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Post by jarahamee on Aug 13, 2023 15:49:40 GMT -6
Agent Lucidus stared up at the door, a bag under each arm. He felt like he should be wearing something fancier for a meeting with Rhys at her house. Something about the building spoke of propriety and proper etiquette, which he could theoretically pull out of the depths of his brain but he rarely had any will or reason to do so. Instead he was wearing his motorcycle leathers and a t shirt with a slavering wolf on it, tucked into his high-waisted pants. The scarred man rarely felt any anxiety about anything. He always pinned it on having too much experience, good or ill. He was a man of big risks and big payoffs. Knowing there was a limit to what negative consequences might occur made the outcomes for most events…well, less intimidating. He’d seen it all. He’d experienced it all. Well, except dying. Unless he counted the time he died for about ten seconds. That was going to be a new one. He shifted the bag to his elbow, reached out and knocked three times on the door. The pattern and force was distinctive to him, and those who might be familiar would know it was no one else. Then, he waited.
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Post by Sharei on Aug 21, 2023 18:52:33 GMT -6
It was Gregor who answered the door, as it usually was. The head of staff greeted Cassius with a warm welcome and invited him in, offering him both a cigar and a drink. Cassius chose wine and when he downed the whole cup in a handful of sips, Gregor, one eyebrow raised, poured him another. When Cassius downed that one too, and then a third, Gregor discreetly chose not to offer a forth. Master Rhys, Cassius was informed, was in the conservatory.
All of the glass in Rhys' house was the same make as the stuff they used at the WDSA, though she'd recently had them modified to remove the black tint. It meant that all the windows could be uncovered and there was no threat to her person - a good thing because the conservatory was made almost entirely out of glass. Sunlight filtered through it's slanted ceiling panes, dappling the leaves of white lilies and red roses. Rhys herself sat at a whicker table with a glass top, surrounded by the overflowing bounty of flowers and greenery. She had a steaming cup of tea at her elbow and a book in her hand.
There was a frazzled sort of quality to her that Cassius had never seen, but it was outshone by the glow of parenthood. Her long black curls were pulled back into a ponytail and she had on a deep green blouse and black slacks. Socked feet curled around the legs of the whicker chair.
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Post by jarahamee on Aug 21, 2023 20:33:53 GMT -6
Cassius Lucidus looked more worn than usual as he trudged through the door with his bags. While the agent was usually bursting with life and energy, today he seemed subdued, perhaps a little more worn and maybe a touch pale.
On an ordinary day, Cassius would accept perhaps one small glass of wine. Sometimes, on a good day, even two glasses. Today he probably would have drank the entire bottle, right before a horrified Gregor’s eyes, if he had been given the chance, but thankfully, Rhys’ manservant had the good sense not to offer more than three.
The agent made his way through the very familiar layout of Rhys’ house, noting the new scents here. The children. Her children. Something, he reminded himself, he used to never note as a human unless it was obvious, now came easily and naturally to him as he came closer to The Event.
He loped easily down the hallways, moving with surprising stealth for someone so large, his eyes instinctively roving over the shadows and contours of this know, safe environment. He had just come to terms with the ever-present feeling of caution and awareness. Who knows when someone might become your enemy?
Rhys would never be your enemy.
He reminded himself.
As he entered the conservatory, he put down his satchels, and made his way over to his friend’s side. He had been more careful with his affection since she had told him about her mate, but old habits died hard.
“Rhys, my friend. You look well.”
For his part, he …did not.
“I…have come to make you pizza, and…discuss a few things.”
He motioned with his head towards the door, where he had left his things.
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Post by Sharei on Aug 27, 2023 12:28:45 GMT -6
Rhys looked up at his approach. It was rare to catch her off guard, but she'd been so absorbed in her book that she hadn't felt him come in. A smile lit her face when she saw Gregor, then an even deeper one when he gaze moved from him to her guest.
"Cass-"
Rhys slipped a bookmark between the pages of her novel and set it aside. But rather than get up to meet him, she patted the air to indicate the seat across from her. The smile had slipped away.
"Good God, Cass, you're almost white you're so pale. What's happened?"
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Post by jarahamee on Aug 27, 2023 13:35:24 GMT -6
Cassius processed her words. He did look terrible, didn’t he? Or…well, worse than usual. While he had, by all counts, been handsome when he was younger, he had to admit that these days that was probably up for debate. Personally, he still thought he had it in him, and the ladies (and sometimes fellows) seemed to agree.
Today he wasn’t feeling much of anything besides embarrassment and a mild case of defeat. He had hoped it would be many years before they would have this conversation and he had been procrastinating. Now the time for procrastination had ended.
He pushed his way into the seat, glad her husband’s size made more variety in furniture sizes necessary, and took a deep breath, his smile almost sheepish.
“Well. Nothing yet, exactly.”
The scarred man folded his gloved hands together and focused his thoughts.
“So… There’s a few things to talk about. The most important one is that I don’t think either my physical body or my mind is going to last much longer, so I am making arrangements.”
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Post by Sharei on Aug 27, 2023 13:42:57 GMT -6
Rhys' mouth opened. Closed. Her head tipped slightly as her brows came together in a frown.
"Hold on, I'm sorry," she said. "What?"
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Post by jarahamee on Aug 27, 2023 14:06:37 GMT -6
Cassius grimaced a little. The expression was toothy. He had not been wanting to make this a surprise, but there was really no gentle way of discussing his issues. He shifted his weight around in the chair, and for once, diverted his gaze from her face.
“I might have mentioned it before but. My deal is coming to a close. She’s here, and she’s going to take my body, and I can sense there’s not a lot of me left in here with her. After the Soundless event I could feel things… not going so well. Faster than I anticipated. I thought I would have more time…”
The words sounded almost like an apology. He had kept the acceleration to himself; there was no need to worry anyone else when they had far more important things to worry about, but now things had become more pressing.
“I have taken alternative solutions into consideration, but most of them are looking… sub-optimal.”
Sub-optimal was a gentle world for how risky some of the things he was trying were. While his gambit might work with Dr. Summer’s help, it was farfetched. As were his other considerations and possible solutions.
“As such, there are a few other matters I want to make sure I address before I may not have the time to.”
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Post by Sharei on Sept 13, 2023 13:40:23 GMT -6
The dark-haired woman stared at Cassius across the glass-topped table, her red eyes an opaque mask to her thoughts. As the agent continued to speak Rhys lifted a hand, fingertips tapping lightly at her lips.
"Nonsense," she said, waving her other hand at him idly. "You will have plenty of time to do whatever you wish. There must be ways to stall the acceleration long enough to come up with a plan."
The Director pushed aside her book.
"Tsu and I have already been looking into methods of immortality. We will widen our options."
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 14, 2023 2:38:03 GMT -6
Cassius blinked slowly, and rocked forward on his arms a little. His dark eyes became wide. How were they going to slow this acceleration? He supposed there were methods; things he probably would not want to do or bargain for. But they existed. That much was true.
The scarred man looked as if he had more to say, but he allowed the expression to slip away. The scar on his cheek, as always, gave the grotesque suggestion of a smile to his neutral expression.
His explorations had been thorough. He had looked in many, many options, but maybe she had a better idea. She was, after all, a creature nearly as old as time itself. Such experience came with knowledge.
“You… think there is a way to slow it?”
He studied her face. Why was she looking into immortality? Was it Tsu’s age? It must be. She was trying to troubleshoot the age old paradigm of mortality. The one great inevitability of all things, from their sun to the very stars.
Cassius exhaled in a soft snort.
“What methods have you found? And… I assume…this is for him?”
The old werewolf was cautious. If he shared his plan with her, he was not sure if she would approve of his extreme methods. Well, extreme to a point. They had been reasonably tested, though nearly 2000 years ago, and not since. There were very few ways to transform ones self into a powerful immortal without consequences.
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Post by Sharei on Sept 14, 2023 3:09:03 GMT -6
Rhys nodded, dropping her well-manicured hand to the tabletop. Her nails tapped an unsteady beat as she considered her words, ever cautious since her outing to the WDSA. It seemed that the PR paranoia had gone so far as to encroach on the Director's very personal life.
"As an immortal being myself I will persist beyond the death of this star. My children will also likely enjoy an extended life. It is unfair to them to lose their father, and I won't stand for it besides. As a result we've been researching ways to extend the mortal life in a safe and sustainable way. There are, of course, many - demon deals and the like."
She waved her hand aggressively.
"I'm unwilling to bargain a companion's soul, let alone my mate's, so that's out. But a single item exists that could serve our purposes - the Wanderlight. The trailing light of a wishing star made manifest, it grants one benign wish before vanishing for another thousand years. To my knowledge, it's still waiting to be claimed."
Rhys breathed out slowly. "It may not work for the both of you. I'm uncertain of the specific mechanics - we should come up with a backup plan, even if the options are less than ideal. I assume you've done your own research?"
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 14, 2023 3:30:37 GMT -6
Cassius nodded. He could certainly understand her position, as much as he had adjusted to the very mortal lives of all of his companions, including the supposed immortal ones. Life was fragile and fleeting, and that included his own. If nothing else, his prolonged existence had forced him to understand this.
He listened to her explain the Wanderlight. He imagined it was an insanely coveted item, and likely not something that one could acquire without some kind of great cost or difficulty. The skeptical (he preferred to call it realistic) part of his brain that was accustomed to dealing with powerful magic cast sincere doubt on any possibility of sharing it if they were able to acquire it.
He paused, hesitating.
“I.. have.”
The old werewolf put a hand under his chin as his gaze traveled through the table and beyond, thinking. How much did he want to tell her? And how much did she want him to tell her?
“I have made true immortals before, but I believe there was a flaw in the process caused by a missing ingredient. All proper transmutations must be done with appropriate exchange; something can never come from nothing. Those are the rules all of this kind of magic abides by.”
His gaze traveled up to her, expression tense;
“I think I can make it work this time. I have spent many years meditating on what methods might work, and I finally have…something. That said, nothing is foolproof. This is experimental high level alchemy we are talking about.”
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Post by Sharei on Sept 14, 2023 3:36:23 GMT -6
Rhys considered Cassius for a long moment. High-level, experimental alchemy was by its very nature, often also illegal.
If you cast it on other people or harvested illegally. She stared at her companion, gauging whether or not to ask. Ultimately she didn't. She knew what Cassius could be like but she also trusted him to know the line. He wouldn't have.
"If there is anything I can do to assist," she said instead, offering a slender hand, "do let me know. I'm not as powerful as I once was, but one of my domains is transmutation. My former self could change one thing to another on a whim, and if nothing else perhaps you could use my blood or essence as ingredients. Willing offered and perfectly legal, of course."
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 14, 2023 3:47:02 GMT -6
Cassius had well and truly known the line, and it had, in fact, made his experimental process more complicated. There were no test subjects now, only himself, and any failures always ran the risk of…well, causing his complete destruction if they were incompatible with life, or with whatever form or magic or matter the new body decided to take.
So far, they had been…painful monstrosities with malfunctioning powers and manifestations, but he had noted the improvement in their every aspect as he had continued with the experimental line. More stability, more strength, more magic. Better, less animal-like cognitive function.
He opened his mouth, and then shut it. Her essence or blood would be useful, for in order to make Gods, one needed parts of them to be used. It was one of the greatest hurdles he had run into so far. There was simply nothing with the power to create a God.
He looked down at the table again, and then nodded;
“I think… it will help increase chances of success.”
The scarred man considered what he was going to say. She was probably not going to like it, either way.
“I… have made immortal, nearly indestructible beings before. A very long time ago. The main problem was their mental instability. I think… the changes in the body and mind are difficult for most ordinary mortals, and tend to… damage them.”
He swallowed. These were all vast understatements. There was nothing that could approach the level of disaster he had faced as his children turned against him.
“I sought to circumvent any problems by applying this knowledge to… well… my specific predicament.”
Here it comes.
Cassius fought the grimace that threatened to come out now;
“I… think I can use this ability to become a… minor deity. I believe I can satisfy my pact and prolong my life this way.”
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Post by Sharei on Sept 14, 2023 3:55:39 GMT -6
At the mention of previous monstrosities, Rhys did pause, though not for the reasons that Cassius had perhaps assumed. A thousand lives, a thousand children gone, flashed behind her mind's eye.
"A minor deity poses some problems, in that, I might want to eat you every time we meet," Rhys said, her full lips pulling into a smile, "but I think I have a better handle on my hunger lately, strangely enough. It should be fine."
The pale woman laid her hand over Cassius' across the table. He seemed so downtrodden, so unlike him. Did he think the changes so low?
"I'll give you as much as you need. Perhaps we can brainstorm other ways to increase the success rate. I promise, Cassius, I won't just let this stand."
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 14, 2023 4:25:11 GMT -6
A better handle on her hunger?
For the first time in their conversation, he cracked a smile, a real smile. It was uneven and oddly shaped, following the contour of the side of his face as he bared his fangs and chuckled. His broken voice distorted a little with the sound.
“Oh, then I would say you had excellent taste then.”
He snorted, as if to make it clear he was joking, and placed another hand on top of hers. It was nice to hold her hand. He couldn’t remember the last time he had.
“If.. you want to help, we can start with a small amount. Titration is…more tricky with these kinds of magics. It is easy to go wrong. Everything is exacting by nature. Dr. Summers is helping me but I feel as if she has limited experience in these matters.”
The scarred man paused, feeling… hopeful? Was there really hope in this endeavor? He wanted to think so, but at the same time, as with so many other things, there was a reason why everyone on earth had not been converted into alchemical Gods. The power and resources were simply not there.
“I… am sure you understand. I think… something that may help. I have asked my son to help me but. I would like you to be an emergency contact in case things do not go well.”
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