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Post by tsukikoko on Jun 7, 2022 23:48:33 GMT -6
Sara nodded, agreeing whether she actually had the spare time or not. She'd make time for a friend; especially when their situation was as potentially dire as Cassius' own.
If the shifter were honest with herself, she'd already made the decision to help him, regardless of her comment about 'thinking it over'. She would still do that, of course, but more to assess the avenues she was willing to take. If a solution could be found that spared both Cassius and Beast, without endangering more lives, she desperately wanted to find it.
"Why aye man, testin' the potions would be good too, like. As much information as I can collate the better, ya know?"
At the question of assistance, Sara slid her tired gaze from the Captain, to her lab door, then back again. She was certain Cassius was up to his neck in his own tasks, but there had been a couple of things she'd been unable to tackle, that a second pair of hands would be priceless for.
Fingers ran through the fiery strands of her hair, pushing the shifter's wild fringe back from her face as she exhaled a long, slow breath. "Eeee luv... ya reet busy I reckon but..." She smiled sheepishly. "If ya do 'onestly 'ave two minutes, there's somethin' I've been meanin' tah do an' 'aven't 'ad anyone free tah 'elp with. Ain't a one-person job, like."
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Post by jarahamee on Jun 8, 2022 17:52:39 GMT -6
“Thank you again. Let me know what a good time for you is. I will work around your schedule.”
Cassius’ voice was a hushed whisper as he rose from his chair. The words were spoken and enunciated slowly and deliberately. His expression was thoughtful, gaze diverted upwards as he considered possible outcomes. Well, if she failed, he always had his other plans to fall back on. In his military campaigns, exploring all options was important. Perhaps even necessary, and he always considered as much. Do not dwell on the past, but look forward towards the future, and what it meant to those around him.
He looked down at Sara, noting the darkness under her eyes, the slight palor of her skin. She looked like she had not slept in days. He had not even had the decency to ask her what she was working on lately. While he was never one to pride himself on his compassion, he always felt he owed them what little empathy he had.
“I would be happy to help you in any way I can. Let me know what you need.”
While most people would put reasonable caveats in their offers to others, an offer like this from Cassius was a true one. He doubted that Sara would have even considered some of the things he would do if she asked him, and he was not about to tell her. People usually found it disturbing.
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Post by tsukikoko on Jun 15, 2022 7:54:06 GMT -6
The shifter smiled warmly, "I'll let ya know the state o' play tomorrow, like, once I've 'ad a think ower what we can fit in an' when."
At his agreement to help her, Sara pushed to her feet and waved the Captain through into her lab, talking as she went. "So tah give ya some background, like, been lookin' at 'ow these recent... environmental pressures-" a carefully phrased way of referring to Atol's recent influences, "- are affectin' the mutation rate o' various rapid evolution supers, like. 'Ave a shedload o' samples, which is fantastic bu-" At the threshold of the inner lab door, Sara reached up to a singular peg where her lab coat had been hung. Nearby were a series of other coats of various sizes, which she gestured to. "Ah, could I ask ya tah put one o' these on before ya come in the lab proper, like? We'll wash our 'ands just past the door in just a tick, too."
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Post by jarahamee on Jun 16, 2022 1:30:51 GMT -6
“I’ll be waiting for your reply.”
Cassius dark eyes traveled over the coats briefly, before choosing one of appropriate size, and shrugging it over his shoulders. The movement did not seem to slow or hinder him as he trailed Dr. Summers. As always, he moved both quietly and purposefully behind her, taking in the layout and details of the laboratory as he entered.
He admittedly had not been here before, though he was familiar with laboratory protocol. He had been in the crime lab more times than he would have liked to admit, and that required cleanroom treatment, though for a very different purpose. He imagined this would be more like his alchemy lab, but he could not be sure. Perhaps she was doing some kind of “DNA” genetic analysis.
“So, they are…evolving rapidly? Is that what you are seeing?”
It would make sense, of time was warped in certain places, especially with small creatures that had short lifespans. Insects, fish, tiny things he could not see with his naked eye. They lived and died ordinarily within a season. Why wouldn’t folds in time and space affect them more powerfully than beings like him?
Dr. Summers would note that though he was hardly someone who might be characterized as a scientist, he did have an interest in the natural world, and in scientific advances, and certainly he made attempts to understand what was beyond his ken.
As he considered what sort of assistance she might need, he remembered something. Help in the laboratory. That was something he could do, even indirectly. He was an alchemist after all...
"I can make you some assistants for your lab. Homunculi come in many sizes and appearances. They are good at listening and helping, though their intelligence is limited."
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Post by tsukikoko on Aug 2, 2022 4:50:31 GMT -6
"Homunculi?" Curiosity flickered over the shifter's features, though it was tempered with a careful caution. "Are they alive, like? They ain't forced tah be'ave a certain way, or are they more akin tah a robot, like?"
As they entered the lab proper, now gowned up and disinfected, Sara continued her explanation, answering Cassius' queries in the process, "Why aye man, or at least it seems like evolution on the surface, ya know like? We ain't sure if it's reactive evolution in an attempt for these supers tah adapt, like, or if they're bein' directly changed by these events. So I've managed tah set up, with 'elp from our in-'ouse experts, like, an environment in vacuum, so we can observe 'ow these samples continue tah change ower time, when separated from these events an' just abowt any other owtside influence. Do they settle when the pressures are removed, or 'ave they been altered so much their changes spiral owt of control, or anythin' in between? At the moment, we 'aven't the foggiest, so we're just observin'." She glanced over her shoulder at the Captain, a look of carefully held concern on her features, as though she were attempting not to let her worries show too strongly. She flashed a small, encouraging smile. "Tryin' tah mitigate the fallowt, for when we git this mess sorted, like."
She waved Cassius towards her, the tip of her tail tapping a slightly anxious rhythm against the floor. Around a corner, out of site from the office and main lab, she led him to a sleek, black box, completely devoid of windows, seams or any apparent means of entry. It had a strange, out-of-place look, as though shadows and light didn't play across the surface and instead were completely reflected, or perhaps sucked into the material. It was a little difficult for the average observer to look at.
The only factor grounding such a strange material into the realm of real and physical, were a series of wires, cables and monitors attached to various areas of the box. Graphs, readings and terminal logs scrolled across the screens, monitoring temperature, light levels, humidity, gyroscopes to keep each sample in the same orientation at every moment and just about any other environmental influence one could think of. The redhead gestured to the devices and a nearby heavy-duty sack truck with a wave of one hand. "Need tah move our self-contained unit 'ere, tah our category 3 lab, so I can 'ave a gander at the samples, but we 'ave tah briefly disconnect the monitorin' systems tah do so, like, an' I cannae move 'er and manually adjust the systems at the same time; so I was 'opin' ya'd be alreet with a touch o' liftin' an' shiftin'?" She flashed another smile, this time with a touch more twinkling humour behind her eyes.
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 20, 2022 14:10:18 GMT -6
“They are somewhere between being alive and being automatons. I would not say they are forced to do anything, though they can only think a little bit on their own. Like dogs that understand human speech. They are little beings made of magically-created flesh, powered by life energy via a drop of blood every few days to once a week. Their complexity and size is variable, but the largest, most powerful and most humanoid tend to be…more resource-demanding. Most of mine are small and help automate my alchemical processes.”
As Cassius spoke of his alchemy, he seemed to switch into another mode all-together. The gold Captain’s cruel face seemed oddly placid, almost emotionless. His expertise on the subject was clear, though he was careful to share only what needed to be known. If she asked, he would be happy to share more. Perhaps he could show her Nil, his single remaining homunculus, to convince her of their harmless and helpful nature.
“Brilliant. I am so glad we have such mastery of magic here, so that you can work without restraint.”
The subject was interesting, but he admitted that now and then, her intelligence just swept him off his feet. He did not have the mind for science. Didn’t have the patience most of the time, or the engineer’s mind, but that was part of the charm when he met someone had such capability. There was something wonderful about someone who could make the theoretical into reality. A tangible and terrible reality.
“What a strange and beautiful thing to look upon.” He stared at the black box, and for a moment seemed spellbound by the contents, his dark eyes widening. It was like the night sky, and yet, even darker and more fathomless. Kept moving by a thousand mysterious processes. The old werewolf seemed distracted as he answered her;
“I am happy to help lift anything, and I am stronger than I look.”
Cassius looked back at Dr. Summers, grinning widely as he made a muscle through the labcoat. He knew full well he looked strong, though it was no lie that he was more powerful than he let on. After a soft huff of amusement, he continued;
“Now, any special instructions?”
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Post by tsukikoko on Nov 14, 2022 3:16:59 GMT -6
At the wide grin, Sara found herself smiling back; she knew a few people in the office found Cassius unnerving, but she herself thought him a riot. She more often than not looked forward to seeing him.
"Why aye, a couple-" she said, in response to his final question. "Once we disconnect an' start movin', like, we cannae stop tah put 'er down till we're in the other lab, that alreet, like? I'll move at your pace. An' while I'll be able tah compensate for some movement, if we can try tah keep 'er as upreet as possible, that'll reduce risk."
The shifter looked thoughtful, her tail tapping the floor for a few moments, before she smiled again with a small shrug. "Eeee man, think that abowt covers it, like."
Approaching the object, Sara placed her fingertips against a few of the wired components, but stopped short of unplugging anything. There was a gap in the assortment of cables, large enough for a person and almost certainly deliberately left bare, that she indicated with a small nod of her head. "Once ya in position an' ready, give us a nod and I'll disconnect it. Need tah do any warm up?" Her lip corner twitched with humour. "Wouldn't want a workplace incident, like."
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Post by jarahamee on Nov 15, 2022 0:50:52 GMT -6
Cassius laughed toothily at her wry jab at his age, as if it happened to be the funniest joke in the world. For a moment, the jolly lolling tongue of his nightmarish werewolf form, and his grinning visage were not so dissimilar, but the semblance passed quickly as his smile retreated back into an ordinary smirk. He was intimidating enough that most people were worried about poking fun at him, but in truth, he was too old to have dignity. “Can’t be too careful. I suppose I /am/ geriatric, in all technicality.” He held his arms straight out, then did a little stretch, first to one side, then to the other, before leaning directly over to touch his toes. In spite of his stiff appearance, he seemed to be surprisingly flexible. He did one half-turn from the waist and then another, without any obvious signs of either joking or seriousness, and then smiled at Sara. Finally, he nodded and grabbed hold of the black box, preparing to hoist it when Sara was ready and all was unplugged. He felt his body sing with energy, begging to show its strength. Was this thing really heavy? Regardless, he was ready to move, and statistically less likely to need a potion for wrecking his back again. Excellent. “I’m ready Dr. Summers. You just tell me where I have to go.”
His voice was a low purr of confidence.
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Post by tsukikoko on Jan 11, 2023 18:49:28 GMT -6
Sara chuckled at the Gold's show of stretching and enthusiasm. Inwardly, she felt a pulse of raw curiosity and excitement, to see just how strong Cassius could be; she knew it, from reports and casual observation of his movements and physique, but to see such a thing in action would be a sight to behold, she was sure. The device was heavy and cumbersome, but he didn't look in the least concerned.
His eager energy was infectious, besides.
"Alreet luv, we're gannin' te be gannin' forward abowt three benches worth-" she tapped one of the lab bench tops, which flanked the room's edges, to highlight it. "-then swingin' a left tah another door, like, alreet? I moved a bunch o' stuff earlier, so should 'ave a straight run o' it, like, but I'll keep chattin' so ya can follow me voice an' stay on track."
Once she was finished explaining, the tailed redhead set about unplugging all the various cables, aside from a single lead trailing to a laptop that she kept in her hands. On the screen, various monitoring software was running and within seconds she was already typing away, making micro adjustments based on whatever information the sensors were giving her. Yet, despite the concentration, her voice was at ease and chipper as ever, "Reet Cassius luv, whenever ya ready, we're set tah move, like."
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 13, 2023 2:19:02 GMT -6
“Right! Go ahead!”
When Sara signaled to him that she had completed her task, Cassius squatted and moved his arms to a more stable position to keep the weight of the box supported, no matter what happened to the front end. If everything worked out perfectly, he could always support the weight with his leg if it did happen to shift, and keep his grip on the front end so he didn’t end up jogging its contents or no longer keeping them level. Admittedly, he almost overdid it; the box was lighter than he anticipated.
“It isn’t bad. I will just have to avoid running into anything.”
Cassius mentally traced out the route in his head. What had been useful in strategy was now useful in…moving scientific equipment. Now his job was just to support its weight and to follow Dr. Summers. The scarred man wondered if she had anything else she wanted him to move. He had all afternoon carved out for… well, dealing with his problem. He could all but consider it free time to spend now.
Which lead back to his first question;
“What do you think? Would you like a little assistant? They’re a little small to help with lifting something heavy like this, but they used to keep my lab tidy and automated some of the easy potions.”
He stared at the back of the box. Menial labor was definitely underrated. He could do something like this all day if he was left to it. Why were these tasks considered the bread and butter of the lower class? He sometimes wondered exactly what caused some jobs to be considered inferior to others. In truth, most societies needed all kinds of laborers (save the upper classes), and without them, it would collapse entirely. Oh, classism, what folly.
“I can procure you some samples of Beast. It is a skin, after all, and… ‘living’ as far as I can tell. Maybe it will help. I have created what I think will be…theoretically stable transformations. I will be honest in that my most ideal goal would be to embody the power of Beast, while retaining my own mind, but that is a tall order for just about any sort of magic, much less Alchemical magic. We will have to see what happens.”
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Post by tsukikoko on Jan 22, 2023 8:04:04 GMT -6
As they progressed with the device, Sara took a moment, just a moment, to marvel at Cassius' casual strength. While she knew it wasn't the heaviest thing in the world, the device was by no means light. Couple that with being cumbersome and hard to get a good grip on, made his apparent ease of lifting all the more impressive.
When she needed the Gold to turn, the tip of her scaled tail gave him a light tap, so that she didn't have to take her hands away from the keyboard and the adjustments she was making. She also responded to his question, after giving it a few moments thought, "Eee luv, reet kind of ya tah offer, like, but I think I'll 'ave tah decline, ya know? Doesn't sit reet with me." Regardless of how ethical, or how much free will or consciousness the constructs did or didn't have, Sara didn't thinks she'd feel comfortable with one. She did flash a small smile of appreciation, for him thinking of easing her workload, however.
"Live samples would be reet canny, like."
Even as she continued to regulate the environment of the device, a portion of the shifter's ever-busy thoughts turned themselves to how she would approach this Beast problem; as well as the ramifications of what might go wrong, how she might be able to best mitigate those issues. She tried not to worry, to be confident, but she knew the stakes were high.
"I'll do what I can tah 'elp ya git a better owtcome Cassius. Meet nowt be an expert in alchemy, but experimentation an' problem solvin' is reet up me alley."
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 23, 2023 3:29:25 GMT -6
“I understand. So many ethical questions these days.”
Cassius was hardly the most sensitive person around, but he at least seemed to mean this in the most jovial way possible. He smiled and his shoulders dropped a little (but not too much with the load he was carrying), as if a literal and proverbial weight had been lifted from them.
Maybe there was hope after all.
Or maybe he was chasing his tail again, in the same sort of wild goose chase he had been on for the past two-thousand years. Was there such thing as true immortality? Something that preserved the sanctity of the human mind without eroding what was left of self-control and morality?
“Dr. Summers. Have you known many true immortals? Even ones just as old as I am?”
Cassius’ voice betrayed that he doubted it, from both first and secondhand experience. Most beings who were made to live forever were either born that way, or had been made of kinder clay than he. And even if they were made from the start to endure, often they were killed long before they could live out that hypothetical eternity.
And as for those who had been transformed, well, the process itself seemed to warp their minds. Like his sons. Like his lover. Perhaps human beings simply weren’t meant to live forever, and being given the means was all that it took to remove that last bit of morality. Power corrupts. He knew that well enough from his past.
Would the same power corrupt him? Was that why even the slightest whiff of a creatures’ predatory nature all but overwhelmed him, the few times he had considered it?
“I want you to know… You should not be disappointed if… the results are not ideal. I am asking you to solve a near-impossible puzzle. One I have not unraveled in two-thousand years of life.”
Cassius’ tone was still as jovial as ever. As if he was talking about resurfacing a bathroom and not about the end of his existence as he knew it.
“I’ve lived a very good, long life. I have had forty-three children, I have hundreds of grandchildren. I follow lines and generations so long that I cannot even chart them properly anymore. I have had fourteen people I treasured more than life itself. Even stars die out someday, my friend. I am not upset.”
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Post by tsukikoko on Aug 13, 2023 0:50:13 GMT -6
As they continued on their way, Sara mulled over the question, even as she was busy making micro-adjustments to the device. "Eee now, depends on ya definition o' true immortal, like." For a half second, her brow creased with concentration, before a flurry of finger taps upon keys returned the shifter to her conversational state. "If ya mean born that way, like... one. Per'aps two but the latter may 'ave simply 'ad an aging process far slower than our own, ya know? If ya include transformed people, met a fair few vampires an' similar where, like, they could live forever if they ain't killed by somethin'. Whereas I 'aven't yet met anythin' or anyone that can both live forever an' recover from any injury, like."
The pair neared their destination, at about the point Cassius expressed that he would not be upset if she failed. The shifter faltered, only by a step, at the notion of that possibility, before her tail very carefully reached out for him. In the absence of her hands being free, this was another way she could initiate contact. She was careful not to jostle the device, or impede his progress, but still gave Cassius a gentle pat, with the same affection as a squeeze on the shoulder, or the gentle rub of an arm.
"Ya came tah use for 'elp, luv. I'm gannin' te 'elp ya, as best I can."
Soon after, the shifter led her carrying companion towards a slightly elevated platform, within a sealed room compartment that she swiftly opened, decorated with a series of wires and monitors. Clearly, this was the intended new home of the device Cassius carried. "Alreet, we're just gannin' te set it down reet 'ere, like, whenever ya ready. Don't 'urt yaself none."
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Post by jarahamee on Aug 13, 2023 3:19:34 GMT -6
Cassius seemed unbothered carrying on his conversation. Indeed, it was probably something he had considered for decades, if not centuries, and had probably come to peace with. Despite his scars and rather impressively toothy smile, his expression remained serene.
He pondered her response. It was really a question of ‘what was the most ideal outcome for him?’ Which was of course, becoming a creature who had relatively few downsides to its existence, but was also strong and sturdy, able to carry on many lifetimes of combat. In other words, a God.
“I feel like, if they could do all these things, they would be more than an immortal. They would be a God, hm?”
Cassius wondered if there was any hubris in trying to do what he was doing. But was it really hubris if he didn’t have any choice in the matter?
“Have…you had any luck working with minor gods?”
Somehow, most of him suspected that it was unlikely, and they were probably working in mostly uncharted territory. In other words, potentially disastrous territory in a region where he had already seen a number of failures
He leaned his hip against her tail and his smile softened.
“Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
As they reached their destination, Cassius paused, manipulating the device in his arms before carefully placing it in the indicated spot. If he did this right the first time, they wouldn’t have to pick it up or move it again.
“How’s that?”
He just about purred, looking over at her with a toothy grin.
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Post by tsukikoko on Sept 18, 2023 16:33:04 GMT -6
"Eee that's bloody crackin' like! Ta very much luv." Though she was already busying herself with setting up the various monitoring units and computers that would be surveying the device in its new home, Sara beamed at the scarred man, clearly very pleased and grateful for his help.
She soon responded to his other query, apparently still able to sift through her memories and expertise to formulate a measured response, despite the level of multitasking she was currently undertaking. "Minor gods, like? But if a tricky one tah say either way, ya know? Why aye, 'ave worked with some reet powerful supers, like-" Rhys sprang to mind, for one, "-but it's 'ard tah quantify if they were truly 'gods', or just appeared godlike tah most people, if ya git what I'm sayin', like." The tip of her tail twitched, as she moved from one computer to another. "I reckon I'd err on the side o' caution an' treat this as new territory. Mack sure I ain't gannin' te assume nowt an' but ya at risk none."
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