and this appointment couldn't be made any other time. She could promise evidence at a later date, for uncertain, possibly nonexistant reward by that time... Or she could use the forged evidence anyway. If she /actually/ acted as a benefactor to the neutral faction, it would technically no longer be a lie, in both decisions. But that would also be slightly less selfish.
Did the STORYTELLER AT MIDNIGHT use the evidence? Did she intend to act as the neutral faction's benefactor afterwards, or act with selfishness.?
- Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
A tough call to make, Homura thinks.
A situation she's happy she was never really in; sure, there were tensions between her and her friends. She may have threatened to kill some of them a few times. Actually done so a few others. But in most of those circumstances, there existed the chance to start anew, and we weren't talking warring factions, we were talking a group of five (or six) girls. Plus a cat.
The Witch still had time, at least. Not much, but she did. Calculating-- like Homura, someone whose several next weeks are carefully planned in advance, so long as she's driven. If she plays her cards right, she can delay the acquisition of the weapon just a bit longer, and salvage connections, resources-- and people-- before officially defecting.
The Director would surely understand the decision.
The WITCH AT DUSK would choose secrecy first.
Joined by the DEMON AT DUSK, she is afforted just enough time to slow down a little bit-- or so she would have estimated.
Being protected wouldn't sit right with her, but she wasn't in a position to play by her rules anymore.
- Vruasa Telash has posed:
The CARTOGRAPHER AT DUSK has no issue with going into hiding until it's easier to be around without getting shot at. Besides, the SUNLESS WITCH is pretty good company, which motivated all of this to start with. He departs with her at pretty much the first available opportunity to do so that maximizes possible rewards while minimizing risks. No sense in ending up without any allies in this situation, anyway.
- Fiora O'Brien has posed:
Outside of this, Fiora is a bit more curious. "Now, there's something I never would have guessed. My precursor... Huh. She picked a side, early. It's amusing, really, because I never had to. But I suppose, when you're just a master forger, you need friends. Lots of friends. With violence skills." She muses, leaning her CONCEPUTAL HEAD on Vruasa's conceptual shoulder.
"I mean... If you're gonna take a stand, might as well have a bunch of big, tough people with similar views between you and danger. Still. I never figured my predecessor for one to pick sides... I suppose she had to."
- Hana Umikazeno (357) has posed:
Hana's precursor, the oni muses to herself, is much like her, but not completely. Hana would have urged immediate defection, even if she ultimately went with the contractor's wishes. It would be the safer route overall. The DEMON AT DUSK, however, almost certainly gives simple assent to the WITCH's wishes.
- Laer (353) has posed:
The STORYTELLER will be all about the using the evidence when it's clearly needed. But she also is not in the business of burning bridges with longterm allies if she doesn't have to; if it keeps the evidence from being looked at quite so closely, then she'll be - not glad, not exactly, but willing to follow through and aid that third party. Besides, setting up for the next lie starts now, even if it might require a little bit of unselfish truth right this moment.
- Psyber (253) has posed:
One thing the GUARDIAN AT NOON would do after reporting it, though, out of a sense of loyalty is to tell the CARTOGRAPHER AT DUSK that he had been reported for it before the CARTOGRAPHER vanished underground. Doing his duty is one thing, but he also has a degree of respect for the CARTOGRAPHER that places his own ethics in compromise. The explanation the CARTOGRAPHER would get is that while the GUARDIAN himself must put his duty first, he can understand the CARTOGRAPHER'S decision, and the underlying feeling is that perhaps he envied the CARTOGRAPHER for getting to make it.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The PRINCESS AT DAWN grants the STORYTELLER AT MIDNIGHT the weapon she requested, allowing her to go on. And... Well, apparently it's accurate evidence! Some signs of forgery are later found, but no actual events or actions to back this up ever happen, and so it is assumed to be a false positive later.
Shortly after this, she receives extremely unfortunate information; one of the primary representitives of that neutral faction may have just defied an agreement with the Director, an ally of her group. The GUARDIAN AT NOON has reported it to her directly, as per the norm, due to the Princess' close association with the Director. However, she's uniquely in the position to understand that this combination of events may sour relations severely, especially while the director is working to establish more broad, accessible use of his weapons, even to the neutral party and potentially the enemy faction.
The Director will inevitably hear about this one way or another. Will the PRINCESS AT DAWN act to try to mitigate the diplomatic damage with either of the other factions, or let them lie in the beds they made? If she does, which will she prioritize?
- Ariel (219) has posed:
Oh dear. Well, the PRINCESS really just wants everyone to get along, so it's up to her to clean up this mess! Even if it means she has to cover for the things others are doing. The PRINCESS AT DAWN doesn't think it over much before coming up with a careful way to couch telling the Director, and also try to mitigate this damage.
In this case the PRINCESS chooses to cover for the NEUTRAL parties and act to make sure the relations are patched up as best they can be.
- Vruasa Telash has posed:
The CARTOGRAPHER AT DUSK just shrugs to the GUARDIAN AT NOON, offering half-hearted apologies. It's not that he doesn't care that he's putting the guy in a bad spot, but he's got priorities and sometimes that means he's got to choose. Not that he says so specifically. But he does note that he owes the GUARDIAN AT NOON a little something later for telling him in the first place. For now, he says, he as to get going. In parting, he remarks that the GUARDIAN AT NOON should think harder about adhering to a code that seems to have him so torn.
But, he doesn't stay to make a discussion out of it.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The GUARDIAN AT NOON reports the events that transpired aboard the CARTOGRAPHER AT DUSK's ship, boosting relations with his faction and with the director, but potentially creating trouble with the smaller, neutral one, though he'll be well aware the larger opposing faction can just deal. However, shortly after arriving, he finds himself wrapped up in yet another morally ambiguous event. He's asked to secure a route that will eventually be used by a secret defector - the WITCH AT DUSK - in the enemy faction. This will involve violence, killing several enemy soldiers in a secret operation.
Will he choose to accept this mission, despite the obvious issues with betrayal?
- Psyber (253) has posed:
The words of the CARTOGRAPHER hang with the GUARDIAN AT NOON long after he's allowed him to depart. A man of duty and principle, he had never considered the solution the CARTOGRAPHER had given him. In one transmission he agrees to the mission of protecting the WITCH AT DUSK, seeing it as his duty to carry out the job he has been given so far.
But...
A second message goes out. One to someone he knows will be able to understand and convey his decision better than he can. The PRINCESS AT DAWN receives a missive from him. The GUARDIAN AT NOON will be finishing one last mission for the Director and then vanishing from his alliance. His reason is not one of disloyalty, for he believes in the Director's cause. But he can no longer follow the rules of another, and must instead pursue his own Moral Code.
Sending these out, separately, the GUARDIAN AT NOON steels himself and his new weapon for one last execution of someone else's ethos.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The SUNLESS WITCH makes the decision to go into hiding as tensions between her faction and the enemy escalates; with her newer ally, the CARTOGRAPHER AT DUSK, and his superior navigational skills, combined with her own abilities of trickery, they should be impossible to find. The pair, for the moment, seem to disappear after creating half of the chaos that has suddenly thrown parts of these factions into agitation. This will, presumably, come back to bite them later, but for now, they escape consequence, albeit with some power vacuum generated in their absence.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The WITCH AT DUSK, still within her own faction of sorts, is made aware, through chance, of the STORYTELLER AT MIDNIGHT and her recent help for the third faction, and the pull that it gives her within it. There's a major opportunity to make requests of the Storyteller that could create substantial benefit for Homura's efforts to get to the other side and get her weapon. But this small chance could also create a link to the Storyteller that might come up after the defection.
HOWEVER, there are additional entities involved in this decisionmaking that the group does not have sufficient resonance with; additional "cast" needs to be added in order to determine the facts of the course of events here, next time.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
The PRINCESS AT DAWN is able to prevent some diplomatic fallout from the third faction, gaining her some favored owed to her by them for later use, as well as favors from the GUARDIAN AT NOON, whose conscience gets to be slightly more eased. However, during this exchange, it's determined that the GUARDIAN AT NOON will be vanishing from the faction shortly after one more mission; the PRINCESS AT DAWN is the only one he conveys this to shortly before going to meet with the DEMON AT DUSK, an encounter during which they will be fighting other individuals who have yet to provide their resonance to this exploration, and so the story is somewhat cut off here, at least for now.
- Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
With the other matters stalled for lack of fresh cast, so to speak, this excursion into the Precursors and their already-grim history is primarily concluded. Vruasa and the Abstractum can now bring the group back around to reality - and back to the White Wing - whenever he likes. This process is relatively exhausting, though, and so excursions to the other timeline segments may be undesirable.
