Machina Learning

After Uta reached out to Jazz on chimlink, Jazz offered to meet with her at Isekai Roukan's garden. She had been there recently, and after all, it's not as if she wasn't about to head back to Mac Anu.

(She totally was. Uta has now delayed her plans, curse her!)

She' seated near the fountain on one of the pillows, eyes half-clsoed, hair swept over her face. Is she meditating? Is she sleeping?

WHO CAN SAY.

One moment she's not there, the next- there she is.

Uta slides in, just in fornt of Jazz. She will attempt to wave her hands in front of the Undine, to elicit some sort of reaction. Should that not work, it's poking-with-a-stick time!

Well, a staff, technically, but what is a staff but a fancy stick?

The sensation of hands waving in front of her face isn't something she can miss. She crack a single eye open through her bangs and stares at Uta.

Then there is a quiet, "Took you long enough," she grumbles. "My tea went cold ages ago." What tea? Where? She has been waiting FOREVER, clearly.

"Why didn't you drink your tea while it was still hot?", Uta asks, in genuine puzzlement. She even cants her head slightly to one side, like some confused mammal.

Which she technically is?

"I would Loremaster the event of your tea going cold, but if it's too far in the past, it might cause me headaches and strain in the vocal chor- OH! That reminds me!"

She inhales, closes her eyes, and in the most somber way possible, she starts, "Jazz? I think you should see a doctor."

"Fortunately, there's one nearby," remarks Jazz to Uta, dryly. "Why do I need to see a doctor *now*, though? Last I saw, I don't have any unique debuffs festering on my person." She squints at her. "...and it would be rude to drink my tea when waiting for company," she points out to her.

"No, see, the trick is, you keep some secret tea just for you, and then you have the public cold tea of shame to shame yout late visitor about leaving you without the secret tea you've had but you haven't told them about. See, it's-- Oh!" She snaps her fingers. "You -had- your secret tea! You just didn't tell me! Clever!", she beams.

But then she shakes her head. "No, no, I meant, you need to see -a specific- doctor. Doctor Prophylaxis. We have had some discussions about an issue that's..." She hesitates. She taps her lips. "I think it's best if you discuss things with him. But I can say this much: there is something which involves, if not machinas, at least machina-adjacents. Something called an Ex-Machina. There is potential danger and/or suffering going on. And given your previous experience with Spahtjahr, I thought you might be able to help with this."

"I'm sorry. What?" says Jazz.

"Ex-Machina? /Really/?" % r
She brings her hand up over her face and then rubs it slowly back and forth as if this is already something she can sense is going to giv eher an enormous headache. "I don't see Spatjahr that often, and I don't imagine anything is wrong with me, but I can reach out to the ridiculously named doctor, sure."

"Tell him I sent you," Uta nods. "And if you think that having an Ex-Machina is face-rub worthy, we apparently also have a thing called a 'Deus' in Lore."

She taps her lips and looks up and away. "Hm. I wonder if the ridiculousness is such that the two end up being related..."

She shakes her head. "Anyway. I honestly don't know whether you can help or not, but based on what little I know, it is possible that the Ex-Machina itself will need help."

A little pause, then she continues, "...I am still trying to figure more out myself, but right now you're the first person I've contacted about this."

Jazuhanzu grumbles lowly. "Deus Ex Machina. Of /course/ there is."

She puts her other hand over her face, then uses both of them to pull her long bangs back and out of the way. "Yeah, sure. I'll tell him you sent me. Then I'll no doubt hear about a bunch of things I probably am better off not knowing about." She sounds resigned to her fate as to this. "Given the designers of the games were nerds, I'm sure we'll get a literal geek chorus next." There is a soft sigh from her -- which of course is positively *adorable* sounding -- and then she adjusts her hat and straightens up.

"All right."

"C'mon, Jazz, it's not a tragedy," Uta tries to cheer up. "I am sure it's all things we'd all better not know about but- well, if it's any consolation, just like I'm not revealing what he told me, I have likewise not told him nothing about you, Spahtjar, or anything. Just that I'd get in touch with people who might be able to help, and send them your way. So you have complete freedom of deciding what to disclose."

She leans over and lowers the volume of her voice. "We all know we'll learn about things we'd rather not learn about. Things might get unpleasant. But we both want to help, don't we?" She attempts to mantain eye contact, before lowering her head, and sighing. "It's our blessing and our curse."

"I'll get on it, like I said. I am going to do what I can. Always do. It's all anyone can do." Jazz shrugs her shoulders, sounding distant for the moment. She stares off into space, then picks herself up. "Where abouts is this doctor lurking? I was going to head back to Mac Anu but I can delay it."

She squints over at Uta, inspecting her now. Not game-inspecting her, of course. Just a once over.

Uta taps her chin. "Uhm, his base of operations is Tolbana. With the evacuation going on, I am working in his clinic. Help with the massive influx of refugees" A pause. "Maybe I can set up an appointment between the two of you... I have both on my friend list."Uta taps her chin. "Uhm, his base of operations is Tolbana. With the evacuation going on, I am working in his clinic. Help with the massive influx of refugees" A pause. "Maybe I can set up an appointment between the two of you... I have both on my friend list."