Shedding a Scale

    It is early afternoon, which at this time of year means the shadows are long. Longer, perhaps, than angles of light ought to make them. It is, after all, the Shadow Festival. There are people in costumes that are frequently in view. Many in Eas wear portions of their costumes throughout the month. The only thing not worn are masks. Those are only for parties. With the Palace Land War still going on, there is reason to be cautious.

    Elly is outside, seeing to the work being done for a new shop in Eas. The first notable addition to the village in some time. That it happens to be a great chance to bring the reality of an artistic heart of Yamato a bit closer to reality is certainly a major reason for her interest.

    Currently the lot is being reviewed. Soon the work on the foundations must begin. Eventually Lauren will have a wonderful establishment here. The Baroness is obviously a busy woman. The news of her work on expanding the territory is on everyone's tongue. What this will mean for their sleepy village, how will they address the tax revenues that are expected of the Dukedom, and what changes will it make of the woman that has been the spiritual and political heart of their home are all hot topics.

Dosbox wanders into the area, having been pacing the whole of Eas nervously. He has had a lot on his mind lately, and Eas has always been a good place for him to get a chance to think. He had decided that he was going to ask the Baroness her advice on his problem, but... Now he needed to build up the courage to have an audience with her. She always seemed so big to the three-cheese-tall Rock Gnome, though that really has nothing to do with her height...

As luck would have it, he spots the woman in question observing the building of a shop. 'Perhaps it won't be as intimidating if it's not an official meeting...?' He asks himself as he quietly walks up to Wake, standing to her right and just a LITTLE back. He clears his throat meekly before speaking up, "Ah... Hi."

    Elly in Eas is less scary in general. She has used her etiquette to mold for herself a complex mixture of strength and gentleness. The Right Clothes have adapted as well. Perhaps they anticipated this moment. She is wearing a long, light gown, held tight about the waist with a leaf green belt. The sleeves are long and ornamental. Someone compared her to Galadriel once. It seems she is embracing that notion.

    Turning to face the small gnome, she smiles. The deep curtsey that had been her staple is set aside for a polite nod and half bow. Every motion demonstrates patience. Nothing is rushed. It provides an air of the casual and informal, which is exactly how she wishes it to seem.

    "Hello, Borywick! I am pleased to see you in my home." A pause follows, her eyes searching his curiously, then drifting away. She knows her gaze can be a bit much for most to handle. "I hope you are enjoying your stay. I have a feeling there is something on your mind. Would you like to walk with me? There is a place I go when I seek clarity. If we look for it there, we might find it together."

Dosbox flicks his fingers at each other as he nods nervously, "Oh! Ah, yes, that would be nice. I actually, wanted to -ah- ask your advice on something."

Dosbox follows Elly the Enchanting, somewhat in awe of her majesty, yet trying not to stare out of fear of being thought weird. "You seem like you're pretty knowledgable about these types of things - you know, Alliances and political structures and what not - and I really... don't know how I should -er- move forward, I suppose."

    Elly listens, but leads the way in silence. She is taking him out of the village and to a little pathway that heads up into the mountains. All told, it is perhaps a ten minute walk past the outskirts of the village. There is a bench on the path, which affords a pleasant view of the village and the forested areas to the north and west. Elly gestures to it and then sits there.

    The voices of crows, the songs of insects, the distant roar of the waterfall, and the nearly ever-present wind through the leaves are the musicians in this part of Eas. Elly is patient and breathes slowly, allowing herself to relax. Though, quite honestly, she has no sign of any tension at all.

    "So if I understand you correctly," she says at last, "You know what you wish to do, but you are not sure of the manner in which it should be done. Perhaps you might tell me what are you doing-and why-and we can work through that sticky matter of how."

Dosbox doesn't particularly notice his surroundings. He follows Wake and, when indicated, he hops up on the bench with a barely noticable earth bump to give him a little boost. Fun fact: DosBox has been using his astronomically high affinity with Earth unconsciously as sort of a mobility aid given his height. "Well... I have been doing a lot of thinking about... Alliances in particular. And initially, I was all about Scale Emblem Alliance. They were going to get everyone back home. I was there trying to help, too! I was doing my part! And I would be able to see my cat again. That's all that mattered..."

DosBox gives a sigh, "And I realize... I was being selfish. Selfish and stupid. For many reasons. I..." DosBox shakes his head. "I like it here. In ETO. I made friends for the first time. Real friends that care about me and treat me more than just a tag along. Here, I am living a life worth while where I am actually needed by people, you know?"

The Rock Gnome clears his throat, "Ah! I told you all that to tell you this. I... want to leave SEA. It's goal is the opposite of what mine is. I just don't fit anymore... But I don't know what I should do about it..."

    Elly listens, watching Dosbox's expression with interest. She sees much there that words could not tell her. It is enough, she thinks, to even take the great risk of giving advice. But before she should do so, she has questions.

    "If I understand you correctly, you do know what you mean to do. You mean to leave your current alliance. Who do you think you should tell about this? And if you are leaving one alliance, which of the others do you mean to join?" After all, going without any alliance is rather... outside the scope of sanity. Denied those resources, one can do little but live off in the wilds, hoping that no powerful bandits take notice.

Dosbox nods in agreement, "Well, yes, I want to leave SEA. I don't really know how one usually does that; it doesn't happen that often, you know?" He sighs, "I guess... Maybe I should just hop on Chim and broadcast a, "I quit! Later losers!" and then G-quit." He gives a half-hearted laugh at that, "Yeah, no. That wouldn't be good. Like... Do you know of anyone who has left an alliance before? Do you know how they did it?"

DosBox hesitantly addresses the second question, "Ah - About that. I have done some reading up on Alliances and what each of them means. And there is one Alliance that seems to match wht I am trying to do in the world. And I already have a lot of friends that are already in the Alliance, so I figured it would be a great fit." He kind of draws out actually saying the name of the Alliance, as if afraid of what she might say when he takes the proverbial cat out of the bag. "You know. Olympus. I thought maybe... You might be able to help me join."

    "I think a chim broadcast should suffice, yes. I do not know how formal the Scale Emblem Alliance is about this kind of thing, but I do believe you are the second person that I have spoken to about this kind of change. I seem to attract the interested parties! I am flattered, really. And pleased that would like to join Olympus."

    She directs her full attention to Borywick as she speaks. It is something she does that wanders the line of the impossible. To focus utterly on one person to the exclusion of all else. And to do so in a way that is friendly, warm, and somehow light.

    "When you are ready, and you have done what you feel is right in leave your current alliance, I will accept you into Olympus. We will be pleased to have you among us! Besides, you spend so much time with many of us as it is. You are most of the way there already."

Dosbox blushes enough to actually show up on his earthen skin. He gives a very small smile as he speaks, "Yeah. Ah, Scale isn't really what one would call... orderly. More often than not, their MO is, 'Show up and light things on fire until the problem is solved,' so I don't think decorum would be that necessary. I think. We will see how things go with that." He snickers, "Wouldn't it be funny if Doc told me I had to fill out paperwork in triplicate and submit a permanent leave of absence form or something?"

Dossy lets out a relieved sigh, "At first, I wasn't sure what you would say, when I said I wanted to join your alliance. Maybe you would be all like, 'We don't want no stinky, FETID Gnomes in our shindig!!!' I guess I was worrying over nothing. Heh."

    "Knowing how much doctors like paperwork, I think Prophylaxis is more likely to give you a pat on the back and thank you for your service. Assuming you get that far. He tends to be very focused on what he is focused on. I hope he is having fun, at least."

    She directs her gaze away from the blushing gnome. There are crows squabbling not too far away. With a suddenness that might shock Borywick, Elly hurls some shiny object (a coin?) off far to the right of the two birds. It is cunningly aimed and timed, ensuring that one sees it and the other does not. In a storm of feathers, the creature darts away from its current disagreement to collect this new, shinier object than what had caused the initial conflict.

    "That is a strange impression to have of me. I think the only thing I have indicated in the past is that I want you to be careful with Uta. And to not cause her stress with any romantic intentions. That remains as it was. But I hope I have not given any impression that I dislike any race in this land. Why, in my orphanages I spend much time with little ones of every racial stock. While there is some slight variance in tendencies and obviously physical shape, I have witnessed nothing that makes me think there are any socially or intellectually significant differences. Or, to put it simply, people are people. Some can breathe water, some have wings, some are short in stature, while others of us have to constantly fret over the height of doors. I like to say that for some, the doorknob is the problem, for others, the doorframe is. To whatever extent I can with the resources I currently possess, I make my best effort to ensure all people feel welcome and understood here."

Dosbox chuckles as Wake defends her honor, perhaps a bit too much in depth. Holding one hand out parallel to the ground, little gems of various colors start to sprout up, one by one. DosBox had done so before with the mere illusion of earth magic taking the form of gems; this time, however, DosBox had mastered what he had been trying to do then: these little stones would stick around. "I... Know that. I wasn't saying you would say that. Nor do I think you would use a double-negative OR even the word 'Shindig'. It would have been a drastic difference from what I know of you if you told me I couldn't join your alliance... But like... Anxiety is rarely a logical emotion. And... I have a lot of that, you know?" He gives a shrug, closing his hand to leave the number of gems at the ground at 'several dozen'.

    "Emotions are logical enough, by their own mechanisms."

    Borywick strays into dangerous territory, considering this is a woman with a Ph.D in psychology. Fortunately, lecture is over and class dismissed. But not without homework!

    "So, future member of Olympus, what are you going to do to shape this world? That is, after all, what we are known for. We take what was and make it here, only better. Well. Eventually better. We need to deal with the stench of burning coal if these steamships are ever going to be something I can be proud of."

Dosbox grins like a child about to show off a particularly cool lizard they found on the ground. He pulls out a leather box about a quarter his size (he's really small) and pops it open. Inside are roughly 100 felt-covered slots in the box, only a dozen or so of which are filled. Each filled slot has what looks like a tiny mirror, only instead of a reflective surface or a back, there is a clear, Enchanted Glass lens which seems to be refracting light. "This is my current passion project. Have you ever had your eyes checked? Well, this is a portable version of that machine that the doctor would go all... 'Which is better: 1 or 2?'"

    "Spectacles."

    Elly is curious. She looks over the work, but does not touch. She imagines getting finger oil off would not be the most fun thing Dos does today. It gives her ideas, though. It is perhaps not surprising where her mind goes first.

    "I wonder if I might be able to put together the resources for the orphans to get their eyes checked. I have these.. taxes to deal with that everyone speaks about, but I believe there is a way to do more for them. A mother must always put the welfare of her children before all things. And yet, the land is for them, as well. What kind of parent would not do all she can to provide for her little ones?"

    She returns to the moment with a soft laugh. "I apologize. Motherhood comes first for me. What a wonder you are creating! I will of course help as I can. I am pulled in many directions as of late, but I have still more energy to spare. It is just a matter of timing."

Dosbox nods enthusiastically, "EXACTLY! Right now, glasses are just for rich people who can afford to have them made. But something happened recently, relatively speaking. Haru invented something called Enchanted Glass. Revolutionized - and I mean REVOLUTIONIZED - the glass making process. Making glass is ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE cheaper than it was. It's quicker. It's cheaper. It's more durable. This stuf puts polycarbonate to SHAME, Wake."

Dossy keeps ranting, "That's where this comes in. Sure, the materials are cheap, but every pair of glasses has to be made by a master artisan and it takes a LONG TIME to even just figure out what your prescription is. THIS will change all that. Each of these little lenses represents a different lens power. Right now, if someone doesn't have an astigmatism, I could get their good ol RX in like... 5 minutes, if that."

    Elly raises a hand, tapping on her chin, then rubbing her forefinger on her thumb. She is thinking of something, clearly. It is not terribly hard to predict what is foremost on her mind.

    "How much will it cost to get all my people checked for glasses? I mean of course those that truly need glasses. We can do standard field testing to see who might need further assistance. Can you make us a proper eye chart to use? And train Landers to use it?"

    Her hand is lowered, then. The thought has been formed and put forth. She can resume her study of the crows. A few of them are very interested in the bench. Dosbox's gems have caught their attention. The creatures do like shiny things.

Dosbox snaps the box closed in excitement, "That's the THING! This switches the process from requiring an expansively-learned master artisan taking a great deal of time and using expensive materials to requiring a specialized medical practicioner about 15 minutes of time and using inexpensive materials. Basically EVERYONE who needs glasses can afford them using this method!"

Dosbox strokes his chin thoughtfully, "The only problem is manpower. We would want to have as many doctors that can have this specialization in eyes as possible... And until they have that accreditation, it might be slow, but... The testing itself isn't hard, but..."

Dossy gets a twinkle in his eyes, "I mean, we would still want an eye doctor to look over the results, but we could knock it down to 5 minutes for the doctor if we have an apprentice do the actual testing. And they could learn from the Doctor as they go along, thus quickly eliminating the staffing issue!"

    "I have no shortage of Lander children who could possibly learn this practice," suggests Elly. "And it could be added to their studies. Pediatricians can give basic field exams and with that screening, the focus could be on those with the most serious need of glasses."

    The priestess lets her mind wander for a time. She enjoys watching the crows. There are so many in the area now. The new sacred animals of Eas are swiftly integrating into the culture of the land.

    "Can you enchant the glasses to do more than see normally? Could they provide vision in the dark when powered by wave artes? Or perhaps see through walls? It would be so helpful for our miners if we could truly know which way to dig. And where gas pockets are."

Dosbox nods slowly, "I mean, that isn't really in the scope of my current project, but I don't see why not. It might be a good idea to ask Haru about his opinion on the matter..." Dosbox patches in a Group Chim to Haru, and they take the conversation to that medium. The conversation goes on for a while, and the two go their separate ways eventually, even while the conversation continues. It seems that DosBox would seamlessly slide right into the Olympus Alliance...