Scene #9301: Scarab For Your Thoughts

Owner	Pose
Audrey Basque	ARBITRARY EARTH, UK REGION, ~11PM (LOCAL TIME) Audrey had spent a part of the day sitting down with her ASSIGNED CONCORD AIDE, a dreamy young man that Yuuki truly must have something against if she stuck him on Audrey duty. This was largely a social call, but also a "catch me up on what you're doing call", though the aide likely didn't need to be filled in and already knew everything he wanted to. But this had turned out useful, because she'd needed him for something too-- specifically, to find a quiet, remote, Earth-like area with some ruins, and enough magic in the air to feel somewhat like the Phantom Circle. And so this is the world Audrey invites Meresankh to. The closest Warpgate is directly next to an old, ruined castle, and for whatever reason there aren't any lifesigns, animals included, in a good 100 miles radius. More importantly: it's night, the sky is completely clear, showing the full light of the stars and even the galactic core and arms. It's a very pretty night. And for what it matters too: the air is absolutely saturated in magic. These are ideal conditions for Audrey, both emotionally and magically. Audrey is sitting on what's left of a watchtower, feet dangling back and forth from the edge. She's wearing that blouse and skirt combo, complete with the cloak; both the cloak and the skirt are fully illuminated by the shifting stars on them, actual functional star charts matching the sky above. She even let her hair down, and if you contrast her with when Meresankh last saw her, she seems so, so much healthier. A deep breath, head angled up and hair in the wind. She loves this place. So much so the question 'why is the castle in ruins and why is there nobody living anywhere near it' hasn't entered her mind, and even if she did, she would toss it aside for the night.
Meresankh	There is beauty, to Meresankh, in places reserved for the dead. Of course there is; to her, she numbers among them. Cemetaries and mausoleums are her people's domain, or close enough. But the abandoned trappings of life, that disturbs her, reminds her of all that which is lost to her people. And so, emerging from the warpgate into a place where people once lived, but not where they now rest, makes her second step falter just a little. Did Audrey choose this site to make her uncomfortable, as a subtle payback for her exposure to Meresankh's scarred home galaxy? Likely not, the queen decides for sanity's sake, but someone different might have. No, there must be another reason. Meresankh lifts silently straight up, hovering to Audrey's level but remaining suspended in air. It is an effortless and infinitesimal use of power relative to Meresankh's reserves, but for courtesy's sake she lifts her feet up and crosses her ankles, 'sitting' facing Audrey atop a pocket of localized antigravity rather than standing over her. Starlight scatters off Meresankh's metal exterior as she glances skyward. She has seen a sky so healthy from her own world, she knows this, but she does not remember it. If she had flesh she would shiver. Instead the discomfort is just barely hinted at in her voice, fading after the first syllable. "It's beautiful," she says, her eyes flicking down from the stars to their reflections in Audrey's attire. "Your attire is extraordinary. How is it made, to have that effect? I noticed it functioned even underground, at our last meeting, but it wasn't a good time to ask." Meresankh chuckles in a deeply artifical way, trying her best to brush off the memory of how that last meeting turned out with a gesture at intentional friendliness.
Audrey Basque	Meresankh's arrival doesn't go unnoticed; the mere opening of a Warpgate is like a fireworks display for Audrey, the light it emits not even a factor. The queen hovers up, and Audrey smiles, raising a hand to wave without rising from her edge of the tower. "Mhm. I love the stars. When everything in my life is going wrong, as it often feels like it is lately, I can always look up and just... lose myself." Oh, her clothes, not the stars? "Ah, that's a little bit hard to explain, but to summarize, I use my magic to blur the boundaries between the sky and the fabric, and then use special thread to sew the sky onto the fabric. It's cosmetic, for the most part, but has its uses too." Audrey's not about to say it's a shortcut to her magic, that'd make her look bad in front of someone she's trying to impress. She stands up, finally, gesturing with both arms to the area around them. "Welcome, by the way! ... I do not know where we are, but I asked the Concord for a place rich in magic and free of idle stares, preferably with structures and obstacles that no one would object if they were damaged. And free of cosmic horrors, preferably, after last time." See, it wasn't a slight! "We should be undisturbed here. I hope it's to your liking, I wasn't sure what sort of locale would suit you best."
Meresankh	"When everything in my life is going wrong, as it often feels like it is lately, I can always look up and just... lose myself." "I can understand, then, why seeing what you saw on Oryx would so upset you." A pause as Meresankh works up the courage for a personal question. "Why do you feel that way? You have just become a partner of the Concord, a position worthy of note, and found a new calling with... Lady Angela, I believe? I have only heard secondhand but it's apparently a topic of some note on the Elite broadbands." She lets 'are these not what you wanted?' go unspoken. I use my magic to blur the boundaries between the sky and the fabric, and then use special thread to sew the sky onto the fabric. Meresankh leans in slightly, which due to her enhanced vision is more an expression of interest than an attempt at a closer look. "I see! That sounds not unlike my omni-dimensional cloak," she says with a gentle tug at the green-black cloak hanging from her shoulders. So high off the ground, it flutters beautifully in the wind. "It was a gift, one acquired at great expense from a master astramancer. My skills are enough to repair it, but creating a new one of this quality would be difficult... and you did this yourself, you say? You're very talented." A pause as Meresankh studies Audrey's face, watching for how the compliment lands. "Oh, I should demonstrate," she says, pressing one hand against the cloak's surface. With only a faint hum, her hand passes through its surface into something beyond, and for a moment Audrey is looking not at a sheet of fabric but a vast gulf, like an abyss of inky water. Its surface ripples and Meresankh retrieves from within a lone scarab drone, around the size of a large hamburger, which uses its own limited hover system to float over to the tower and sit next to Audrey. The moment the drone's last leg is free of the cloak it's just fabric again, with only lingering signs of spatial manipulation. Once the robot settles down, one obvious difference from the standard design becomes apparent - in place of vicious grinding mouthparts it has a green lens, some variety of camera. "Would you mind if I recorded some of this conversation? Purely for my personal records, of course." "We should be undisturbed here. I hope it's to your liking, I wasn't sure what sort of locale would suit you best." A nod, albeit a bit of a stiff one. "Yes, it does so nicely. Do you know who lived here, or is this a world as unfamiliar to you as I?"
Audrey Basque	Why do you feel that way? "Oh... where to start," Audrey says with a nervous laugh, like there really is too much to list. "A lot has been happening. I might not have been ready for most of it, that's all. In the span of one month I've gone from complete ignorance of the Multiverse to having my hands in half a dozen pies, many of which have stakes far beyond my usual school routine. I am trying my best. It's just a bit much some days." She elects not to go into the biggest thing going wrong in her life, because she's not even sure how she feels about it right now. It's a betrayal of her whole being personified in her adoration for not just one person now, but two. "But... yes. Your world is... frightening, in that way. And I feel that when I looked, something looked back, with an intensity I cannot describe." Perhaps multiple somethings. She couldn't know. She watches, curiously, as the queen uses her cloak to retrieve a little scarab, idly reminded of Petra's ratbots. The scarab comes to rest next to her, and she sits back down, reaching to touch its metallic shell out of curiosity. All the while she notes: "Hmm, not quite like that, then. I'm afraid I cannot just reach into my cloak and pull things out of it... or... well, no, I suppose I could create a pocket space within it, if I wished, but that would be a separate matter. And it wouldn't be quite the same as reaching elsewhere through it." A bag of holding, more like, unlike Meresankh's fancy warp cloak. Hers is much less cool than the queen's, Audrey feels, though now she has half a mind to study the idea. "Oh, feel free. I suspect even if I said no, I would have no means to tell you recorded it anyway. Do you know who lived here, or is this a world as unfamiliar to you as I? "I'm afraid the files did not mention. I suppose it does not matter, at the moment. Perhaps they simply left. I didn't see any bodies when I looked around, or much of any hints of what happened." Stretching her arms up, she looks at the queen more directly now. "So, astramancy. What would you like to see? I truly cannot say if it will be of any use to you, but I have no problems showing it off a bit. If you'll entertain me with some of your own wonders in return."
Meresankh	"I am trying my best. It's just a bit much some days." "If you are as resilient as you are talented, Audrey, then you will succeed." "But... yes. Your world is... frightening, in that way. And I feel that when I looked, something looked back, with an intensity I cannot describe." Meresankh shifts in her 'seat'. "There are dangers in my world that even I struggle to fully understand," she says, a little uneasy with the admission, "but that does not mean they cannot be withstood. When they come, for me, you, anyone else, we will be ready." Her voice hardens with determination as she speaks. Once Meresankh has Audrey's permission, the lens on the scarab drone lights up faintly and it pivots in place to have both Audrey and Meresankh in its field of view. "I'm afraid the files did not mention. I suppose it does not matter, at the moment." "It always matters whose bones you walk upon," Meresankh says, suddenly grave in tone. She makes a sweeping gesture at the ground below. "The dead could rise from the earth and you would not know their names." Does she feel slighted by this ignorance of a place's history? "So, astramancy. What would you like to see? I truly cannot say if it will be of any use to you, but I have no problems showing it off a bit." "You have mentioned that you are still a student," Meresankh says, friendly-curious again. "Do you have a thesis or masterpiece you are working toward? Or perhaps you could demonstrate your favorite finished work. I do not know how Enlightened students are assessed... do you write theoretical papers, or is it a more practice-oriented education?" "If you'll entertain me with some of your own wonders in return." "Oh, where to begin," says Meresankh. "Truth be told I believe my inventions are best appreciated in their construction, more so than their effects- oh!" After clapping her hands together with gleeful realization of what she should do to show off, she withdraws her gilded scepter from her cloak and 'stands', rising higher into the air. Facing away from Audrey now, twoard the ruined keep, she waves the scepter back and forth like an orchestra conductor, the orb at its tip glowing brightly. Bolts of light rapid-fire from the orb toward the keep, transforming (or materializing) on impact into black stone bricks. There is a great rumbling and grinding of stone against stone as the castle's central structure is rebuilt in the image of Necron architecture. As the keep rises into the sky it grows more ornate, towers and crenelations springing up from thin air as the Necron queen materializes new parts to replace missing bricks. After a very noisy three minutes or so, the central keep is finished, perhaps larger now that its original construction and composed mostly of that strange black stone with green accents that Necrons so rely upon. As a finishing flourish, Meresankh silently adjusts her scepter's output to a thin continuous beam and etches a near photorealistic (albeit monochrome green-on-black) image of Audrey's face, at least fifteen feet across, on the front face of the keep where banners might once have flown. Turning back to Audrey, Meresankh's asplike face seems even more smug than usual. "Well, what do you think?" A pause. Then, almost sheepishly: "I'll put it back how it was after, if you'd prefer."
Audrey Basque	If you are as resilient as you are talented... When they come, for me, you, anyone else, we will be ready. "I am much more talented than resilient, I'm afraid, but I will make do. Resilience can be trained much more easily than talent." Trained, quote unquote. More like if she keeps slamming her face into the grinding, maybe she'll end up like Lilian someday. Or maybe that's exactly what she shouldn't want. ... you would not know their names. "... oh." It had taken a moment, but now she recalls Meresankh's story. That she's dead-- twice-dead, really-- and, thinking about where they made their home... death must be sacred to her people. Or maybe not sacred, but something to be respected? "I hadn't thought about it that way. My apologies. I'll ensure whatever I do doesn't potentially disturb whoever is resting here, then." Do you have a thesis or masterpiece you are working toward? "I do, as a matter of fact, though I am months away from a finished product. What I study is the Unified Celestial Theory; it is adjacent to my magical Tradition, though also its own field. It posits, in simple terms, that all forms of astronomy, astrology and other magicks or sciences of the sky are in fact drawing from the same truths, interpreted through various cultural and intellectual lenses. My current thesis is integrating aspects of the Multiverse into the equation, though I must admit... I am unsure how to reconcile what I saw in your world with it." That one's gonna be rough. "If you wish for a complete work... it would be a trivial matter to get you some texts on astrology. Not the newspaper kind you might know of, but the real divine truth. Do you know much of Earth cultures? If you have a favorite one, I could provide-- or if you'd prefer a collection of varied texts, translated or original, at your discretion." Her retainers had Egyptian-sounding names, as she recalls. NECRON SCIENCE. "Oh... oh my. That is..." Heh. Audrey smiles. "Flattering. But also incredibly impressive. I saw you use destructive blasts in those battles, but this is much nicer to behold. You weren't exaggerating about your people's former wonders. If THIS is what you still have at your disposal after losing a lot of it... your people must have been incredible." And the people who brought them low, terrifying, goes unsaid. That's a scary thought, and one she'd rather not focus on. "Ah. I see nothing wrong with leaving it like this. Perhaps wanderers or people in need will come to settle here."
Meresankh	"It posits, in simple terms, that all forms of astronomy, astrology and other magicks or sciences of the sky are in fact drawing from the same truths, interpreted through various cultural and intellectual lenses." "I believe I follow, yes. That a world's position in its galaxy, in its universe, says things about its fate... that much is surely true. Seeing what is said, though, I imagine that is the more difficult part of your thesis? Either way, you're saying that Enlightened astrology and Necron astramancy may be compatible - perhaps we will find cause for further collaboration, if your thesis bears fruit!" The excitement in her voice is evident, though it is tempered when Audrey again pokes at the topic of the Great Rift. "Even if it would be difficult, to safely study the stars from Oryx, it may be beneficial to do so. Surely it is not the only world where they sky is 'wrong' on such scale?" "If you wish for a complete work... it would be a trivial matter to get you some texts on astrology." "Do so," Meresankh says, almost like it's an order, "and you shall be rewarded. But I do also wish to see something now. The ability you display in battle, that is only incidental to your thesis? Or are you also studying battle techniques? The way you could redirect and negate the momentum of projectiles, like you did with those soldiers' arrows - I would like to see it. If you need, I can provide a suitable... offensive." She wiggles her scepter a little, silently implying 'I will throw bricks at you'. "Can you do that with non-solid subjects? Could you deflect a bucket of water, or a bolt of plasma?" "If THIS is what you still have at your disposal after losing a lot of it... your people must have been incredible." Meresankh dips her head just a little, glancing at the 'floor' on which she sits for just a moment before recovering her posture. "We were," she says, doing her best to be proud instead of mournful. "We were, and we still are, and we will be more so again." "Ah. I see nothing wrong with leaving it like this. Perhaps wanderers or people in need will come to settle here." Meresankh makes a sunny sound, an oddly organic noise to hear coming from a robot body. Perhaps she synthesized it on the spot, or had it pre-recorded for use in moments such as this.
Audrey Basque	Seeing what is said, though... "Yes. Exactly. Astronomy may say a particular planet's orbit is so and so due to its mass, proximity to its star, an event that happened during its formation or life-- numerology may attribute meaning to the numbers, the length of the day, degrees of orbit per day-- while raw astrology cares for neither, but states that the planet's position is tied to a particular god's whimsies and cycles. These CAN be reconciled into a single truth, in almost all cases-- but not always easily. To break through this theory and solve it would hypothetically grant full view of the past, present and future of the universe." Or so some say. Audrey's not so sure. Surely it is not the only world where the sky is 'wrong' on such scale? "Anomalies aren't unheard of, but the scale of those in your world, and their numbers and varieties-- well, it is beyond anything I have ever read a record of." But also it's just really scary! Do so, and you shall be rewarded. "Rewarded? Well... they're just texts." Her father would be extremely angry to hear that. But Audrey had no respect for tradition, deep down. "But I suppose if you have something to offer, I won't say no." We were, and we still are, and we will be more so again. "I hope so. My own people narrowly avoided an extinction event, some decades ago now. Before I was born. The world's population was reduced from a high near ten billion to a current low of about half a billion. Estimated. But we have recovered. So... as long as you live, and try, it's possible." If you need, I can provide a suitable... offensive. Audrey pales a little bit, but it's far too late to back down now. "My abilities are incidental-- there are those who study UCT without relevant magic, focusing on the theory alone. It IS common for Enlightened to study fields that complement their Tradition, but not always. Nova Heliosanctus does not offer any sort of combat training. That is all me." Oh, she hates saying that out loud. Makes her sound like a weird freak. "I... w-well... v-very well. Whatever you have will do, but please nothing that could kill me." Audrey gets ups, and glances at the sky. It might be as if some stars light up, or the edges of reality around her crack like mirrors under too much pressure, but space and gravity compress around her in a thin layer closely hugging her skin and clothes. "I'm ready."
Meresankh	@emit "These CAN be reconciled into a single truth, in almost all cases-- but not always easily. To break through this theory and solve it would hypothetically grant full view of the past, present and future of the universe." "A commendable power to grasp for." Meresankh narrows her eyes, tone shifting from admiring to inquisitive. "If you 'solved' this theorem, what's the first thing you'd want to see?" "Rewarded? Well... they're just texts. But I suppose if you have something to offer, I won't say no." "But of course!" says Meresankh. "I am a queen. It wouldn't do for me to simply take without recompense. What would you desire in return?" "Nova Heliosanctus does not offer any sort of combat training. That is all me." Meresankh visibly perks up. "Oh? You do not fight only in your home-world, and if you wanted to fight for others you would have joined the Paladins. What drives you to battle, then?" She leans in, a little too close for comfort. "Is it the thrill of the fight? Are you one of those sorts? Is there something you seek that is only found in war?" The way she pronounces 'war' - a little drawn out, emphasis on the vowel sound - is teasingly perverse. "I'm ready." "Very well." The smile, though not visible on a motionless face, is audible in Meresankh's voice. She 'stands', and floats a half-dozen meters away, suspended over the castle courtyard. With a twirl of her sceptre, seven glowing orbs appear in an arc just in front of her. From left to right, they hurtle toward Audrey in a syncopated rhythm: 1-2-beat-3-4-5-beat-6-7. Together they form a directed chain of plasma, one continuous thread stretched across seven pulses. They look pretty dangerous... but if any of them do pierce Audrey's defenses, she will find them mostly bluster, carrying only enough heat to be a little uncomfortable juxtaposed against the bracing evening wind. Through her scarab, Meresankh records the entire barrage on multiple light spectra, visible and otherwise, and watches for fluctuations in every form of energy she can perceive.
Audrey Basque	If you 'solved' this theorem, what's the first thing you'd want to see? "I'm unsure. That's like asking a religious man, if you could meet God and ask him anything, what would you ask first? I don't have a burning question on my mind, and astrology is more about finding answers than asking questions. You can't ask the stars what you'll have for dinner, but you can see in them how your day is about to go." She really hadn't thought about it, because she's not sure that hypothetical is correct. It'd be like obtaining a book that contains all the knowledge in the universe. You'd still have to find what you're looking for in the infinite book. ...if you wanted to fight for others you would have joined the Paladins. <B-anter> Lilian Rook says, "If you had any sense, you'd stay home, and if you were moon-eyed chasing after me, you'd join the Paladins." "I loathe battle," Audrey says, half-honestly, "But it is a necessity here, is it not? Honestly... it was not wholly my decision, but I grasped it as my own at the Director's behest. I would be a poor representative of my school if I turned back now." Case in point, Meresankh is also ready. The orbs crash into-- no, they don't crash. All seven of them keep going, and going, but despite the fact they're still buzzing forward at full speed, they look stationary in front of Audrey. Mirrored cracks and refractions form around them, and they suddenly fire back, angles slightly altered, towards Meresankh. They didn't stop - and their directions didn't change. Meresankh's instruments can tell it's as though the plasma traveled in a straight line, and even as it's returning to her, it's still a straight unaltered line. Her instruments struggle to measure the exact distance between her and Audrey; it's fluctuating. 6 meters, 100 meters, 10000 meters, sometimes the signal just never makes it back and it's a big unknown. Audrey's field, whatever else it's doing, has a nearly infinite amount of space compressed around her that things need to travel through to reach her, but it's not especially stable or consistent. What happened to the orbs is a lot simpler to explain: the space they were in flipped, so their direction never changed, it's just the entire space they were occupying that changed. It's not EFFICIENT. This is definitely an idea a scholar, not a fighter, would come up with. What would you desire in return? Allowing a bead of sweat to travel down her forehead, Audrey considers the question, not dropping the defense yet. "Perhaps... one of those little floating robots? Disconnected from your network, insofar as that's possible, without any weapons. They're kind of cute."
Meresankh	"That's like asking a religious man, if you could meet God and ask him anything, what would you ask first? I don't have a burning question on my mind." "You mean to say you haven't thought about it at all? What you'd do with such supreme power? You are a fascinating specimen, Miss Basque." "But it is a necessity here, is it not?" Meresankh straightens up again, a little scrombled by Audrey taking the teasing in stride. "In my world, yes, and perhaps in yours. But not in all of them. I hope the Director points you in the right direction." The queen watches, perplexed and then amazed, as the projectiles hang in the air and reverse direction. She shifts in the air to avoid most of them, but one or two of the orbs catch her and she wobbles a little in her antigravity field. "Most curious," she says as she floats back to the tower. "That reflection technique is really something! I'll have to study the recordings to see if I can replicate it..." "Perhaps... one of those little floating robots?" "It is done," says Meresankh, her tone shifting from 'curious academic' to 'imperious monarch' in an instant. She withdraws another scarab from her cloak and, tapping it with her sceptre, changes the color of its lights from green to a gold matching the sunset-like portion of Audrey's eyes. "You can use it for recording lectures, dictation... a paper shredder, in a pinch," she says with a chuckle. "Thank you for meeting with me again, by the way. It's good that you don't hold the events of our first conversation against me." Is that a compliment, or a threat? Hopefully she's trying to be nice, not menacing. "The hour appears late, so I shall take my leave - but do call on me again when you have those books."