[Nexus] Random Places and Plots 4

[The Bushranger]

[MC] (<- and you should use location tags )

"That sounds good to me. I hope I can learn a lot while I'm here."
Jamie takes a seat politely, and waits for any blessings or other pre-meal rituals.
Then goes to dig in!

[horngeek]

[MC]

They dig in!

[The Bushranger]

[MC]

Jamie is proper and polite in her table manners, carefully using her napkin, and chopsticks if required - despite never having used them before...

[Lady Serpentine]

[Harin's Universe]

Rahona looks after the darting Wraiths, enthralled by the obviously magical nature of Harin's world.

"Amazing."

She remembers to stay close to her companion, however. Fascination is no reason to be foolish.

((Sorry for the delay; I missed your post. In the future, poke me, okay?

Also, I must deadtime now, hopefully briefly.))

[Harin's Universe]

After a few minutes, when they're deep enough in the fog that they can't see the house, but not far enough that the other side is visible, she may get a closer look at the Wraiths than she desired; one of the smoky, roiling figures, much like Harin in appearance, though female, appears out of the mist, and joins the pair.

"Well, Harin, it's been a while since I've seen you here...", she says, before turning to face Rahona "And you've brought a guest. Tell me, bird-girl, what's your name? Why did my brother bring you here?"

[horngeek]

[MC]

Jamie is proper and polite in her table manners, carefully using her napkin, and chopsticks if required - despite never having used them before...

And it's quite good dinner!

[Mina Kobold]

[Harin's Universe]

Rahona appears to be very delighted to get a closer look at the Wraith, studying the new arrival curiously. She jumps a bit when addressed by a creature made of mist, but replies dramatically.

"I am Rahona Ostro, Explorer of Everything, Everytime and All! A'm here ta attempt a Time Turn and venture into the past of ya world!"

Pausing for effect, Rahona continues in a more snarky, if still friendly, tone.

"That means time travelling. What about ya, sibling of Harin?"

[Lady Serpentine]

[Harin's Universe]

The Wraith grins at Rahona, apparently warming towards her.

"Nithiri Ranos, Guardian of the Ceochain. I'm here because I live and work here. Or, in a more specific sense, as in here talking to you, because I'm curious about why my brother came back with a guest after two years of no word.

Why is it that you're venturing into our past?"

[The Bushranger]

[MC]

And it's quite good dinner!

"This was delicious! Thank you so much."
Jamie's smile is broad and genuine.
...and then she burps.

[Mina Kobold]

[Harin's Universe]

The Wraith grins at Rahona, apparently warming towards her.

"Nithiri Ranos, Guardian of the Ceochain. I'm here because I live and work here. Or, in a more specific sense, as in here talking to you, because I'm curious about why my brother came back with a guest after two years of no word.

Why is it that you're venturing into our past?"

[Harin's Universe]

Rahona smiles in return and casts a glance at Harin.

"A'd scorn ya for not passing by, but A doubt A will see my world for a while either."

Turning back to Nithiri, she answers cheerfully.

"Pleased ta meetha, Nithiri Ranos. A'll be travelling back ta save Harin's teacher, wanna come along?"

Despite the casual tone, Rahona's question seems quite sincere.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Harin's Universe]

"Go ahead and do so, then... After all, I could come back, clearly."

Nithiri nods in response to the second part of what Rahona says, giving Harin a questioning glance.

"Certainly. If nothing else, it'll be a nice change from here... Though I have to wonder, Harin, why you didn't ask that Daemon friend of yours to bring him back when she offered you a boon, instead of choosing to go leaping about between worlds."

"That would be because Asha is the one we're going to bring back, not my teacher."

[Mina Kobold]

[Harin's Universe]

Rahona looks askance at Harin, mumbling grumpily to herself.

"Giving ya access ta the ability ta change worlds sounds very teacher-like ta me."

When she addresses Nithiri again, she goes back to a friendlier tone.

"Great, let's get going then!"

[Lady Serpentine]

[Harin's Universe]

And, presumably, with that, the three will set off deeper into, though eventually further out of, the mist.

"Normally, it would have been, but I got it from a wish with a price, rather than someone teaching me to," Harin explains apologetically. "I'm sorry for the confusion."

[Mina Kobold]

[Harin's Universe]

Rahona seems a bit surprised that Harin heard her mumbling to herself, but replies nonetheless.

"Not'a problem, means ya've had an interesting life."

[Slii Arhem]

The Lime Room

It was generally unfair to take advantage of a person who was rather unused to interpersonal interaction like that. Though, that didn't make it any less effective. Charon might end up with a sizable file of what buttons to push as time wore on before Riss grew wise to the ploy.

Before leaving, though, Riss reached into her duffel bag for a small something and pocketed it. Sure she had been told it was safe but sometimes paranoia couldn't be ignored. In any case, the muse would pass through the portal after a short examination of the boundaries. Though what that green stuff was she had no idea. What probably made it worse would be that she didn't bother to look at the upper parts of the portal just yet, given that she was used to averting her eyes to the ground. This would probably have hilarious consequences once Charon coaxed her to look up.

A Blooming Field

Charon steps out behind Riss into the meadow, a cheerful place during the day. At night it comes alive, the sounds of owls hooting as they fly overhead and turn their large bright eyes towards the ground.

There are wildflowers dotting the countryside, and fireflies flitting everywhere. It could be quite the shock for Riss, even if she is keeping her head down.

There is a blanket laid flat nearby, and Charon quickly walks over to it and sets his basket and reed pole down.

"Do you wish to eat first, or speak? I have expressed interest in your technology, but if you would rather gaze aloft at the stars then perhaps silence would be preferable."

[Terumitsu]

A Blooming Field

Riss looked up at Charon sharply as a question began to form... But that lead to her seeing the horizon and it was only an eventuality before she turned her eyes star-ward. The lure of fruit was temporarily forgotten as she stood transfixed upon the sky, moving little and saying less.

It was a while before she spoke again, likely just long enough for Charon to start pondering if he might need to break out the pole again, and her speech was a strange cross of wonder and fear. "W-What are those? They can't be natural.. Can they? Is it just painted black and the lights are dimmed? That... That's it, right?" she asked aloud, slowly kneeling onto the blanket.

This probably said quite a lot about her experiences with the natural world. She had been planning to mention something about the ground and the smell of the air but this seemed to have hijacked things.

[Slii Arhem]

A Blooming Field

Oddly enough, Charon understands. Having been born nine days under ground, he can still remember the sense of wonder and awe he felt so many eons ago when he was first allowed to see the sun.

"It is not a ceiling, or the top of a cave. It is the end of eternity, and the curtain across the vaults of heaven. Each light you see is a ball of fire, so far away that the light reaching us here has been piercing through the void for generations just to reach our eyes."

Of course, Charon is thinking more on the marvel of being in such an amazing universe, rather than the more immediate and terrifying concerns (especially for a mortal) of just how insignificant one seems in the face of this vast emptiness.

[Terumitsu]

A Blooming Field

So... that doesn't stop up there? It just keeps going and going.. And going... And... "It's infinite? Really?" the muse asked, rather stunned by that proclamation. She was far from coming to the conclusion of being alone amongst infinity but it would probably hit her harder than most.

The idea of burning spheres was interesting. But where did they come from? How long have they been there? More information was needed. She filed a note to herself to look this up later on as she wasn't going to bother Charon with such a silly question.

"So.. Um.. You wanted to ask me about something?" the muse supplied, managing to take her eyes of the sky directly above her and focusing on the horizon. The shapes and contours of the land were definitely strange. Why wasn't it flat? Such excess simply wasted material in comparison to a uniform and level surface.

[Slii Arhem]

A Blooming Field

"Perhaps not quite infinite, but at the very least unquantifiable. I wanted to know of your artifical conciousness. How they were first created, how they are made, what status or role they serve in your society. I can be a lot to ask, and I do not fault you if you do not know everything, or if there are some things you would rather not share." Charon begins unpacking the basket, again laying the food out for Riss to see and smell as he speaks.

"I am simply curious as to how you have created what I see as new life without the resources at the hands of my peers." If I didn't know better, I would say Charon has used his time to brush up on proper technical linguistics from the current day. His manner of speech is less archaic, although remains extremely formal.

He leaves only one piece of food in the basket, having already spread out a vast array of different fruits and vegetables, as well as several types of juice in crystal decanters. Most common fruits are there, as well as some of the more esoteric ones. It can be assumed that if Riss looks for something her player would like her to find, it shall be there.

[Terumitsu]

A Blooming Field

A.I. design theory? Well that would be easy enough to divulge. It wasn't that it was so much a secret as it was maddeningly complex. Then again, given the end result, that was to be expected. "Well, I can't tell you exactly how to make one.." the muse said, looking at a point just below the horizon. "I don't know how. It's not secret knowledge as much as it is highly specialized." Riss selected an orange, being rather fond of the scent she had detected earlier, and began scratching at the rind as she spoke.

What happened next would be quite interesting as Riss lapsed into a musical, almost song-like language as she spoke. Translated, she would begin describing concepts as follows: "What I do know is that the coding can be likened to the layers of a human brain. The seed kernel is like the old 'Fish brain' that operates the basic functions of living and breathing in humans. In a program, this would be the basic protocols and logic gates. Then comes the 'Crocodile brain' which functions on the unconscious and instinctual level. This is similar to the earlier stage but this includes pattern recognition and other things which are important for proper functioning. After that is the 'Mammal brain' where higher order memory storage and retrieval is coupled with the latter two stages and tied together as a single unit. Most weak A.I. are finished at this stage and act as personal secretaries or assistants. One step further, however, enhances the pattern recognition and data storage/retrieval abilities as well as grant essential information pertinent to the task they will be operating. A strong A.I. is easily better than a non-augmented human at tasks requiring specialized information and training. Like traffic control for a city or power generation. Given that they're proven to be intelligent entities, they are required by law to be treated as equals but I don't know how well that pans out. I don't know what most of them do with their pay either but I think one or two of them have bought synthetic bodies to interact with us meaties. They're.... Easier to talk to." Riss 'sang out.' While the concepts were not translated exactly, the meaning here would be more or less the spirit of what was said.

That and it was easier for her to describe said concepts this way as she didn't have any idea of what fish and crocodiles were and actually using those terms would have been very odd.

"While there are safeguards in place to prevent one from simply going rogue and simply taking over more and more processing power, they're mostly a formality from when that was a misguided fear. Really, even if an infinite network were to be created and such an A.I. were placed inside it, it would hit the physical limit where it cannot transmit it's own data to it's extremities and back again without a notable time lag. This lag forces it to slow down the larger it gets so rather than an exponential ascension of intellect, it looks more like a bell curve. 'S simple applied logic, really. Cause of this, most A.I. don't see the point as it endangers their own survival for a finite plateau of ability. As complex as our machines are, they aren't infinite simulators yet." Riss said, this time in common tongue. What would be interesting is that her tone was much more at ease while giving this dissertation. While she had used Aesop to provide prompts quite often, they had been less in the way of an actual ready to read sentence or phrase and more cues for how to direct the topic. The halting was almost gone entirely when speaking in that strange song-tongue as well. She herself was surprised that she had managed such a feat, allowing herself just the faintest hint of confidence in her abilities for now.

[Slii Arhem]

A Blooming Field

"A mind built, layer by layer? Fraction by fraction until the whole is met? You have taken the gift of intellect, the fire of life itself, and broken it down into nothing more than a recipe. Then, you improved upon it." Charon cannot contain himself in the face of these ideas. At first he'd thought Riss, and by extension her people, might possibly have unlocked the first steps on the path to godhood. He imagined that, in time, he could study her, guide her, and watch an ascension unfold before his very eyes...

Eyes he no longer possessed, of course, but the spirit of his intentions was still there.

This though, was staggering. Even the gods knew not what they had done, breathing life into formless clay like babes in the mud. Even now they do not know, nor care to learn the many intricacies of their work. Charon knows this, of course. He sees the dead minds that slip through the fingers of lethe and knows that there is more to life than slightly more amusing playthings.

Somehow, humanity has surpassed the gods in this instance by leaps and bounds. While he toiled away at a mindless task, sherparding mindless souls, true light shone above.

"This information is worth more than anything I have brought here in exchange. It is worth more than anything I know how to give, and the debt I have accrued to you now is beyond my reckoning. You have shown me something impossible."

Charon reaches into his basket to withdraw the one thing he had held back. The bargaining chip he never thought he'd need, and should never have had in the first place. It is ambrosia, the food of the gods served only high on Olympus. This one slice is worth more to him preserved than all his influence in the kingdom of hell.

He wasn't entirely certain why the Fates told him to bring it this day as he consulted with them earlier. He should have known.

"This is the only thing I could give in return. You may not judge it enough, but know that it is all I can offer, in exchange for Hope."

[Terumitsu]

A Blooming Field

In what would be an almost humorous dichotomy, Riss would not be aware in the slightest of just what she had given to Charon. Was such information that obscure here? It was a mild bit of culture shock, actually, as Riss was suddenly unsure if, rather than lagging behind, she possessed an advantage. That would require more time to think about, really. It was a strange feeling, though...

As was being told about just how much value this was to Charon. This was not something she was used to at all but it was so far out of the blue that she couldn't even manage her normal response for strange situations.... Which would be for the better as going and finding a place to hide from the world was probably not the best action to take here. It would be sufficient to say that she couldn't have seen this coming to her. Ever.

As such, the muse acted accordingly bemused. Laudable occasions were about as foreign as.... Well, as foreign as fruit was to her only just earlier.

"I.. Ah.. Just... Wait. Hold on. What?" came the stream of stammered, unformed questions as the ambrosia was passed on to her. Charon may have to explain a bit once again.

[Slii Arhem]

A Blooming Field

Ah yes, of course. For all her knowledge in areas he had no cause to even dream of, she was still only one person. One person who, lest he forget himself, seemed to be sorely lacking in the most basic of knowledge he was intimately familiar with. The reverse may very well be true.

He must approach this with care. He isn't certain how to relate what an earth shattering accomplishment this is. There is no analogy or logic that would be able to confer how high she has just raised humanity in his eyes.

Instead, he couches it in terms she might better understand, explaining the second reason such information is worth so much to him.

"We have made deals for information and companionship before. Such deals are common among gods. Exchanging of favors, coveting of ties. Now imagine if you will two tiers of society, the gulf between them completely severing the ties between one set of gods and another. Those on the hill remain cordial, but scorn us when our ears have turned away. What you have in your hands is the priveledge of the higher gods of the pantheon. Food so powerfully engrossing that to eat of it is to know love. The information you have given me in exchange is, if handled correctly, worth a thousand times more than that. It powerful enough to shake the faith of gods, to deny them the necessity of their own existence. They will want to know how mortals have surpassed them so, and how in their vanity they can restore the natural order."

Charon's excitement has bubbled over, but he manages to catch himself and stop his rant before he begins panting like a madman.

"This information does not only give me hope for a time when I may call humanity my equal, but also lays flat on my palm the ultimate bargaining chip. It outstrips even a golden apple, carved for the fairest."

[Lady Serpentine]

[Harin's Universe]

Rahona seems a bit surprised that Harin heard her mumbling to herself, but replies nonetheless.

"Not'a problem, means ya've had an interesting life."

[Harin's Universe]

One of the dangers of posting at three in the morning; I rather missed the significance of that phrase. Shall we attribute it to Harin's mostly undefined cybernetics?

In any case, whatever the cause of his over-sensitive hearing, that way of looking at things seems a bit new to him, and he considers it silently for several minutes.

"An interesting way of looking at things... I suppose that confusing others with your past is one way of measuring if it's interesting; confusion sparks curiosity, and in turn that makes them interested. Is that the basic idea?"

[ThirdEmperor]

Swamp of Not-Quite-Sanity

"Vell, it kould hef been a trap." Nimrod says huffily, giving the sacks of unidentified stuffs a kick. Stupid doors, not being trapped when they're supposed to be.

[Mina Kobold]

[Harin's Universe]

Alas, such dangers must be risked for the future of the Nexus' silliness!

Rahona nods and responds ponderously.

"That one way ta look at it. If sumthing's confusing, that means there more ta learn, tha's pretty interesting ta me."

[Terumitsu]

A Blooming Field

Riss still possessed a quizzical expression even after Charon's explanation. Class-ism was something she was used to but the idea of usurping the 'Haves' had never entered her mind. Generally, she had simply been consumed with the needs of survival and her most far fetched dreams had been simply to grasp their coattails. In a sense, she wasn't even sure that she could accept Charon's exchange if even half of his words were simple hyperbole. While she wouldn't be all that adverse to toppling the gods, given that their whim was made law for those that followed them willingly. The only real difference between gods and the 'Haves' was that the people under the gods were there by choice... And that made all the difference in her mind. Even elected officials could be removed from office but gods would have no such fear. And then there was that whole thing about magic that could be tossed in there but that was more of an annoyance than anything.

However... Restoring the natural order? That sounded an awful lot like someone 'taking measures' to restore the status quo... Would she be a target for this? Oh no. She wasn't going to have assassins after her, was she?

Of course, she couldn't just give it back now that she had already accepted it. The deal had been made. There was one thing, however, that had struck her as odd.

"To... To know love?" she asked. Love was just an assortment of chemical reactions and electrical signals in the brain that activated serotonin and dopamine emissions.. Right? And then there was that interesting part of a meat brain where if an electromagnetic pulse was applied to a certain area, it triggered a 'religious experience.' That latter was just a shackle used by the gods once they had followers.. Right? That's all there was. Nothing beyond that. She was sure of it.

[Slii Arhem]

A Blooming Field

"To know universal love. The positive feelings of all that adore the gods are funneled and distilled into this substance. It seperates those that are loved and those that are feared. It sustains them, while we who are considered lesser must be content to whither." Now that it is out of his hands, Charon levels a sneer at the ambrosia, almost glad to be rid of it.

"But now, they will have no other recourse but to advance, or be left behind by their own machinations. Now that I can show them potential, they will see exactly how stagnant they have become."

Is Charon being overly idealistic? Possibly. Even so, there doesn't seem to be much that will stray him from this course. If Riss is afraid of retaliation, perhaps she should work up the strength to mention it before he goes completely off the rails.

[Terumitsu]

A Blooming Field

It was probably a good thing that Charon's face was obscured or that sneer might have been mistaken in intent.

"Ah.. Well.. If they, uh. If they do find out who told you about all this... Wouldn't it be logical to, um.. Launch a preemptive attack?" Riss piped up while still managing to be mousy about it. It sounded like something the 'Haves' would do as an act of 'damage control.' It wasn't a matter of if as much as it was an issue of how subtle they were about it.

Though, that said... Universal love? Really? That's... Well Riss had no concept of what that could be at all.. Heck, she had a tenuous grasp of what regular love felt like at best and it was mixed with more than a little baggage.

[Earl of Purple]

Swamp of Not-Quite-Sanity

The kicked sack lets off a puff of flour. It's surprisingly fresh flour, too; white and puffy.

So, two doors, five boxes and sacks of flour. Will they check out the boxes, or try one of the doors?

Incidently, what happened to that flail?

[Gullara]

[Swamp of Not-Quite-Sanity]

Despair took it if I recall.

Jasmine looks around curiously. ell, at least this is a million times better than being outside. "Do you suppose anything is in these boxes?" She asks while going to try and open them anyway. Probably just food.