Deliberation on Data

People are always coming and going through the Plant Duck workshop. Proteus, however, has been hovering about in said workshop since her return from the Palace Lands. She has stayed oddly apart from the ongoing war, mostly keeping to herself with a small exception of leaving to assist with one of Prophylaxis' 'projects'.

She returned with a strangely intense expression on her face. Since then, she has returned to hovering. Figuratively, of course. Imps can't fly. Or hover. Or float. Except in water.

The Plant Hwyaden workshop - possibly the center of the universe - has long been the source of both the weird and wonderful creations of its members. With various workbenches setup around for various projects, piles of raw materials, and bins of scrap or failed creations - it is a kind of orderly chaos.

A short figure wearing a black hooded cloak with silver script trim enters this sacred space, eyes glowing a kaleidoscope of colors from beneath the shadows of the hood. Stopping at the entrance they glance around at the workshop and let out a sigh.

"It has been far too long" the figure whispers.

As they search the area their eyes find Proteus, and there is a slight intensification in the light emitted from their eyes. They start to move forward toward the imp.

"Proteus... I'm glad to find you here..." they call out quietly and then pull back the hood of their cloak, revealing long flowing white hair and the now clear face of Seliana.

It isn't hard to notice the arrival of Seliana. There is a moment a the Imp searches her memories, and then there is a blink at the multicolored gleam. A moment of surprise becomes something more welcome as Seliana reveals herself fully, and there is a smile from Proteus. The Imp approaches, fidgeting for a moment as she nods to Seliana. "I thought I was alone with the mysterious hooded figure schtick again." She comments wryly. "I'm glad that I'm wrong. Welcome back, Seliana. You're well, I hope?"

Seliana's once stoic expression, a characteristic she was once known for, seems to melt away as she gazes at Proteus and a small smirk appears on her face. "If we're going to be stuck in this digital plane, then we might as well do so in style, right?" and as she closes in she grasps Proteus's hands. "I'm glad to see you Proteus. Really I am."

But then the smile fades to a slight frown, "I am surviving. I could be better. I could be worse." She then glances around the workshop again befor focusing again on Proteus. "But how about you? There has been so much happening."?

"Style is as important as substance, indeed." The Puzzle Imp agrees. "And I'm glad to see you too. I was worried, for a while." She taps at a table for a moment, pensively, before she shakes her head. "I've mostly been keeping my head down since the invasion began. I haven't had much desire to take part in it despite what is effectively on the table as far as what it threatens." She glances to the side. "Maybe I'm just a coward after all." She frowns for a moment. "But still..."

Seliana looks around the immediate area until she locates a seemly comfortable place to sit - a spare workbench stool. As she sits it is apparent there is a weariness, a slouch, to her posture. She looks over to Proteus her glowing colour shifting eyes apparently a near constant now.

She hums quietly in thought, "Oh yes, the invasion by the Palace Lands." She is quiet for a moment, "I'm kind of glad you're not risking yourself to be honest."

She closes her eyes a moment before opening them again, "You may recall that I started to get involved with various small groups made of both Adventurers and Landers, it seems people have come to call us the Cult of the Lost - something we've simply embraced ourselves now." She gestures at the cloak she is wearing. "This was a gift from a member and has started to become almost like a uniform for many of us. But that is an aside, the main this is we've been trying to understand the true state of things, what we are, what it really means to die, how are memories play into that. And as you know, death will steal away parts of ourselves."

With another small sigh she clasps her hands together. "We've been here in this place now for years. Others are starting to agree that there may be no way home, not to our physical bodies anyway." She glances down at her hands, her long nails also painted black. "We aren't human anymore." And with a realization she glances to Proteus, "and I don't just mean the avatar form" she waves her hand to indicate the imp. "We are like digital ghosts. Our memories like the currency of our lives. The very laws of this world seek to steal what we are, who we are!" and with these words she grimaces as the strength of the glow in her eyes flares for a moment.

Proteus squints at those eyes. The Puzzle Imp's remains a constant softly glowing violet on her part. She leans in and gestures. "Were your eyes always like that, or is that a new development? I can't remember." She prods, then glances to one side, chuckling. "But yes, the Cult of the Lost. Looks like they're more the Group of the Found now, hmm?" She shrugs, knowing the joke is a bit lame. "I'm glad you're making progress in that, though. As for what happens when you die..."

Proteus looks down, her expression grim as the subject of memories is brought up. "Yes. These bodies are made up of data, like everything else here. If we have no physical form, then the only thing that truly matters is who we are... And memories are a big part of that. You're right. It's strange, though, that it happens. Why does it happen? Can it be prevented? Where does that data /go/? Surely it can't just be destroyed, right?"

Seliana quirks her lip up a bit at the jest, "Yeah, my eyes. I think what has been going on with them is partly linked to this relic that I have." An ancient looking scroll appears in her hand. "The Six Laws it's called." She unfurrows the scroll, "I mostly just ignored it before, as it seems to influence me regardless of the words, but I've also started to find myself agreeing a bit more with what's written. It's something else I am concerned about since I'm not sure if it is truly myself agreeing or if it is influencing me somehow." As she looks over it she gives a summarize version aloud, "Do not kill, do not let others die, do not be discovered, be sly, ignore their rules, don't lose." She then rolls up the scroll again. "Still, I've.. had a bit of a difficult time early on, I think as I accept being here this," she gestures at her eyes, "seems to be more persistent."

Seliana shifts her gaze up to the corner of the room, a frown growing on her features as she contemplates. Then her eyes narrow and she looks Proteus in the eyes, "This world is like an elaborate illusion. People are content prancing around with pleasantries, as this is all there is. But it's just data - as you say." And she smacks the nearby workbench with her small fist for emphasis. "You may know better even, it seems like wood is just a parameter that can be flipped at will, if you have the power. Like all of this," she lifts her arms to gesture as if encompassing the whole workshop, or perhaps the world.

Then she points to herself, then Proteus, "and what are we? Really? Such that are very minds can be manipulated so we forget ourselves, or even such that we can forget others - if maybe only temporarily for the latter." Her voice rises a little in pitch. "The world is messing with our minds! It's destroying me slowly!" and there is a growing glimmer in her eyes of a different kind, one of welling moisture.

And she lifts her sleeve to her eyes, covering them. Quietly she says, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be like this after so long. It just eats at me both figuratively and seeming literally." Then lowering her arm she says more quietly, "Those questions are important, and if our memories exist somewhere, then we can get them back." And even more quietly she says, "We have to get them back.."

"The Six Laws?" Proteus perks at that, and sneaks in closer to get a glance at the scroll while Seliana looks it over. "Which Laws are they? Are they the Laws of Alba?" She asks. "Do not kill, do not let others die..." She pauses. "Do not be discovered. Be sly. Ignore their rules." She frowns. "... /Interesting/." She hums at that. "Do you know who made that Relic?" She asks. "These Laws seems to be in contravention to the ones I'm more familiar with, I think."

The Imp, however, shakes her head. "I mean, you could say the same thing about the old world. But here... We have some freedom to try to define the ruleset we work within." She reaches out and runs a gloved hand along the workbench. "Again, the old world was doing the same. Pressing us into their molds. Turning you into something you aren't." She reaches over and gives Seliana a supportive squeeze on the shoulder. "We have to hold on. It's what's valuable to us... Though I distinctly remember you were in the business of trying to starve yourself to death when we first met." She says pointedly. "Have something to eat, relax, and remember what we're here for, and why."

She leans in a little bit, smiling. "Not everything is doom and gloom, and not everything needs to be solved immediately. Take your time, figure things out one step at a time, and remember to love yourself and the world around you. You're not going to accomplish anything if you go mad."

Seliana shakes her head, "I'm not sure who created it." She considers a moment, "I can't even remember how I acquired it in the first place." and she frowns at this, then gazes at relic consideringly. "There are times where it has seemed like I view things from a distance, and occasionally when I dream it is like I see what would happen if I continue with my intentions." Tapping the scroll with her finger as she holds it, "I think this may be worth investigating a little further."

Looking back to the imp, "I suppose you could say the same thing about the old world." She purses her lips. "Is it not all but information?" She pauses as she hums in thought, "I suppose even the sense of self could be considered like an illusion, something created by the cooperation of many independent cells in our brain creating an illusion that the system that was the body interacts with." And she frowns, "Laws there or laws here.." and she trails off into silence.

As her shoulder is squeezed she comes back to herself and looks at the imp, and a reminiscent smile spreads on her features, "If wasn't for you back then, I might have no trace of myself left by this point." And she reaches up to squeeze Proteus's hand. "Thank you again for that. I am.. mostly better about this kind of thing." And she glances away.

Then seeming to remember, "Oh, there is one thing that we've started to explore recently with the Cult of the Lost." A large folder filled with papers materializes in her hand from her inventory, and she waves it a little to show it off. "Records of who we are." Is this an attempt to change the topic?

She holds the folder fondly to herself, "The way I see things the really battle is with memories. Protecting what we have and gaining back what was stolen from us. But if we lose the memory of what we had, how do we even truly know what all has been lost?" She then pats the folder, "That's why we are trying to record more of who we are, a record of ourselves, a way to know what was lost." And she glances down, "And possibly a link to what is ours if they are stolen."

There is a hum from Proteus. "Odd, but that's relics for you." She sighs. "So many interesting things and almost all of them made by an equally interesting people. These Alv.." She shakes her head. "No idea what to do with it. Everything about them is confusing. Them and the other ancient beings."

The Imp glances over at Seliana. "There's nothing to particularly worry about in that respect. It's not that it makes it any less important, but it does mean that we have to be more pointed in how we go about dealing with it."

Proteus nods. "You were lost too, I guess. You just needed a helping hand of your own. Just make sure your own comrades aren't suffering from the same problems, right?" She lets Seliana move past the topic, however, and squints at the records. "Are you trying to journal your own memories in order to prevent them from being lost? That..." She pauses. "Yes, that's precisely it. How do we know how much we've even already lost...?" She hums. "Still, that's a noble goal. Keep working on it. I have some leads of my own I need to chase down when I can get everything together to do so. Have you ever heard of... Helba?"

"The Alv seem to come up repeatedly, but which other ancient beings do you mean? Like the Travelers?" Seliana raises an eyebrow in question. "But I do wonder if I may be able to gleam more from this scroll, I've kind of taken it for granted. I will see if a more detailed appraisal along with researching any other references to it may reveal anything further."

Smiling over at the imp, "Thank you for being such a wonderful support, Proteus." She glances around the workshop, "It feels like you've been there for each of us when we needed it most, even when there is so much chaos and distraction out there." She waves her hand over towards the doorway.

Continuing she says, "I do want to assist more. I've been so caught up in the cult research that I kind of lost my focus on what matters." Seliana takes a deep long breath and lets it out, relaxing a little more. "I'm glad to have the reminder, I really am." And she gives a small yet content smile.

With another pat of the folder it vanishes again into the safety of Seliana's inventory, and she nods, "Yes, that's exactly it. We don't know how much of who we are is the original." She frowns again, "Although I guess you could say people are always changing and evolving, but I want to make sure its on our own terms."

She raises and taps her lips in thought, "I do recall some people talking on chimlink about Helba, I'm trying to recall the details." She hums softly before shaking her head slightly, "I'm afraid I don't remember much, something about one of the bosses in the tower I think?" She sounds a bit hesitant. "This Helba is your lead?"

"Yes, like the Travellers." Proteus nods. "If there's anything you can find out, that will work fine." There is a shrug as she is complimented. "I'm just doing what I can to help." She says, looking away and fidgeting. "It's nothing special."

"Regardless..." She hums. "We're as much of ourselves as we think, I suppose. I know that sounds trite, but we don't have much to work with." Another shrug. "But I do want to investigate Helba. She is involved with a lot of important things, not the least of which was the Tower."

"I think it is a strange state in some ways, it is almost as if we might be able alter who we are if we have greater control of memories." Seliana closes her eyes and scrunches her face for a moment, "I suspect that is a dangerous line of thought. Remove what is unpleasant and we become something different, but at what cost?"

Seliana shakes her head, "It is probably not even worth considering much until we confirm and have the ability to regain the memories we once had." Then after a moments pause, "But also memories are like a kind of power, losing them weakens someone until they can die permanently. There has to be a way to gain them back, or create new ones of power, otherwise we are but ticking time bombs." She frowns, "I will investigate this further as well. I feel this is the line our lives hang on."

Nodding as Proteus discusses Helba she replies, "I will pay closer attention now that I know you are investigating. If I learn of anything further about Helba I will be sure to let you know."

"Oftentimes it's that which is unpleasant that defines us the most. The scars of memory are important ones." Proteus muses. "But I'm not really sure where to go from there. I much prefer to be who I am, but who do I want to be? I suppose that's something to keep in mind as well."

She hums, then. "You think we'll find a way to get them back? If we can, perhaps we'll find true immortality in this place. But keep looking. Let me know if you need help on it... Or if you run into anything on Helba. In the meantime... take care of yourself, okay? Don't forget Plant Duck is always here when you need it. And often when you don't."

"I think I've lost parts of myself, maybe which were important. I definitely want them back." Seliana looks down at her hands as she flexes them a little. "If there is a way, then I will find it." She looks up, determination in her expression.

"I will let you know what I find, and if there is any assistance I need." Seliana then reaches out and gives Proteus's hands a quick squeeze, "Thanks again Proteus, for being there to encourage me. Plant Duck is my family now, I will try not to lose myself in my search for else has been lost."

She then takes a step back, and lifts the hood of her cloak back over her head until it is not but two chaotic orbs of color that stare out. She then gives a final nod and slowly makes her way out the way she came.