417/A Night in Fennmont

A Night in Fennmont
Date of Scene:	14 August 2014
Location:	Rieze Maxia <RM>
Synopsis:	Jude Mathis invites fellow Unionites to visit Fennmont.
Cast of Characters:	Crys Gattz, 13, Staren, 411, 542
Tinyplot:	The Lance of Kresnik

---

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    Welcome to Fennmont, the 'Spirit Lit Seat of Kings'.

    The reason for the nickname would be apparent to those arriving from the warpgate in the nearby Barnauer Highroad as soon as they enter: though the entire city is covered in a peculiar, eternal night sky, some light is offered in the form of ethereal bulbs that rise beside the streets. Luminescent cyan lights that, even to the completely spiritually unattuned, seem to emanate a sort of mystical, ethereal energy; magic that comes from spirits. These light are ubiquitous throughout the city, making normal life a possibility... though as you could well have suspected, getting one's normal helping of Vitamin D can be quite a challenge sometimes.

    Ah, but those lights aren't the only thing that can be sensed everywhere. There are also these low, echoing chimes that sound as otherworldly as this region happens to look with its massive tree towers and sparkling waters. And yet, this place isn't entirely 'RPG Elven Village' at all! It's also host to steel walkways and metal buildings, all of which glow from the inside with those some bizarre beams. The time period this place represents may mystify some, but at the very least, it looks to be a fairly standard human settlement otherwise. Very pretty, though.

    But! Those who have invited the elites here this evening don't keep them waiting long. A group of about four students, two of which are dressed in doctors' scrubs and another two who are dressed in more normal, modern clothes are present, waving their hands wildly to get their attention. That is, except for one individual. The fourth member of their little group isn't waving, but standing still with a hand clamped around his wrist. Silent. He seems oddly preoccupied given how exuberant and carefree the others seem to be.

Staren has posed:
    Staren steps through the warpgate onto a road. Typical enough. He sets his broom down in the air in front of him and straddles it, sitting on the bundle of straw at the end and taking off towards the city. As he approaches,

FENNMONT

Spirit Lit Seat of Kings

    appears on his HUD in black-bordered, bold white letters, then slowly fades. He smirks and chuckles a little. His muse is learning about him well... A small window opens in his HUD, showing her avatar's face smirking and winking, then closes again.

    Staren takes in the city below. Interesting. The use of magitech reminds him of home, actually... And then he spies the students waiting, and dives down to land.

    "Hey!" Staren waves and dismounts his broom, picking it up in his other hand. "I'm Staren. Problem Researcher for the Union. Nice to meet you all! I have plenty of questions, but I imagine you have things you want to show us first, right?" he smiles, trying to be friendly.

Crys Gattz has posed:
Crys Gattz has picked up the invite as was more than happy to get some time out. She was curious about the nightlife really. She's not that magically relaly she has abilities but they are not magic. She's however dressed almost for a night out from how she normally is the high high boots the stockeing the short and the dstrange tank top really seemed to be suited for clubbing.

Another thing of note are her long pointed ears and she seems to be pretty chipper from the look of her, she's almost bouncing in place tonight.

"I'm Crys Gattz!"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     It takes Twilight a while to catch up with Staren, but not because she is slow. More because she is awed by the huge trees and the spirit lights. "Oh my! This place is spectacular!" she says as she trots along at a comfortable pace. The little purple pony is of course wearing her saddlebags that Staren made for her, and around one foreleg is a golden bracelet.

     When the excited little pony finally does catch up, she smiles happily to the gathered individuals. "Greetings! I am Twilight Sparkle. It is an honor to be allowed to visit your world." she says, giving a formal bow (which for a pony involves stretching out one foreleg and bending the other). She stands up again and looks around once more before looking to Staren. "Oh! There you are." she says to him before moving to give him a warm hug, having to stand up on her back legs to do so. She doesn't seem to have any difficulty with it, perhaps making one wonder if she actually needs to walk on all fours.

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    As everyone appears, there's a sudden cacophony of 'Hi!'s and 'Hello!'s from everyone, and probably just as many stares from the locals. They don't gawk as long as the inhabitants of some worlds might, but... well. It might still be unnerving when two guards, both clad in crimson armor and clutching grisly spears, stop to give them all stares. Thankfully, though, they begin to ignore the group after a spell, returning to their rounds. No large scale-civil uproar or arrests today! Or not yet, at least.

    A boy in the front with deep blue hair and a pair of rimmed glasses nudges the quieter one with his elbow, but keeps his eyes glued to the gathering of Elites. "Well, Jude. You're the one who's been talking to them on the radio. Introduce us, will ya?" The previously silent boy blinks several times, letting his shoulders relax and his arms fall to his sides. "O-Oh. Yeah." Finally stepping forward, Jude bows slightly to everyone, a smile slowly drawing itself on his face. "Hey. You guys are the ones from the Union radio, right? I'm Jude, and this guy is Liam. The other two over there are Ernest and Serena." He pauses briefly while each of them waves and repeats their hellos. "We're all students at the Talim Medical School just down the street. This city is Fennmont, the capital of Rashugal." Lowering his eyebrows slightly in a look of faint embarrassment, he adds, "Sorry if you knew any of that already."

    There is some obvious... uh... curiosity in the faces of the students, though. Much of it is directed at poor Twilight, who elicits a whisper from the only girl in the group to the other background boy. They try to remain polite and give smiling waves in her direction should she notice them, but it's obvious that they weren't expecting one of the 'people from the Multiverse' to be a pony. The others aren't spared their surprise either - Liam smiles a bit nervously when he first looks to Staren, his gaze trending toward the boy genius's ears, and even Miss Crys gets a few looks for her attire.

    The irony of the situation is, the most average looking one of all of them, Jude, seems the least affected by their unusual appearances. Sure, he still bats his eyelashes a few times, but he doesn't let anything impede conversation. In fact, he seems even -more- interested in Staren's introduction. "Oh! A researcher? I'd heard that the Union had doctors, but I didn't know that it had a whole science department." Pause. "How big is it, anyway?" The other students don't let Jude rest though; Serena is tugging on his shoulder before long. "Oh! Right, yeah, I'm supposed to be showing you guys around!" He taps his head a moment before reaching a conclusion. "Why don't we show them Orda Palace?" The others nod their approval.

    And pretty soon, Jude is leading the group through the circle of shops near the town's entrance, and toward what just might be one of the longest bridges in existence. When they reach its beginning, Jude gestures down the length of it -- to the most massive tree at all, easily as tall as a fifty foot building and as wide as the entire central plaza. Its bowers glow with the same magical energy as the lamps do, and it's... truly a majestic sight to be seen.

Staren has posed:
    Staren quirks a brow at the guards. He's not really that concerned. He's an elite, he can probably stop them if they attack. And they probably know that.

    Crys gets a smile and a nod and then Twilight hugs him! He hugs her back warmly, and nuzzles affectionately, before smiling and pulling head back to look her in the eyes. "Twilight! It's been too long."

    But, other people want to talk to him too. He slowly lets go and steps back, turning to the greeting locals, and smirks. "Pretty big, we have to have enough room for cybertronians to walk around." Get it? Eh? Eh? "They're a species of giant machine people." he explains. "Actually, I do most of my work on my own rather than at Union HQ..."

    "The Orda Palace? What's that?" He follows, looking around at the city curiously. His broom is stuffed into his messenger bag, despite being far too long to physically fit...

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight smiles happily at Staren, then waves back to those that wave at her. "Please, if you have any questions, do not be afraid to ask." she says to the two students in the back before they start across the bridge, which once again leaves her in awe at its sheer size and architecture.

     Twilight listens to the conversation and smiles. "The research department is quite large, and there are many individual researchers as well. Staren and I often work together on projects that interest us."

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    Jude's expression dips slightly when Staren mentions... cybertronians? Judging by the new look on his face, that probably conjures up some disturbing images in his mind. "You mean... golems? Wow. That's pretty big." Yep, definitely not a happy look. When they've come to the bridge, though, one of the other students - Liam, was it? - steps forward. "-That's- Orda Palace," He folds his arms confidently, "and it's the place that marks this city as the capital of Rashugal. It's amazing, isn't it?" The boy smirks before another of them chimes in to add, "We practically live right next to King Nachtigal!" Jude opens his mouth to add something of his own, but he's interrupted by Serena as she -leaps- into the conversational fray to ask something of Twilight.

    "You know, since you offered, I'm curious!" She continues when she knows that she has her attention. "What world do you come from? I mean, what world has talking pony people? That seems pretty... different!" Not exactly the pinnacle of politeness, but you can at least tell she didn't mean to offend. When he has his chance, though, Jude does take the opportunity to add his own inquiry: "What sort of things does the Union research? I'd like to help out some day, if I can."

Crys Gattz has posed:
Crys Gattz seems to like the attention that she gets, her ears are elf like like as well. She does seem amused at the look. There's a grin on her face as sjhe looks them over and she listens to ther hosts.

"We are Jude and this does look like a place that wouold have quite the night life. As for school? I got bored once I could do the basics really to be honest."

She looks to STaren and then to Twilight.

"We could go to the palace and find out? It could be an adventure!"

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    "Night... life?" Jude looks a bit confused by that. "... I guess it has to. It's always night in Fennmont, after all. I mean... oh, that's right!" His eyes light up all of a sudden. "You don't know about the night clime, do you?" A rhetorical question, probably, because he keeps talking shortly after. "In this world, there are certain places - spirit climes - where specific seasons or aspects of nature predominate particular regions year-round. In Fennmont," He gestures upwards, "that's the night clime. You could probably guess, but that means that it's always night here. We... don't get to see the sun much." But it isn't too terribly long before one of them pesters Jude yet again. "C'mon, c'mon! There's still so much for us to show them! Why don't we go to Talim next?" Jude nods. "Okay, okay! Just... stop pulling at me!" Jude shoots the Elites a tired sort of look before starting east. The other students beckon for the rest to follow.

Staren has posed:
    Staren stops to admire the palace. He's considering what to reply -- he doesn't really care about kings or showy architecture that much... when more questions come! If this is rude of them, Staren sure doesn't think so. "All kinds of stuff! Last big project I was actually in the R&D Department for was the Sword Art Online crisis. Basically... There was this world where someone invented a... special helmet, that could allow you to visit a shared dreamworld of a sort. The idea was that it would let everyday people pretend to be adventuring swordsmen and the like. But the person who invented it was a little nuts. He didn't want people to /visit/ his world, he wanted people to /live/ there. So when 10,000 people showed up to see the place, he took away their ability to leave, and revealed that he'd left a boobytrap in the helmets, that would kill them if they died in the dream, or if anyone tried to take the helmet off someone who was trapped. R&D had to reverse-engineer the helmets to make safe versions and try to determine if there was any way to remove the booby trap. Actually, I was mostly involved with trying to adapt the technology to work with nonhumans -- there are /tons/ of uses for being able to go to a shared imaginary world, after all!"

    Staren smiles, and listens about the climes. "Really? How does that work?" He looks up. "Is that sky some sort of magical projection? Or is there not a real sun the way other worlds have it? Is the sun a projection over other climes?" Now it's his turn for rude questions!

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight blinks in surprise as Serena suddenly leaps at her with a question. Twilight giggles, then smiles. "Well, to me, all of these worlds that are full of talking bipedal creatures that resemble apes are strange." Twilight says, then giggles again. "I'm from a land called Equestria. Nearly all of the city residents are ponies, but there are many other creatures that live in our land as well. Dragons, griffons, donkeys, cows...lots of things! There are three types of ponies. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies. Each has their own special skills unique to that race."

     Twilight follows along with the others, looking around at the castle.

Crys Gattz has posed:
Crys Gattz Says "You klnow clubbing, finding a hot date, that sort of things? A City like this could be quite the party destation really. Or I could be utterlly off, eh I'm not bothered by it. I'm generally in some underground complex or another, or a ruined ship, or a sealed tomb of horrrs someone broke through."

She grins at the otehr's reaction she falls in step to follow.

"Magic beyond me really I'm more channeling other things really and huh so that's how your people work, Twilight?"

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    Staren's explanation draws the attention of all of the four students. Once he's finished, there's a brief, stunned silence, followed by a somewhat distant 'Wow...' muttered under someone's breath. "That makes me think of what the spirit world must be like. Y'know, minus the crazy guy trapping everyone." The others just nod along with that statement by Liam, before it's their turn to answer some questions! Ultimately, they all turn to Jude, who begins talking some moments later.

    "A sun definitely exists! ... but we aren't entirely sure why spirit climes exist or how they function. Some researchers think they have something to do with spiritual phenomena we can't see, or that something happened to section off areas and put them in a sort of environmental stasis, but we're still only beginning to really understand spirits." Jude folds his arms and pauses briefly. "I mean, we only realized that spirits actually -exist- a few hundred years ago after Howe proposed his hypothesis. All that we -do- know that they're intimately linked with nature and its cycles."

    Jude... smiles a bit at what Twilight says. "That's a pretty good point. Since we've been here all of our lives and only spoken to humans, we think they're normal, but for you... yeah." He nods his head. "But the way everyone in your world has special talents reminds me of our world, somewhat. Here, people tend to have an affinity for a specific kind of spirit. Some people are really effective in the use of mind, others with water... and it's those differences that have made the progress we've acheived possible." Slowly, a sort of energy builds behind his words, and his fists clench in resolution. Looks like he actually -is- passionate about some things!

    ... a passion that's almost instantaneously shattered by Crys's next statement. He may not know what the heck 'clubbing' means, but he understood 'hot date' loud and clear. His face flushes a bright pink, and the other students giggle at him some. Folding his arms, he sinks into the background just before the group reaches Talim Medical.

    There's a sign out front to mark it as such, but this seems to be one of the more 'technological' buildings. It's made of some variety of alloy that appears to be electric blue in the moon's pale light that leaves space for an almost impractical number of windows. Oh, and based off of what they can see from others coming and going, it even has an automatic, sliding door! Looks like they're more sophisticated here than some might've thought.

Staren has posed:
    Staren listens attentively. There's a hint of a pout when Jude is put off by the mention of clubbing. He looks at Twilight. "I suppose we /could/ go clubbing..." He looks back to Jude, "But learning more about how this place works sounds like a way more interesting date anyway!" He looks back to Twilight. "What do you think, Twi?"

    He spies the medical building and the sliding door, and his curiousity is piqued. "Ooh, is that spirit-tech? Be right back!" he runs off to the door, scanning it for electric fields and for magic and seeing if it responds to his weight, or somehow responds to him otherwise, or doesn't at all since he's currently in an unliving robot body!

    There's science to do!

Crys Gattz has posed:
Crys Gattz did not mean to break the guy's mind, she's just very much seemingly about enjoying herself, there's a good reaosn but it's not something that she want to bring up just yet.

"You seem to be really working hard at this I admit and ... are you all right?"

She looks as Jude turns red for a bit. she seems a little bit amused.

"This work is impressive but I do find kicking back does help keep you focued better when your workin... okay this seems be impressive I have to admit."

She looks the building over with a good deal of interest.

Milla Maxwell (13) has posed:
    Off to the side of the medical school, standing by the water on a small dock (which is more for relaxation than docking purposes, it even has benches)-- if Jude didn't mention, Fennmont has a fair amount of small streams and rivers flowing through the city-- is a blonde woman, wearing rather colorful clothes. She has a small boy with her with extremely bright green hair, short shorts and a cool jacket-- Sylph, for those who have seen him before, although with his spiritual features hidden.

    The woman, Milla, appears to be talking to the water.

    That's not odd at all.

    Sylph tugs on one of her sleeves-- well, gauntlets, really-- and points towards Jude, recognizing Crys, at the very least. Milla glances, before finishing her thoughts to the water (???) and heading over.

    "I apologize for being late. I got lost."
    Sylph frowns. "I told you we shouldn't trust Undine's sense of directions here, the water splits everywhere, she'd never find left from right. We should have flown here."
    "Ah, well. So! You must be... Jude? I am Milla."

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight doesn't seem to notice Jude's discomfort from Crys's comment. She is too busy smiling at Staren. "Oh, a scientific expedition is certainly enjoyable!" Twilight says happily, but then nods in agreement with Crys. "Exactly. If one does not do stress-relieving activities every now and then, one will eventually burn out. And that's no good!" she says before blinking as someone else joins them. Twilight offers a warm smile and a wave of a forehoof to Milla in greeting before giggling as Staren goes to scan the door and asks questions about it. She feels like the research assistant when Staren is around, and she doesn't really mind the position.

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    Jude looks gratefully toward Staren, nodding his head a few times quickly. He does -not- look keen on the idea of being taken to a club, or having a 'hot date', or whatever! He's far, far more content to just... stick to his research. Yep. And his doctor's scrubs. But no sooner has the boy genius saved the day than has he dashed off to inspect the most fascinating of all technologies: a door. Should he have his scanners on and at the ready, the would give off pretty considerable 'magical and/or spiritual energy' readings. So yes, definitely more spirit tech.

    Jude seems a bit dazed when Crys speaks to him again. "O-Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry." The honesty of that statement could certainly be questioned, given the tone and his new unwillingness to look the lady in the eyes. He's... probably not used to having these sorts of conversations. "I do take breaks, though. I mean, I'm taking a break now!" Liam slings an arm around his shoulder, making his eyes go even wider. "Because I make him, naturally." But they're all abruptly cut off by the appearance of yet another newcomer. Someone who is talking to the water... and barely wearing any clothes, despite the brisk conditions. She gets looks from all of the students as she approaches, and Serena whispers mostly audibly to Jude, 'She another one of your otherworldly friends?' At that, he gets flustered again. "H-How should I know? This is my first time meeting these people, too!" When she looks over to him, though, he responds... after several more moments of awkward silence.

    "Uh... yeah. Jude Mathis. And don't worry about being late." He shoots the other students a look. "... I've kinda had my hands full anyway."

Staren has posed:
    Staren plays with the door. Seeing how close he has to get, trying standing in front of the door for a few seconds, hovering up to the door (transparent orange energy wings, like a stylized insect's, manifest on his back)... the last one doesn't make it open. Hmm. he hovers and just touches the ground. it opens!

    Staren returns. "Looks like some kind of magical touch sensor spell on the ground! Or, I suppose you've got a spirit watching for anyone to touch the ground, and then move the door." He's smiling wide at figuring this out. "Well, you heard her: my 'hot date' wants to learn more about your world's science! And so do I. Shall we see this school of yours? Do they have more spirit-tech like the door inside? How does it work? Is it a spirit that pushes the door whenever someone touches the ground? Do people feed it mana regularly? How much does a spirit like that need for a task like that? What /other/ kinds of things can they do? How do you communicate with spirits anyway, if you only recently learned they existed?"

    SO MANY QUESTIONS! They just kind of bubble out of him!

Milla Maxwell (13) has posed:
    "Ah! Hello, then. I hope you can forgive my curiosity, I have never been to a medical school or hospital before," Milla says, crossing her arms as she glances about. She seems distracted, truth told, glancing towards the research center that lies to the side of the palace, before Sylph tugs on her gauntlet again.

    "Milla. You're being rude."
    "Hm? Oh. Yes, yes I am. Sorry, it's nothing to worry about. Jude!" Right, topic change off her discomfort. "I would like to see the inside. Are there people being treated right now? I have always wanted to see first-hand the skills that are taught here. I have read that you will not find more advanced medical spirit artes in all of Rieze Maxia." Technically entirely true, too.

    So basically, same boat as Staren.
    Plz show me your human science.

    Oddly, one might almost notice that where she passes, the lights shine a tiny bit brighter, and someone sensitive enough might even be able to tell something is motivating the spirits in the area, and it's rather positive overall.

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight giggles again as Staren starts asking questions. She doesn't even have to! Staren is so thorough! "This is our first time here, as well." Twilight says to Milla. Being a pony, the human woman wearing a little less clothing than the others doesn't affect her. She just figures it is another fashion, like ponies that wear scarves compared to ponies that wear hats.

     Twilight ears perk as she notices the lights shining a bit more brightly around Milla. The curious pony has to ask. "Excuse me, do you have some kind of personal enchantment...or spirit, I suppose, that follows you around with a spotlight?"

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    Jude starts toward the door of the medical school himself now, but when he gets there, he triggers a different kind of reaction: one affected by proximity. It's a Staren trap! And it comes with so many rapid inquiries that it makes even Jude's head spin. He takes a few more seconds of silence to process all of the things he's asking, but in time he steels himself for a reply. "Yeah, people inside the school use spirit artes all the time. It's fundamental to healing methods here; really, we don't operate very often unless it's to fix something extreme. Likewise, we only use spirit-involving technology in the same situations. If someone needs sustained life support, for exmaple. But..."

    He stops to collect himself a moment, and then continues. "All technology works on the same basic principle: we give spirits mana, they give us some kind of help. When people touch the surface in front of the door, an Earth spirit detects the vibrations, and the people passing by donate negligible amounts of mana to it in return. Since a lot of people go in and out of doors each day, it doesn't need to take a large amount from any one person. But spirits can do almost anything you could imagine. They can turn wind turbines for power, light fires for cooking, manipulate metals and rocks to help us build cities... almost anything. And yet, all of this is done without almost any direct communication between us. It's... just sort of an understood agreement." He glances to the girl with the crazy hair. "But if she's really who she says she is, she might be able to tell you more about the spirits themselves."

    Then Milla grabs his attention. "Yeah! There are almost always people waiting to be treated. If we go to check out the examination rooms, I'm sure someone would be willing to let us watch them. And since we all seem to want to go inside..." He and the other students start in that direction, stepping in to the lobby. There are indeed fairly large numbers of people sitting in the chairs and awaiting treatment, and almost as many students running hurriedly from place to place in full doctoring gear -- face masks, scrubs, the works. Carefully avoiding anyone that might run in to them, Jude leads the group to the left, where there are some small rooms set aside for treatment. Wasting no time, he knocks a few times.

    "Yeah?" A voice calls from inside. "It's Jude! I have a few people who want to see how we treat patients. Would you mind if we came in?" There's a brief silence. "... oh. Yeah, sure! Don't know why they would be, but some company would be alright." Jude nods to the group one more time, holding the door open for everyone else.

Crys Gattz has posed:
Crys Gattz does pick up on Jude seem to have troble looking her eys the eyes and one white eyebrow goes up. She sighs a little bit and gives him a slight look but she's mroe taking in the whole location there's quite a bit to show off and she does seem honestly impressed with things.

Staren has posed:
    Staren listens eagerly. Today is a good day: he and Twilight get to learn about a whole new world, from natives that are as interested in how it all works as they are! He nods attentively at the door explanation. "How do you come to an understanding like that? What kinds of spirits are there?" he wonders. And then he looks at Milla. "Who does she say she is? Hey, miss! I'm Staren, Researcher of Problems for the Union! I'm told you can tell us a lot about spirits?" he asks, as the group heads through the doors.

Milla Maxwell (13) has posed:
    "Wonderful!" Milla says, looking just a bit excited. Yes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a strange woman just barging into your hospital demanding to watch your doctors work. It'd probably be a horrible breach of etiquette in any NORMAL hospital but fortunately this is a MAGICAL SPIRIT hospital.

    As Jude looks at her to confirm or deny his hypothesis, Milla smiles, raising a finger up as if readying to explain something-- this is, equal parts, an answer to Twilight Sparkle.

    "There's nothing incorrect in what Jude said. I don't have an enchantment, the spirits are simply happy to see me. I could talk about the spirits to you for hours, if you would like. Most of you humans don't have the luck to see or even interact with most of them, so it is natural you would not know much about them. As Maxwell, the lord of sp-- mmph!" Cue hand over mouth. If it's not Jude, it is undoubtedly going to be Sylph, the little green-haired but otherwise normal boy just kind of following her around. He sighs.

    "She means her name is Milla Maxwell, and she reads a lot about spirits." Stage-whisper, audible to the others although not the NPCs because that's how it works: "You should be more careful around here. If it spread around the whole city you might attract unwanted attention."

    Milla ohs, and shakes her head. "Well, I can tell you about what I have 'read' certainly. Spirits are just like any of you. There are dozens in this room with us, and they simply wander about looking for things to do. Just as you are curious about them, they are curious about you, and the abilities they grant you pale compared to the fact you grant them life."

Staren has posed:
    Even Staren can make /this/ Sense Motive check. He nods to Milla and Sylph. "Well, if they're curious about us, I'd be happy to answer any of their questions!" He looks around for the invisible spirits. "Isn't there any way to see or talk with them? Hmm... if only Eureka were awake to come here with me..."

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight headtilts in curiousity at Milla's words. "Are you someone very special in the spirit world?" she asks, moving closer to Milla. Poor Jude and the patient are all but forgotten by Twilight. But, when Twilight notices that Staren used her proposed reworking of his nickname, she giggles and smiles happily before leaning up to give Staren a little nuzzle against his cheek.

     But, his complaint that Eureka isn't here makes her ears droop. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew some spells for dealing with spirits. I'm afraid spirits and other things associated with the afterlife do not usually appear in Equestria, so there are hardly any spells relating to them." She pauses, then hmms. "Perhaps I should develope some, just in case we are ever overrun with ghosts or zombie ponies, as Spike fears could happen."

Staren has posed:
    Staren smiles at the nuzzle, then his ears droop when he sees Twilight looking disappointed. "Hey... It's alright! I don't know that much about spirits either. I was just thinking, Eureka could probably rotate one of my devices into something that could see spirits." Beat. "...Zombie ponies aren't really a thing, right? I mean... Applebloom said she saw some in the Everfree, but I think she might have been dreaming or something because noone else did..." He crouches a bit to hug her around the neck. "It's okay. Maybe we won't get to see and talk to the spirits today, but we can always come back later when we're better prepared."

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    At Staren's next batch of questions, Jude just shrugs. "I... don't really know. That's just the way things have always been. Maybe Maxwell came up with mana lobes and spirits when the world was created so that there would always be balance. Or maybe it was that way even before he was there?" He sighs slightly before answering the more straightforward, factual question. "As for the kinds of spirits, we know there are spirits of fire, water, earth, and wind... and those are the ones that we use the most. But some more progressive researchers think there are also spirits of lightning, ice, light, and dark that we use. It's... it's a controversial topic, and it's one that gets debated a lot."

    After Milla finishes her little explanation, Jude gives her a lingering look... before his eyes shift again to Sylph. And when he sees him, oh man do his eyes go wide. "... are you one of the f..." He blinks several more times before getting a clue and covering his own mouth. A few people -were- staring as they passed through the lobby, but... at least no one screamed 'YOUR GODS ARE HERE, PEOPLE'. Still a pretty close scrape, though.

    Man, though, the looks they get when they enter the examination room. There is a man there with fiery red hair, about Jude's age most likely, sitting in a swivel chair between a desk and a patient's cot. Thankfully, the patient seems to be unconscious, but man the look on that poor guy's face when they come lumbering in. A pony, two women wearing too little, and... well, Staren. He drops a pencil that he's holding, but thankfully he doesn't drop his clipboard. Yet.

    "Uuuhhh..." His eyes dart around the room. After a while, he meekly posits, "... you've, uh. Been making a lot of new friends lately, huh, Jude?" He stands up and hangs the clipboard on the end of the patient's bed, gesturing for the rest of them to enter. It's a small room, but there should be enough space for everyone. Barely. Jude cocks his head slightly and smiles in thanks, filing in and shuffling into a corner at the back. After clearing his throat, the crimson hair puts on a pair of glasses and addresses the crowd.

    "To give a little background, this person is suffering from food poisoning. And they've been sent to me so I can cure them." He sounds a biiit like he's making a sales pitch, but you would be a little proud too if you were showing off one of your only big talents, right? "Pretty simple procedure. Just going to administer a few curing artes, followed by some healing artes, and maybe let them stay the night if they don't wake back up after I'm done." After giving a little introduction, the new med student gets to work, closing his eyes and concentrating.

    First, he rests a hand on the patient's chest, and a warm green light envelops his hand. Milla, as well as all of the other spiritually sensitive, would recognize a clear and apparent spike in spirit activity, as the mana of the doctor's body is donated for the benefit of the patient. Soft, transparent bubbles form and float up and out of a window, containing a purple mass; presumably whatever toxins were in the sick person's body. Afterwards, his hands light up again, this time sending a rush of green winds in to them instead. And once he's finished? The good doctor turns back to the group, brushing his hands together.

    "And that's really all there is to it." Smile. "Spirits do most of the work for us, really."

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight smiles softly at the reassurances from Staren before they head into the room. "I am fairly certain there are no zombie ponies on our Equestria. But...I suppose there is always a possibility." she says to Staren before Twilight steps toward the bed, then rears up carefully and places her forehooves on the bed for balance as well as height so she can more easily see the patient and the procedure.

     When Jude suddenly goes all eyes wide, Twilight headtilts. "Is something wrong?" she asks before looking at Milla and Sylph. Then, the operation starts. And...it is quick, painless, and seems very easy. "Oh my. Only the most skilled of healers could do something like that in Equestria!" she says, obviously impressed. "I am not sure even Celestia and Luna could so easily draw out an illness or poison."

Crys Gattz has posed:
Crys Gattz looks at Millia for a moment and she grins a little bit at her. She says nothing on the comment of spiits she does however she watche as ne of the spirits clamp a hand over Milla's mouth and she seems amused for a moment. She just plays along getting what's up and goes back to taking what htier host has been kind enough to show them.

She looks at the room they are in now and she looks to the man for a moment.

"Hi, yes we are indeed his friends."

She like Jude he seems like a good man ane he is vurnable to a bit of teasing relaly. It could be fun and humm I see, curious some what like my world but generally we tend to use a combation of drugs and other abilities as well. There's only so much resta can do really."

Staren has posed:
    Staren stands back up and watches curiously. "So... what, you just donate some mana and the spirits just know, not only that you want to heal him, but how to do it? Hmmm... Interesting. I mean, how do the spirits know you didn't want to finish him off? Or to warm him, or cool him, or levitate him, or whatever?"

Milla Maxwell (13) has posed:
    "Something like that," Milla says to Twilight Sparkle, without elaborating. She can do it over radio later, or when there aren't tons of people within earshot. Then to Staren, she says: "There is not much to see. If you could see the spirits, you would simply see people like you and I, standing about, minding their own business. They would not quite look like you or I, of course, they would be more... hm." She ponders a good word. "Elementally?" She looks at Sylph.

    "Well, I'm windy, right? And Undine's pretty watery. Those are words right? I'm pretty sure those are totally words," he says.

    To Jude, she idly tries to reassure him-- with a headpat, before he gets to work. "There there, there is no reason to be stressed by his presence. Two of the others are with me as well, although they are incorporeal at the moment." Three? Well, she wouldn't say it, but really it's four. Undine is off into the waterways... towards the research facility. Something that bugged Milla. A weird buzz in the air. Mild restlessness in the spirits. Nothing to worry about for anyone but her.

    Now then, medical exam!

    Milla watches, without a concept of personal space. She gets close, to Jude and to the patient both, watching with wide open eyes the movements the boy makes. She oohs a little bit here and there, obviously able to see things that escape regular observation.

    "Indeed, Jude, that is remarkable! Healing artes with such precision, truly you humans have perfected your craft. I must say, such fine work would actually be beyond even I."

    To Staren, she then explains: "Ah, that is what the gestures and concentration are for. You must focus your will and transmit your intention along with your mana. If your will falters, if your mana is lacking, or if your intentions are unclear, the spirit arte will fail. It is a little bit different for me, but the idea is the same."

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    Jude nods to Twilight. "... and that's why the relationship between spirits and humans is so incredible. We could never do alone what we can do together." The other doctor opens his mouth to answer Staren at the same time Jude does, but since he's already on a roll, the unnamed other guy laughs lightly to himself and waves him on. Jude nods, looking back to the cat scientist. "The spirits know mainly because of what kind of spirits he was channeling. For example, to make those bubbles, he channelled wind and water spirits that worked in conjunction to move the poisons out of his body, trap them, and then transport them a safe distance away. Then, he used wind spirit energy to transport new, clean water into his bloodstream." Jude smiles. "I'm assuming spirits are so used to helping humans this way that they can just know intuitively based on what you're asking for, especially if people ask for things piece by piece, step by step like he did there." Taking a breath and finally looking back to the other med student, Jude concludes by asking, "Sound right to you?" He gives a golf clap and a series of rapid nods. "Well done, doc." Jude laughs bashfully.

    To Milla, Jude simply responds, "We're good at using the tools we're given, but those tools are pretty amazing to begin with." He gives her a sincere smile.

Staren has posed:
    Staren blinks. "Arte users can communicate with the spirits in such detail?? Huh... Still, I wish we could actually talk to them, and exchange..." his eyes go wide. "Information." He gasps. "That's it! We can build a spirit computer! Then they can use it to talk to us! Or... at least a spirit communicator. Or I guess maybe a ouija board..."

Milla Maxwell (13) has posed:
    "That is a much more detailed and accurate statement than what I said, yes," Milla agrees with Jude, actually impressed by how easily he picked up on all that. Sure, it's probably theory he learned and memorized by now, but still!

    "Ah, there is also the matter of location and habits. Just as you humans learn, spirits can as well. They are as capable of pattern recognition as you, and so are able to, in the absense of a clear intent, fill in the blanks most of the time. It is still better and safer to perform the spirit arte in full, obviously." To Staren specifically, she adds: "It is less a form of communication and more symbiosis. You would only refer to it as communication insofar as your brain could be said to communicate with your limbs, for example," Milla says, recalling anecdotes from one book on human anatomy.

    Disengaging Make Stuff Up Because The Game Wasn't Clear On Any Of This mode, Milla glances down towards Sylph, and after an exchanged stare, he shrugs.

    "A way for humans and spirits to communicate would certainly be an interesting invention. A creative spirit could likely use the elements with enough precision to write a message if they were prepared for that use, and mana was made available." She omits to mention herself or the Four, if only because she can grasp the fact Staren wants to make something more widely available, and so chatting with Maxwell and the Four isn't really all that useful.

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight nods enthusiastically when Jude mentions how incredible the human-spirit relationship is. But, when Staren starts talking about spirit computers, Twilight looks slightly confused. "Is he not a spirit?" Twilight asks, pointing a hoof at Sylph. After all, Sylph did say he was 'windy', and in the context it seemed clear he meant that as an elemental affinity. "If so, then speaking with spirits should be quite easy." she says, smiling.

     No doubt she missed a detail in there somewhere. As Milla speaks up again, Twilight can't help but ask. "Are you not a human? I mean, your mane..er..hair is more pony-like than most humans, but other than that, you seem quite human."

Staren has posed:
    Staren blinks. Oh right, they have a spirit here to interrogate! "Well... I figure talking to more than just one spirit would be good, but that's a start! Do you guys use the same language as any humans? Do you have writing? How come everyone here isn't freaking out at seeing a spirit? Oh, I guess they probably assume you're an outsider like us, huh..."

Milla Maxwell (13) has posed:
    "This body is human," Milla confirms, before Sylph gains a proud smirk, as if he knew what she was about to say. "Sylph does my hair for me. It is rather majestic, is it not?" She does not usually act too haughty despite her station, but this is one instance where she is full of pride.

    Sylph then hush-hush whispers: "Well, I'm the Great Spirit of Wind. The four of us have an easier time becoming corporeal because we're so powerful and Milla's got an exceptional amount of mana to keep us supplied. Normal spirits can't really do that. At most they can manifest within representations of their elements, but not in human form to communicate. So, say... a fire spirit can make himself corporeal in an already ongoing inferno, or a water spirit in a tidal wave, but that's not conductive to communication. We talk the same language. And, err... I think I saw a couple people recognize me on the way in and they freaked out a bit."

    Milla continues, more loudly since it's less sensitive: "The Four haven't appeared in Rieze Maxia in the last twenty years or so, for reasons, but before that they were actually fairly prominent. Efreet, I believe, made it a hobby to answer the summons of prestigious blacksmiths so he could stoke their forges and watch their craftsmanship. He learned blacksmithing that way."

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    Jude folds his arms slightly as the other doctor... totally loses track of the conversation and goes back to watching over the patient. He dutifully follows along with what everyone else is saying, perking up when Staren mentions a 'spirit computer'. "If the Union could really help us develop a way to directly communicate with spirits, that could be the most groundbreaking invention since... since... well. A really long time!" He smiles. "If it's possible, then I'd like to try to do something like that. Who knows! Other worlds must have spirits too, right? Maybe it could help the entire Union!" Oh, now he's getting excited too. NERDS: UNITE!

    Conveniently, before Milla begins whispering, the other doctor takes his leave. No need to be quite so quiet anymore, seeing as the only other person in the room is completely unconscious. When Sylph starts talking, though, Jude listens... and does a double take. Glancing up to Milla, he remarks just as quietly, "Then you really are..." He swallows. "Maxwell. The lord of spirits is right here, at my school." He laughs and shakes his head slightly. "That seems like some kind of joke, but here I am..." He rubs his hair a little bit, still a bit too taken aback by everything to respond more substantially.

Staren has posed:
    Staren nods to Sylph. "So... you can understand humans so well..." He blinks. "I'm not sure what to ask, really. Stuff seems pretty well explained... Still, don't you think establishing communication with spirits would be good? Not only can you exchange culture and ideas, but then humans and spirits could work together in much more complex ways! Would the other spirits be interested in communicating if they could?"

    He looks back to Jude, grinning. "I know, right?? I've wanted to combine computers and magic for years... They could be used for this..." he blinks and looks back at Milla. "So... you're the lord of the spirits? What does that mean, really? And what do /you/ think of all this?"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight blinks as things are explained. "Oh, I see. Then, perhaps establishing a proper communications channel with the spirits would be helpful. Especially so if they ever need help from you guys that involves something more than mana." she says before looking at Milla again. "Does that mean you are a spirit yourself? That would make sense, given your references to humans rather than including yourself with 'we'."

     Twilight headtilts as Staren mentions combining magic and computers. "Perhaps the computers in my basement would be useful. They are probably a bit archaic compared to what you are used to, but they do run on magic, and can detect magical energy. It might be able to be tuned for spirit energy."

Milla Maxwell (13) has posed:
    "That is correct," Milla says, nodding. "I am Maxwell, the Lord of Spirits. I am the guardian of Rieze Maxia, this world. It seems that humans often like to attribute omnipotence and omnipresence to entities such as myself, but I can assure you that is not the case. To be entirely honest, the human world is strange and new to me. I have not been here in two thousand years, only keeping up with history through the stories other spirits relay. That is why I spend so much time reading. It is truly fascinating to discover all these cultures."

    To Jude, she... gives a headpat again.

    "There's no need to be shy, Jude! It is not as though I were that much more powerful than you, and in this room, I am certainly no more important." Though, unvoiced, is the fact she does consider humans ike children, compared to herself.

    Finally to Staren, she hms. "I am unsure what to think. I believe you have noble intentions, and to establish a communication bridge between humans and spirits would be incredible. On the other hand I must caution you against going too far. Even Spyrix, which kills spirits, must have started with good intentions in mind. As for what my title means, it simply means I am the one who created Rieze Maxia, two thousand years ago. That is not a feat I could repeat even if I tried. Nowadays, the title simply means I am the oldest spirit, have authority over the others, and... more recently, would go as far as become human to settle a matter that threatens the balance myself."

Crys Gattz has posed:
Crys Gattz has bene having fun just listening and wtching for a moment

"They likely could do that, and communication with them is something this world badly needs."

Crys was suddenly very serious for a moment, she can't forget what she saw in the two bases she's helped clear out.

She looks to Staren and then to Slyph and smirks a little bit.

"Humans re not tht hard to be, though my species is the result of some very ... lonely single lab techs."

"Geee that must be hekl to atch up on that much my friend."

Staren has posed:
    Staren blinks at Twilight. "That's right... I need to get a look at those computers..."

    Milla gets a frown. "So anything with noble intentions is dangerous?" he sighs. "Geeze, I'll be careful. If anything, your input will help make it safer."

Crys Gattz has posed:
Crys Gattz Says "The path to hell is laid with good intentions. It's a earth saying which is fairly apt. Most people don't set out to be monsters."

Milla Maxwell (13) has posed:
    "No, of course not. I merely mean that you should never forget those good intentions. I fully support your idea and would like to assist when it is possible," Milla clarifies to Staren, with no hostility. She really just means be careful!

    To Crys, she simply smiles. "I don't mind. I enjoy reading quite a bit. As I do not sleep, my time is generally divided between quiet meditation and communion with spirits, and reading. If it were not for those books I would be even more dangerously misinformed on the human world."

Jude Mathis (542) has posed:
    Jude just keeps grinning at Staren. "I... actually don't know that much about computers. They're pretty new technology here, and most of the time only the military has access to them. But I do know that I've always wanted to be able to see spirits, and that a lot of people feel the same way. And I know everyone else has already said it, but," He shuts his eyes, clenching a fist and holding it to his chest. "if humans and spirits could see one another, -talk- to one another like we already can..." He shakes his head. "That would make for a brighter future, I'm sure of it." Then... he glances to Milla.

    "But I also know that there are humans that would take advantage of spirits. Spyrix are tangible proof of that. So if we were able to make something amazing like that, Staren; something that would revolutionize the way spirits and humans communicate... we would have to implement it slowly, and make sure that it never falls into the wrong hands." He inhales again, looking a bit surprised at how breathless he is. He's... probably not used to talking this much. Probably need to summon up some wind spirits to put some air back in his lungs, soon.

    ... and then, one of the other students knocks on the door, creaking it open and peeking their head inside. "Um? Guys?" Their voice is a whisper, probably in an attempt to be as non-invasive as possible. "I hate to interrupt and everything, but I think Talim is about to close for the night. It's gotten pretty late." Jude's eyes go wide, and his eyes dart to a clock on the wall. "Oh, that's right! And I have a test in the morning!" Suddenly, he looks all kinds of flustered. "S-Sorry, everybody! I've gotta run! Hopefully I'll be able to see you again sometime, or talk to you on the radio!" Tearing the door open and leaving the other student barely enough time to shuffle out of the way, Jude bursts outside. "See you later!" is his parting message, echoing from a few feet down the hall that connects the examination rooms with the lobby.

    A student, through and through. Twilight could probably relate to him.

Staren has posed:
    Staren SIGHS dramatically at Jude's caution. "Why does it always have to be this way? People can't handle immortality, people can't handle talking to spirits... People could do so much more if they weren't so /stupid/." He mutters. And blinks. "Oh... well... thanks for inviting us! This was /super/ informative!" he offers Jude a handshake, then walks out with the others.

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Indeed she can! Twilight just smiles as Jude rushes out. "I should probably get home myself. Make sure Spike hasn't gotten into any trouble, and ensure the books have been returned for the day." Twilight says before looking over at Crys and Milla. "It was wonderful meeting both of you. If you ever wish to talk, my library is always open." she says, extending a forehoof to Crys, then after shaking Crys's hand, to Milla.

     Sylph is also offered the hoof after Milla. "And you, of course!" she adds before heading back over to Staren. "So...will you fly me home?" she asks, giving him big batting eyelashes.

Staren has posed:
    Staren blinks at Twilight, then smiles and hugs her. "Of course!" the batting eyelashes weren't necessary, but he's not complaining. Holding hands is problematic, so he puts a hand on her withers as they make their way out of Talim. Once they're outside, out comes the broom again, Staren straddling the stick so Twilight can sit human-style on the straw. "Put your forelegs around me... Will this work? Or should I carry you?"

    If this arrangement works, off they go, Staren flying up for an aerial view of the city before flying to the warpgate. (Otherwise, the same thing with him carrying her and using the wings to fly.)

Milla Maxwell (13) has posed:
    Milla nods, slowly; she returns hand and/or hoof shakes, politely, and so does Sylph. To Staren, she even says: "I do not think it is a matter of not being able to handle it, but it is a matter of being cautious. When you give a child one piece of candy, he will ask for another, or for two, the next time, without intending any malice from it. Eventually he will ask for all the candy he can get, without regards to the cost. If you are capable of keeping your good intentions in the forefront, I do not doubt you will reach success here. I, personally, look forward to seeing your results. Allowing humans and spirits to communicate may greatly lessen the threat of Spyrix."

    As everyone leaves, Milla herself mostly shadows towards the Laforte Research Center-- the water, specifically. Some might be able to observe her talking to it again, though eventually she will leave.