Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes

[Thanqol]

"Others have tried, no one's found anything - or at least, not said anything," said Vorel. "Reality starts getting really weird if you try to approach the guy. It's like... the world doesn't connect in the right places."

She looked a little embarrassed at the glare.

Jon would find his way back to the Herald's room easily enough, dream-catchers spinning quietly in the breeze from the window.

[Deadly]

Charlene considered Jon's offer. "I think I'll go look at that computer Talmage mentioned, while I remember it. It shouldn't take very long, I'll join you afterwards." It was a boring thing that needed to be done, but after this bit of excitement something boring sounded just fine.

"If others have tried I doubt we'd have much luck. Better to leave it down there," she said, directed at Vorel. "But maybe something could be found out about it without having to go down there."

[BlasTech]

"Ehh. Maybe." Isabelle said. "Doubt we'll find a blueprint lying around anywhere but maybe something can give us a bit of an idea or some context about why that thing is down there."

"Anyway, if you want to go check out the computers that's fine. I'm going to go check out the grounds, meet up with you when you're done?"

[Deadly]

"Might be some historical accounts," Charlene offered. "That's all I can think of for now."

She shrugged and nodded, "See you later," then turned back to Vorel. "Can you tell me where the computer Talmage mentioned is? I assume it's alright for me to just use it?"

[Thanqol]

"Sure. You can use mine if you want, it's much better. Both rooms are on the same corridor in the Spring quarter. Mine has free guest access, Talmage's password is 'badumtsh'." said the dragoness.

"As far as the basement goes, my theory is you're going to have to go through the person who set it up - which means trawling for echoes. Those Searchlight guys have to be behind this somehow." She said, with a dark glance at where Felix had disappeared.

[Deadly]

"Thank you, Vorel," Charlene said with a smile. "I wager you're probably right, although we didn't get much out of Felix on that topic either. Anyway, if your computer is the most modern then I'll take that, if it's no problem," she said and began heading back towards the Spring section.

[Thanqol]

The path to Vorel's room was untroubled by concerns of the fallen world, with space and time bowing to the destructive power of the force of locomotion. Soon enough, she was present in the rather cluttered programmer's studio, high-end gaming PC and three monitors before her.

[the_druid_droid]

The Herald’s room felt occupied, like it had that morning, but right now, the feeling was entirely comforting. After the bizarre scene in the basement, it was nice just to be around something that felt fresh, natural, human - so the breeze blew in from an open window and Jon watched the dreamcatchers spin.

The air from outside was refreshing, and eventually, just breathing it wasn’t enough; he wanted to be outside, moving around in it. Hurriedly, Jon changed out of his new clothes and into the ragged running gear he’d brought back with him from Faerie. A part of him wished that he had something else to change into, but it would have to do for now...

Taking a final deep lungful of the fresh air, Jon turned and headed back down the hall and toward the outside world.

[Deadly]

Charlene stood for a while and looked around at the array of screens and other great wonders of the technological age. If that one computer Talmage mentioned elicited such a distasteful look from Felix, surely reminding him of this place would be something to see. "Wow," she said and glanced back at Vorel, assuming the dragoness followed. "I bet no one expects this."

Either way, she carefully wound her way through the clutter and sat down before the screens. After staring at it for a bit, she gingerly reached out to log in as a guest. A few memories stirred. She wasn't sure what to do, she didn't really have a plan. She had expected an old work computer, and maybe imagined just playing around with a few boring programs, the usual stuff, maybe surfed the net until she felt like she got the hang of it again. Now that she looked upon this great beast, it seemed like a crime to use it for something so banal. "Any great games?" she ventured. "I feel ... rusty."

[Thanqol]

The Herald’s room felt occupied, like it had that morning, but right now, the feeling was entirely comforting. After the bizarre scene in the basement, it was nice just to be around something that felt fresh, natural, human - so the breeze blew in from an open window and Jon watched the dreamcatchers spin.

The air from outside was refreshing, and eventually, just breathing it wasn’t enough; he wanted to be outside, moving around in it. Hurriedly, Jon changed out of his new clothes and into the ragged running gear he’d brought back with him from Faerie. A part of him wished that he had something else to change into, but it would have to do for now...

Taking a final deep lungful of the fresh air, Jon turned and headed back down the hall and toward the outside world.

Before long, he was out into the idyllic spring field. The grass was knee-high and sweet and green, scattered with wild flowers. The tracks were muddy, with many hoofprints through them. Here and there Jon would come across sheer drops of five meters or more - and these were usually paired with spectacular views. In general though, the hilltop was gentle and easy to navigate.

The woods were old oak and pine growth. It wasn't long before he chanced along a pair of does. They looked up as he approached, then flicked their ears and went back to eating, not showing the least bit of surprise or skittishness. This, though, was less a trait of the disney-like atmosphere than of Jon's natural affinity.

Charlene stood for a while and looked around at the array of screens and other great wonders of the technological age. If that one computer Talmage mentioned elicited such a distasteful look from Felix, surely reminding him of this place would be something to see. "Wow," she said and glanced back at Vorel, assuming the dragoness followed. "I bet no one expects this."

Either way, she carefully wound her way through the clutter and sat down before the screens. After staring at it for a bit, she gingerly reached out to log in as a guest. A few memories stirred. She wasn't sure what to do, she didn't really have a plan. She had expected an old work computer, and maybe imagined just playing around with a few boring programs, the usual stuff, maybe surfed the net until she felt like she got the hang of it again. Now that she looked upon this great beast, it seemed like a crime to use it for something so banal. "Any great games?" she ventured. "I feel ... rusty."

Vorel flicked her claws through her phone's holograms, and the computer brought up a rather vast Steam library. This then filtered through to new releases. There were an awful number of sequels there, with a lot of "4"'s. Warcraft 4, Crysis 4, Left 4/4 Dead, Dues Ex 4.

Still no Half Life 3.

"What's your poison? And should I leave you to it, or is this a challenge?" she said, veiled edge of enthusiasm in her voice.

[BlasTech]

Isabelle gave Jon a small wave when he finally arrived outside. Once the group had split up from the basement, she'd wandered the summer wing for a bit longer, trying to see if any there were any more echoes to be found.

After a few minutes with nothing but dust and empty rooms to show for her efforts, she'd given up and made her own way the the manor grounds. The sky was still overcast, so she hadn't ventured far from the front doorstep, instead opting to wait until the others got there.

"Hey Jon. Is Charlene finished with the computer yet?"

[Deadly]

Charlene had been many things, but never much of a gamer. She looked at the titles and vaguely recalled having at least heard of some of them, from friends who did play, but that was about it. Still, no time like the present.

"What's the point of playing alone? Something with action. Driving, or shooting maybe, I always liked blowing holes in things..." on the shooting range at least. The real world had a lot of rules on that. "Something to get the adrenalin pumping, that sort of thing. Although you're going to have to show me the basics, I'm afraid," she admitted.

[the_druid_droid]

Jon moved slowly through the long grass, trailing his hands by his sides and letting the blades tickle over his palms. Out here, the smell of green things was everywhere, and to his surprise, a rumble rose from his stomach in response. He shook his head at the noise and kept walking across the grounds, reminding himself that he’d already had breakfast.

Although the countryside surrounding the old house was beautiful, it wasn’t the swollen, too-bright loveliness of Faerie, and for that Jon was thankful. Instead, the woods were beautiful as only the mortal world can be to someone newly returned, and it was only deep in his heart that he strained to hear barks echo over the hills; otherwise, everything was calm.

When he stumbled across the does, the Changeling deer kept his distance out of respect, and watched them quietly for a little while, leaning against a tree until Isabelle’s greeting flickered at the corner of his vision.

“Hi Isabelle!” Jon straightened up and returned the wave, “I’m not sure what she’s up to right now; I’ve just been wandering around out here, taking everything in.”

[Thanqol]

Charlene had been many things, but never much of a gamer. She looked at the titles and vaguely recalled having at least heard of some of them, from friends who did play, but that was about it. Still, no time like the present.

"What's the point of playing alone? Something with action. Driving, or shooting maybe, I always liked blowing holes in things..." on the shooting range at least. The real world had a lot of rules on that. "Something to get the adrenalin pumping, that sort of thing. Although you're going to have to show me the basics, I'm afraid," she admitted.

"We'll play something with motion control. Everyone's bad at that," Vorel said, flicking on the webcam-thingy on the top of the monitor. Gold holograms encircled their wrists, providing a variety of configuration buttons.

Motion sensor technology had gotten significantly better since 2012, and the racing game Vorel selected played naturally and instinctively. She was fairly good at it, but the skill that came with casual practice rather than dedicated training of any kind. The AI was aggressive enough and the game's weapons powerful enough to ensure that Charlene would take at least one game off the dragoness in the next few hours.

Jon moved slowly through the long grass, trailing his hands by his sides and letting the blades tickle over his palms. Out here, the smell of green things was everywhere, and to his surprise, a rumble rose from his stomach in response. He shook his head at the noise and kept walking across the grounds, reminding himself that he’d already had breakfast.

Although the countryside surrounding the old house was beautiful, it wasn’t the swollen, too-bright loveliness of Faerie, and for that Jon was thankful. Instead, the woods were beautiful as only the mortal world can be to someone newly returned, and it was only deep in his heart that he strained to hear barks echo over the hills; otherwise, everything was calm.

When he stumbled across the does, the Changeling deer kept his distance out of respect, and watched them quietly for a little while, leaning against a tree until Isabelle’s greeting flickered at the corner of his vision.

“Hi Isabelle!” Jon straightened up and returned the wave, “I’m not sure what she’s up to right now; I’ve just been wandering around out here, taking everything in.”

As Isabelle appeared, the deer bolted and ran, vanishing into the forest.

[BlasTech]

"Ah well, if she's gone to talk computers with Vorel she could be a while. That dragon is a bit of a tech head, surprisingly."

She took a deep breath, savouring in the cool taste of the mountain air. It was crisp and wonderfully free of the stink of the city, but it also held a dampness that promised rain.

"Found anything interesting yet?"

[Deadly]

Charlene considered the wrist band holograms appreciatively. Playing by moving around was exactly her idea of fun, and something that might not feel entirely alien to her. The controls seemed vaguely familiar too, different but still similar enough to things she remembered. Memories were already stirring as she turned her attention to the game.

It didn't take long to figure out the basics and get used to the game, and after a while things began to pick up. The games were fast and furious, and Charlene savored the thrill of the ride even though she lost most of them and even though, as she mused, she probably wasn't going to learn driving, or shooting, this way.

She was learning something though, or rather remembering some things. The holograms, the motion control, even just being in front of a screen, it all stirred up things that she hadn't thought about in years, awakening old connections and creating new ones.

It was Vorel who eventually pointed out that they had been playing for a while. Charlene paused and caught her breath as she looked at the time. "Oh," she smiled, "I lose track of time easily. I guess that happens when you have fun, I hope I haven't taken too much of your time?"

She walked up to the screens and ran a hand over the plastic casing of one, considering the plethora of technology in the room. "If you've got a little more time ... I was actually hoping to rekindle my memory of all this. When I saw your phone and realized that I didn't even remember how to use something like that, something I once used all the time, well, I had to do something about that. Playing has been great, it's helped me some, I think, but I was wondering if you could just show me some of all these things," she gestured at the room. "Your computers, your phone, I don't know, wow me? Show me what you can do with it all. I understand if you have your own things to do, so I can wait for another time if you want."

[Thanqol]

"Eh, don't worry about wasting my time. My day job is inflicting righteous violence on those who would dare displease the Prince, which - during spring - isn't particularly time consuming," Vorel said. She laughed shyly as she looked around at her packed room. "I get bored up here."

"But as for a demonstration..."

She thought for a while. Then she snapped her fingers and smirked. "Oh yeah, I've got just the thing. My department issued me with a military-grade Lite Mace app because I was considered a "high value target". Let's just step out into the hall, can't swing it around in here."

Vorel opened the door, stepped outside, then flicked through some functions in the phone. The holograms took on a menacing, steely grey colour and rapidly changed shape. They arrayed close to her body, vaguely in the shape of armour.

"Go on, take a swing at me," Vorel said brightly. "Or throw something. It'd also trigger if you pointed a gun at me."

[After Jon and Isabelle have killed a few hours we'll advance/reunify .]

[Deadly]

[Sounds good to me, I assume this little venture is enough justification for me spending 3 xp on a Computer dot?]

Charlene looked interestedly over Vorel's shoulder as she navigated the phone. It was quite beyond her level, but some of the elements at least seemed familiar which was comforting. She was feeling somewhat more confident that she could probably get it, or at least a regular phone, to do something useful.

Ordinarily, telling Charlene to "take a swing at me" would result in a tackle or an unhesitant (though friendly) punch, just because you asked for it, but in this case Charlene thought better of it. Vorel did look much better, but she had just taken a shot and it had looked really serious. Besides, Charlene wasn't sure whatever the phone did was something she wanted to happen to her hand.

She looked around and found the first and best inexpensive thing around: a pen with a cap on it. It wouldn't hurt much. She picked it up and threw it at Vorel, aiming for the shoulder just in case.

[the_druid_droid]

Jon nodded faintly, “She does seem to like her phone.”

He took a moment to glance around the woods’ edge again, then leaned back against the tree. “I haven’t really found anything out here, thank goodness,” Jon smirked as he said it, “it seems like there’s a good chance that all the interesting things in this place want to rip your face off... But honestly, I haven’t really been looking. Just walking around and trying to think.”

[BlasTech]

Isabelle looked in the direction of the woods, but only so she could hide the grimace that Jon's words elicited. Stopping and trying to think? It wasn't something that appealed to her, given last night's events.

Unfortunately, simply by bringing it up, Jon's words had set off a brief flash of recent memories - of bright headlights and a darkened bridge ...

Isabelle wrapped her arms around herself, as if to ward off the unpleasant emotions that those memories triggered.

"So ... what are you thinking about?" she asked, after a moment's hesitation.

[Thanqol]

[Sounds good to me, I assume this little venture is enough justification for me spending 3 xp on a Computer dot?]

Charlene looked interestedly over Vorel's shoulder as she navigated the phone. It was quite beyond her level, but some of the elements at least seemed familiar which was comforting. She was feeling somewhat more confident that she could probably get it, or at least a regular phone, to do something useful.

Ordinarily, telling Charlene to "take a swing at me" would result in a tackle or an unhesitant (though friendly) punch, just because you asked for it, but in this case Charlene thought better of it. Vorel did look much better, but she had just taken a shot and it had looked really serious. Besides, Charlene wasn't sure whatever the phone did was something she wanted to happen to her hand.

She looked around and found the first and best inexpensive thing around: a pen with a cap on it. It wouldn't hurt much. She picked it up and threw it at Vorel, aiming for the shoulder just in case.

[Sure thing]

As the pen was about to leave Charlene's hand, something grey appeared in front of Charlene's eyes.

And then there was a flash.

The sudden burst of light directly in front of her face would dazzle her for a few seconds, and cause the throw to go awry. It was very disorienting but her vision quickly returned to normal.

"The flash can go much higher, but I didn't want to hurt you," Vorel said, "it's hell on the battery though."

[Deadly]

Charlene half threw, half dropped the pen which needless to say didn't hit much aside from the floor. "Argh!" She raised her hands to cover her eyes reflexively. She should have expected that, really, she wasn't sure what she had expected. The word 'mace' should have been a big clue. "What is it with you people and bright lights?" she asked, not too seriously. "Ever since I returned everyone seems to want to shine light in my face. First thing I'm going to buy is a pair of shades, real dark ones."

She rubbed her eyes and blinked them a little to get the dots away. "Better the battery than you," she said, and added "This is quite useful." Memories of small alleys and shady places crossed her memory. Of women who could use this kind of thing, many faces danced across her mind, vaguely familiar. Pepper spray was all well and good, if the victim was quick enough - and able - to use it. "Are there commercial versions available?"

[Thanqol]

"Not of this one, because of the legal issues involved. If a mugger pulls a gun, the defense goes off, and the mugger is startled and fires a shot it could hit someone. If it's set too high it could permanently blind someone. If the customer leaves it on by mistake and walks into an office and someone tries to high five them, bam, kiss your retinas goodbye." Vorel said. "It'd just be an endless onslaught of lawsuits, so we keep it in house and sell it to the military."

[the_druid_droid]

Jon frowned reflexively and seemed to slump against the rough bark, “Well, I’m thinking about what I should do next. When I tried to go home I nearly got shot and the police showed up. I’m not exactly looking forward to trying that again, but I can’t just avoid my family... why else did I come back, otherwise?”

[BlasTech]

"I dunno" Isabelle shrugged. "Getting out of Arcadia wasn't enough of a reason on its own?"

Isabelle's gaze lost itself in the leaves of the tree as she considered what Vorel had told her earlier that day. Some people came back for their old lives, some came back to make new ones and some, like Cludge, never really came back properly at all.

"I hear what you're saying though. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I have a little sister ... ten years is a long time to be gone, and part of me really wants to go back and check up on how she and my parents are doing. The thought that there's another me out there, living with them, is ... not comfortable. I think the only reason I haven't gone off on some fool quest to find them is because Seattle is a long way away from here, and you guys aren't."

[Deadly]

"A consumer version should evidently not be able to cause lasting damage," Charlene said, considering the implications. "The problem of innocent bystanders getting shot is a serious concern, I'll admit."

She picked up the pen and put it back where she had taken it. "People should be able to protect themselves, perhaps relying too much on a gadget is also dangerous. Putting all your responsibility and trust in something or someone else is not wise. I remember ... thinking a lot about this before, on how to help people and keep them safe."

[Thanqol]

"Yeah, ain't that the truth." Vorel murmured.

[Deadly]

"Hmm?" Charlene looked a little uncertainly at Vorel. "Something the matter?"

[the_druid_droid]

Jon’s eyes brightened when Isabelle mentioned her sister, and then suddenly they shot wide open.

“...Sister!... That might work! Isabelle, c’mon - I need to find Felix or Vorel!” With only those words to explain himself, Jon pushed away from his tree and took off at top speed toward the house, dodging crazily to avoid the sudden drops camouflaged by the high grass.

[BlasTech]

"Hey, what? Wait!" Isabelle called, a moment too late. By the time her brain finally caught up with what had happened, Jon was gone. The only sign of his departure being a path of disturbed tallgrass on the way back to the mansion. That guy could run fast when he wanted to.

Isabelle shrugged, whatever. She hadn't expected her speech to trigger a Eureka Moment. But now that it had, it meant something else to do. Something that promised to be interesting, potentially important to one of her friends and, most of all, diverting.

Far better than wasting time out here.