Wave 7 follow-up

Sprites has some concerns and questions, and hopes Proteus might be of some help.

SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

Though it is not yet winter, Autumn's days are clearly numbered. Summer's heat is a distant memory, and while the days still have some pleasant warmth, the nights are positively chilly and leave the grass feathery with frost. The sun is already low in the heavens when a figure appears at the far end of the mansion's garden, and approaches at a brisk pace.

It's Robert. Unlike their last meeting, he's made an effort to look presentable for this one. Which is to say that he's not caked in mud and dust. It does not mean that he's in any way formally dressed. His clothes, as ever, are practical. He has warded himself well against the imminent cold with a thick, tan trench-coat, and while his felt hat is not new, it only reaches the level of comfortably worn-in, rather than worn-out. He strides through the grounds, making his way to the mansion's front porch with a pleasant little hop in his step, and gives the door three firm whacks with his gloved fist. His other hand holds a shopping bag of some sort.
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

The Plant Hwyaden HQ is always in some stage of repair or renovation. This is no exception, really. There are signs of damage from... something... that occurred recently, the types are strangely varied, like there was some kind of knock-down, drag-out battle right here. But the door opens, and Proteus is standing there, hood shadowing her face as always as she affects the 'ominously mysterious' pose as usual. "Robert." She greets. "Come on in." She steps out of the way and gestures, leading him into a parlor and closing the door behind. The sitting room has seen better days, the mansion not quite shorn of its age judging from the walls and surroundings, but the teaset laid out with some biscuits and sweets are real and clean enough. Proteus offers a seat to her guest, hospitable as she sits down herself. "I really wish we had a proper maid." She mutters to herself as she sits. "So, to what do I owe the honor of your next visit? Scale Emblem hasn't continued destroying the world yet." The comment is said lightly, but a glimpse of her eyes under that hood show that her opinion is deadly serious.
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"Ma'am," Robert responds brightly, if politely, flashing Proteus a quick grin. She may opt for mystery. He can appreciate that. But he personally opts for something more down-to-earth. "Why thank you, that's very kind of you." He lifts his bag, rattling it meaningfully, but tellingly not vigorously. "Can you imagine," he begins. "There I was, just outside our headquarters. I found a messenger boy, gave him some coins. I asked him to send you a letter. Would you believe it? He just runs across the street. I've been ten types of blind, and didn't realize we're practically neighbors. So, I grab my coat, figuring to visit you. And right there, on the street corner, what do I find? A young lady selling hot chocolate, with real steamed milk. It's perfect weather for hot chocolate, don't you think?" So saying, he reaches into his bag as he trails after her, retrieving what appears to be a magically sealed mug that would otherwise be steaming happily. "Grabbed one for myself. Picked one up for you too. I hope you like hot chocolate. Your house is fantastic, gorgeous, like a picture out of a novel, but if I may be so bold it looks a little cold."
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"Alne is a no-man's land. It's well suited for Adventurers... And the proximity to the Tower allows us to keep a close eye on the comings and goings of Scale Emblem. Did you think it was a coincidence that I take such a keen interest in what's going on over there, Robert?" She shrugs, smiling with her sharklike teeth.

Robert does, however, one-up the tea with a mug of hot chocolate. With milk. Proteus blinks, her poise disrupted for a moment at the gift. "... Well... Thank you." She says, accepting it and taking it, popping open the seal and blowing on it a few times.

The mention of it being cold brings a shrug. "Having Tri-Edge cut holes in your walls does that. Also, Whiskey blowing a hole in the building with an Empyreal Arrow." There is a sigh. "We're still working on fixing it. Also, there's no need to flatter me, I'm not so foolish as to ignore that the place still shows its age." She gestures, her voice a mix of resigned and tired. "... So what can I actually do for you?" She prompts again.
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"It's not flattery," Robert clarifies as he takes a seat, clasping his own mug between his hands. Proteus is poised. Him, not so much. He makes full use of his seat, leaning back in it and studying the ceiling. "I meant it. I never could stand those modern buildings, all steel and glass and sharp angles. Or houses that are kept so immaculate it's as though the soul had been polished right out of 'em. No, ma'am, I like this house just fine. It's got character. And it's seen things." Trailing off, he returns his gaze to Proteus. He lifts his mug, in a silent toast, then sips from it. "You were so devoted to this world I thought I'd try enjoying a bit of it. So far, I don't regret it. Much."

A ghost of a smile plays along his lips, fading first into a dull warmth, then into seriousness. "And one other thing you were right about. Containment doesn't look like a viable strategy for the waves. Speaking of waves, there's a couple things about the last one that I find confusing. I was hoping you might be able to help with that."
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"Apparently, it's seen a lot of things." Proteus sighs. "I really owe it to them to get it fixed as soon as possible." She murmurs to herself, shaking her head before she raises her own mug and takes a sip of her own, settling back and enjoying the taste of the rich hot milk chocolate. "You had to see it first hand to understand. I've been doing my best to hold back the Waves ever since they began. It's been... difficult."

The Imp sighs again, frowning at nothing in particular, it seems, as she loses herself in thought again. It takes Robert speaking up and asking another question to get her to pay attention. "Ah? Oh, yes. Fine, go ahead. I'll answer whatever I can for you. I suppose I owe you that much, hmm?"
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero studies Proteus over the rim of his mug, his expression complex. Sympathetic without being condescending, inquisitive without being piercing. Not that he'd dare probe her thoughts. Not yet, at any rate. And so he, too, settles for savoring the taste of his drink in amicable silence before, at length, he continues. His lips twist, wryly. "You owe me nothing. I did my job. You did yours. And that's all there is to it." He switches gears.

"So, clearing the tower invariably appears to result in an attack wave," he begins. "The attack wave is predicted, both in time and place, by the local churches, and is directly prefaced by the opining of a portal. Presumably between worlds. Each wave has been substantially different from the previous one, suggesting a linkage to different worlds. This last wave consisted of three individuals, each of whom appeared to have vastly different motives." He inhales, sharply, as though to brace for the crux of the issue.

"Bondrewd," he states, one hand gesturing as though to indicate 'and so on, and on, and on'. "Lord of Dawn. Crafter of Relics. Whichever titles he may have, stated that he'd found items of interest in this world and -would- -be- -back-. How's that supposed to work?"
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

There's an arch of a brow at the response. "Suit yourself." Proteus replies. She then nods along with his summart of what's going on. "Yes. Yes. Correct. Yes." She replies at each point.

The question, of course, was focused on the most potent of the enemies they were facing. "The Lord of Dawn. Bondrewd." She repeats... And she sighs. "I actually have no idea, frankly. Uta and I are doing some research to try to figure that out. I wish I had more relevant information to give you on that but I don't."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero mms, closing his eyes and clutching his mug more tightly in his hands. It does make for an excellent hand-warmer. "But we can at least agree, I think, on two things," he proposes. "First. Bondrewd used to be here, on this world, and then he left. Suggesting that there's at least one way off this world. And second, assuming he's telling the truth, he has a way of getting back here that may not depend on waves or towers at all. Would you agree?"
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"Well, yes. Of course it's possible to leave this world." A pause. "I've done it." Proteus takes another drink of her cocoa, as if the admission was nothing special. "Also, most of the exceptional threats we're dealing with have been imported in one way or another. Dungeon Hearts appear to be designed to be used by monsters to enact World Transfer. Apparently our server is where all the lowbies hang out." Another frustrated sigh.

"If Bondrewd is as well-versed in relics as he seems to be, he can absolutely get here without a Wave. He mentioned the Alv stole his technology. Given the Alv are also responsible for the Chaos Gates, well..." She gestures with the mug. "You can do the math. The question at this point is: What do we do about it?"
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero is surprised, and doesn't bother to hide it. His eyebrows slide way-upwards, nearly forming McDonald's twin-arches above the rim of his mug. "Well," he allows at length, with a half-cynical, half-amused grin as his eyebrows return to something approximating normalcy. "I suppose that's a pretty good indicator of our place in things." He drinks, probably more to settle his own nerves than anything else.

"And dungeon hearts are what each of the three used to escape?" he queries. "I know we're not monsters, but could we use them to transfer worlds? How did you leave this world, and return? Can we determine which world we can get to?"
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"No. Two of them used mirror devices to escape. I believe Kyo had developed them." Proteus replies. "Bondrewd used the Dungeon Heart piece, which leads me to believe they might be behind the creation of those Hearts as well. As far as using them to transfer between worlds..." Proteus purses her lips. "Be careful about that. I have it on good authority that it's not something to do lightly. I learned that... the hard way." She frowns, and takes a more significant drink of that mug. The heat isn't enough to stifle a shudder that likely has nothing to do with the cold.

After a moment, she speaks again. "I don't know any of the details. I'm working on figuring that out. You're, ironically enough, getting right to the point, which means you're operating on the bleeding edge of our knowledge as Adventurers... And already going farther than most in Scale ever will in terms of trying to understand this world."
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"I left this world by finding a piece of the mirror device left behind by one of the invaders, named Glass. I returned by..." A pause. "Being cut in half. By L'Arc Berg Sickle, the Scythe Hero." She looks up, her eyes full of anger at the mention of that name... And a hint of fear. "Be careful about death, especially in other worlds, Robert. There are prices to pay for our resurrection."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"Flattery, ma'am, will get you everywhere," Robert comments, gaze twinkling roguishly. Her anger, or anguish, or fear, or whatever it may be cuts his amusement short, snuffing it out abruptly. He studies her for a moment, then leans forward, reaching out to give her hand a comforting little squeeze, if so permitted. "I do not take death lightly in any world," he observes, "but what do you mean? It's a curious thing, though. Of the three, the Scythe was the oddest. I daresay he was the only one who seemed to be taking anything truly seriously. The others acted as though they were on a picnic. With, admittedly, much mayhem thrown in."
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

Proteus has no witty response to the roguish comment. She's a little too wrapped up in her own issues at the moment to do that, which to Robert's credit her recognizes instantly. She doesn't object to him trying to comfort her, which is probably as good as anything at this point.

"The Scythe... is a true believer. He was taking it all seriously. He really believes we are existential threats to his world. Kyo is too lazy. I don't know why he even was given the power. He claimed he bound himself to the Goddess and received his power in return... And Bondrewd had his own motivations. Those were clear enough to see. L'Arc was the only one who had his mind on the mission."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

And yet it's...such a very little comfort indeed. Pale, thin. Just the gentlest touch of his hand against her own, a sympathetic forward lean of his torso. He does not press the issue of death...but knowing him, he'll be hounding anyone else who might have insights soon enough. He allows a silence to linger, but only for a few moments as he mulls over her words. "And the Scythe went straight for the boats. Well, you first. But the boats soon enough. And not, I think, all the boats? What was special about his target?"
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"If I knew that, I might have some idea of what targets the Waves prioritize. We only have a couple points of data, but lately, most of them seem to be targeting improvements made to the World. The farming efforts in Ninetails, and now the steamships of Fourland..." Proteus shakes her head. "There is, however, someone who might be able to answer that, though she is... a problem. The Tool Hero is still loose in the World. Find her and maybe we can interrogate her."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero releases her hand, possibly to avoid seeming a little creepy. Possibly just because she seems to have recovered. He leans back in his chair once more, tugging down on his shirt to straighten it. "Not the waves specifically," Robert clarifies. "But L'Arc. You said he's a true believer, yes? Completely convinced that we will destroy his world? He could have aimed for granaries. He could have done what Kyo did, and gone for mayhem in populated areas. But he went for the steamships. You were in his world. Can you think of a reason why steamships might be important in an invasion of his world? And as for the Tool Hero, I don't suppose you've got a portrait? Or a description?"
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

Proteus taps the table for a moment, warming back up as she gets back into business mode and leaves behind other, darker thoughts. "... No. The world I saw was fairly medieval. It's not like they could take the ship back with them however. They likely wanted to destroy it because it was an advancement that we had created that would make things harder on him. But they know about the problem. They need to kill /all/ of us. And that means somehow destroying this World. They have to kill all of our Heroes at once... And yes, they consider Adventurers Heroes as well. So either they wanted to put us back or accessing that ship would have given them some tool to begin mass destruction."

There is a pause. "I hope you understand what this means. They literally want to destroy the world. I was not kidding when I said that this is what Scale is enabling, and why my patience is running out with their... attempted apologia for doing so."

She pauses, and shakes her head. "No portrait. She is a young woman with a fishing pole. She answers to 'Tool Hero' and Kizuna Kazayama."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero, eerily, has paper inside his trenchcoat pocket. He also has a pen. Conceivably this is a bit odd, but he makes it all look very natural. He scribbles down the name, tucks it away. "I never disbelieved your authenticity," he opines, after a moment's worth of observation. "I may disagree with your assessment from time to time, but I do not doubt that you are truly earnest and forthright." Beat. "For now, at least. I suppose a time may come when it is necessary for you to become deceptive. Anything else to know about this Kizuna Kazayama? Any reason she hasn't been committing mass murder that you know about? " He steeples his fingers, sighs, and leans back in his chair. "As for Scale, I don't think you'll be hearing any more apologies from them. To the best of my knowledge, the full impact, both direct and indirect, of their actions has sunk in. Which isn't to say that they'll be suddenly stopping. I doubt they will be. The urge to return home is too strong. There will likely be efforts to control the damage, or where the portals open." He closes his eyes, then, pensive. "Do you want to hear my best crack at a counter-argument? You do seem to have had a rather long day."
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"At least someone does." Proteus mutters, but moves on from there. "I would really hate to have to become someone who would lie to get what they want. Some people seems to want that, however." She shrugs at that.

"As for the Tool Hero... She has litle power. Her fishing pole allows her to control whatever monster is hooked to it. So she's trolling around looking for powerful monsters to release and recruit. One of them she released was an extremely high-level vampire..." She trails off. "If you see her, just stay out of her way. The vampire, I mean."

There is a moment where her hand clenches when Sprite mentions efforts to control the damage, and Proteus replies with compressed anger, her eyes flashing. "This is /exactly the problem/ though. This is what I mean by apologia! Maybe instead of punching the world in the face over and over, find another way to do it instead of saying 'I'll help you wipe up the blood afterwards and maybe straighten your nose out'?"

She breathes for a moment, and relaxes. "... It might be different for me because there's nothing in that world I want to return to. Maybe. I don't know. But at the same time, this world is one we can have control over. One we can make into something better. Something full of wonder and potential, where we can actually become what we could always have been instead of being molded into whatever someone else decided you need to be." The Imp looks over to Robert then. "If you have a counter-argument, feel free. I have to be able to defend my position, after all."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero eyes Proteus in silence, pensive, head canted to the side. "Alright," he responds at length, evidently having come to his conclusion. "I have every expectation that you will do everything in your power to blow the largest possible hole in my argument. I am, in point of fact, counting on it. I also hope that you will do everything you can to address the spirit of my argument, rather than whatever faults I may make in its presentation. I am, at best, an imperfect mouthpiece."

He pauses. Considers. Formulates. Leans forward. "We know that there are prophecies that worlds will destroy each other. We know that there are ways to transport people between worlds. And yet, we know that each time a floor is cleared, there is a wave. We know that it appears the wave output location can be targeted. We suspect that it has been targeted at least once, implying either that there are agents in this world reporting back, or that considerable information about us can be divined, or both. Regardless, this suggests advance preparation in at least some cases. We know that the composition and difficulty of the waves is highly variable. We know that, amongst the worlds, we are the newbies, suggesting that any real concerted effort would easily wipe us out."

"Conclusion: The waves are always there, always forming, always advancing in preparation to strike. They will come, regardless of what we do. Clearing floors does not create waves. It prematurely opens portals that the more...rambunctious individuals and groups take advantage of. By opening portalss, we divide those bent on our destruction into bite-sized pieces. We learn about them. We learn from them. And sure, they can learn from us too. But then, we are the newbies, so information transfer is largely one-way."
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

Proteus pauses, listening to the assertions brought forward by Robert. The mug is set down on the table and her fingers steeple as she taps them together seemingly randomly. Each fact is brought forth, analyzed, considered silently as she gives Robert her full attention.

Finally, she begins speaking. "Counterpoint: We have seven points of data that indicate otherwise. Every time a floor is cleared, there is a wave, without fail. We have not attempted at any point to cease clearing floors to see if a Wave will not form, and a Wave has never formed without the clearing of a Floor. We do not know enough about the basic physics of World Transfer in order to determine how controlled the entrance point is to a world, what the forces behind it are, or other things. It /is/ clear that there are limits to what they can bring to bear, whether from a lack of resources, unity, or an arbitrary 'weight limit' that the Wave will accept else they would have simply overwhelmed us when they began taking direct steps. I can't discount your argument completely but at the same time there is more evidence against it than for it at this time."

There is a pause, and Proteus tilts her head back and forth, pondering, before she hums. "But you are getting at something else I have been considering on a more metagame level. What do you believe the purpose of the Black Wave was?"
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero leans back, eyes closed, brow heavily furrowed as Proteus speaks. It's....not a little creepy, but the skin of his eyelids can be observed to flicker, indicating rapid, sustained movement of the eyeballs beneath. At last he reopens his eyes. "Clearing leading to a wave is still consistent with clearing causing premature portal opening, rather than being the sole determinant though." he observes.

"So it seems to me," he proposes, "that there are two avenues of investigation that are critical. First: We need to determine whether a portal can be opened in the absence of a floor clear. Possible solution: Interrogate individuals from other worlds to see what their wave history has been. Second: we need to determine how and why limits are put in place on portals, if at all. Possible solution: We need eyes on the other side of the portals before they form." Her question about the Black Wave simply leaves him puzzled, though. "Black Wave?" he queries. "I think I may be having a senior moment."
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"Correct, but we have no evidence that /not/ clearing the floor will also result in a wave." Proteus replies. "When the evidence is entirely one way, what can one say? Unforuntately, good luck in convincing Scale Emblem of that, they are generally full of zealots." She frowns again.

She does, however, nod. "There is only one person we can have access to in that respect. The Tool Hero, if she can be captured, can be interrogated, possibly subverted. She seems to have a major issue with being considered 'useless' in her world. If we play on that we might be able to convert her to our cause instead. The second point will require us to develop the basic ability to enact World Transfer at all first. But once we can do that, then we can look into creating some method of looking into other worlds."

Then there's the mention of the Black Wave. "The phenomenon that delevled us all and trapped us here. Some call it the Apocalypse, I believe, though I feel that's... overstated."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero exhales in relief. "Ah, the Apocalypse. Thank heavens. For a moment, I thought senility might be a thing here too. That'd be an unpleasant surprise." He reconsiders the question, fingers tapping rhythmically against each other. "Is the Black Wave what the Landers call it? I suppose I can understand that. Suddenly having your population increased by a third, when that third is immortal and knows nothing about your culture or habits? Recipe for disaster, really."

Still more silence. "Not fair expecting me to come up with the meaning of life in a minute, Proteus," he chides her gently, but with good humor. "I can guess. I can give you ten guesses, each at increasing levels of conspiracy...uh...analysis. But what are you thinking?"
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

Proteus shrugs. "It's what it looked like. I call a spade a spade. Considering I was there... At ground zero. But you're right in that it was a recipe for disaster." A pause. "But in disaster there is also opportunity."

But the Imp spreads her hands and gestures. "Setting aside that we were trapped inside the World. Consider that we lost all of our levels and skills. We were forced to begin all over again. But why? And then consider that our progression has been much, much slower than it was before. Why? Things work differently, the world is designed to be much more challenging... But that challenge seems to come in slowly increasing steps. Who is behind it? Could it be that we're being cultivated for something?"
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero climbs to his feet, then, hands shoved in his pockets. He paces once, then back again. "I hope you don't mind," he offers, though he doesn't particularly wait for an answer as he takes the liberty of pouring out two cups of tea, one of which is presented to Proteus. "Biscuits?" Yes. He's totally offering her own food to her. But perhaps he can be forgiven, for he's clearly rather distracted by the matter at hand.

"Weelll," he hedges at last. "I mean, it certainly makes sense that we might be getting cultivated. Or trained, weeded out, culled, or however you want to put it. As you say, there's sufficient evidence to support that hypothesis. But the issue is the evidence doesn't rule out other issues. For example: Let's suppose that...whatever the overarching AI here is...had a simple directive. Make a game that is enjoyable and meaningful to players. How do you make a game enjoyable and meaningful? What happens if you decide your initial architecture is insufficient for this task?"
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

Proteus accepts the tea and biscuit, idly moving to enjoy that instead of empty cocoa mug. She doesn't say anything but that, but she simply replies, "Who, precisely, would be stupid enough to entrust your flagship MMO product to an AI with full administrative and infrastructure access to the point that it could co-opt the system and force people to remain logged in?"

She sighs, then. "But we're making a lot of assumptions here. Taking your assumptions as correct, yes, we'd be dealing with a rather direct and inefficient setup to maintain player engagement. with no concern with context for the greater blowback for doing so. But I think we're dealing with something a little smarter than that..." She grimaces. "... But in order to figure that out... I'll have to start breaking out of my assigned role."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"I would," Robert opines. "Well, obviously not the forced log-in bit. That's a bit excessive. But everything else? I mean, consider the alternative. User-specific coding of what things taste, sound, and look like. Does sourness taste the same to me as it does to you?" He allows his shoulders to rise and fall, helplessly, as he retakes his seat, folding one leg over the other in a high cross. He sips from his tea. "It's a complex problem. In my opinion, the problem is too complex for any one person. Probably, in my opinion, too complex for even a group of the most brilliant individuals we have. So if it were me...and this is with the disclaimer that I'm not in game development whatsoever, I'd favor an adaptable AI suitably constrained. And I find errors in setting constraints to be far more likely than, say, sudden elevations in game quality to life-like levels, coupled with resets." Pause. "Assuming it was a reset and not a transfer." Another pause. "Rabbit holes indeed." He laughs, then, a wry, warm chuckle, and shakes his head.

"You spark my interest, Proteus," he announces. "What -is- your assigned role? And how would you break out of it?"
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

Proteus simply shakes her head at that point and shrugs ruefully. "I wish I had more to contribute on this but... honestly, at this point it is mostly navel gazing. But I need to get back into Ezzo if I'm going to find out more. I need to look at the source in order to examine... What we're doing here and why."

She goes quiet for a moment. "As for my assigned role?" She gestures again. "We're here to be Adventurers, aren't we? We're given quests. Duties to keep us occupied. Monsters to slay. But for what? What is the meaning of all of it? I see the box. I see the lines we're to be kept inside. And I want to rotate my perspective to be able to see into it from outside. I can't achieve my goals from inside. As to how I break out..."

Proteus chuckles. "I'm getting closer to an answer. Things are ocurring that are requiring intervention from... outside the box. There are entities out there. I haven't identified them but I have seen their actions. Soon, I might have an answer."

Finally, Proteus sets down the tea and bisguits and holds up a hand. She reaches up and tugs on the black glove covering it, pulling it off.

The hand... Isn't a normal hand at all. It looks like it's carved out of some gray-black material, the jointwork clear, like some kind of doll or marionette. Running all through it and up her arms are gleaming lines of silver interspersed with circles like a circuitboard. "This is the mark of my experimentation. I touched something. Or it touched me. And in response... Tri-Edge came for me. Tried to erase me. I am reaching the outer edges of my role. If I keep pushing, there will be a response."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero squints dubiously up at Proteus, hazarding a grin. "I'd tell you to stay brave," he comments, "but I'm not sure how much that means, coming from me when I'm forty miles down the road, in safety." He uncrosses his legs, yanking his chair closer with a most inelegant thump thump thump of chair-legs against the floor. He really should ask for permission. But he doesn't. He simply reaches out for her modified hand; if his actions are allowed, he'll poke at her hand in various places, as though to study the feel of the material. "Do things still feel normal? Can you get textures? Heat?" he queries, before glancing up to study her once more. "You're afraid." It's not an accusation. It's said flatly, his gaze searching her own, probing.
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

Proteus doesn't stop him. The hand feels... inorganic. Made out of some kind of indeterminate solid material, not plastic, not rock, not metal. Just... something. There's no yield to it... And no heat. It's like some kind of... living prosthetic. He can feel the faint movements and twitches beneath his touch, as if it was alive, but not.

"Yes." She answers the first questions... And then she looks back at Robert as he makes his assertion. There is a... relaxing of her face, a peek under the mask. Her expression is one of fear. Fear... mingled with hope and defiance.

Her response is simple. "Wouldn't you be?"
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

Fascinating. Utterly fascinating. The analyst in him wants to keep the hand and figure out what makes it tick. The rest...remembers it's actually attached to a person and should be treated as such.

"Me? I'd be completely f*cking petrified," is Robert's answer, coupled with a self-deprecating smile. He takes her hand between his own, then, pressuring it gently between his own as though to offer some reassurance--though really there can't be much. Maybe the gesture will feel right. Maybe not. "Do you want me to try to talk you out of it?"
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

The hand closes slowly around Robert's. He can feel the way the fingers flex in the jointwork. It's like being gripped by a doll... But stronger.

"No." Proteus replies. "If I'm going to gain the ability to shape and protect this world... I have to be willing to put everything on the line for it. As you can see, I have already begun giving up pieces of myself for this."

She goes quiet for a moment, and then asks, "... Does this help you understand?"
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero smooths the surface of her hand with a sweep of his thumb, and gives it a little pat. "Then I won't try to dissuade you, or interfere," he allows. Conceivably there's just a bit of fear in his own expression, for all that he tries to keep it controlled. And possibly a smidgen of pride too, stirring beneath the surface.

"I -will- advise you to remember," he continues at length, "that there is a difference between calculated sacrifice and unnecessary martyrdom. Going out in a flame of self-sacrificing glory is...compelling. Very much so, on a personal level. I expect you're going somewhere the rest of us cannot realistically follow. Literally. Metaphorically. Not much I can do there. But I'll keep a pot of tea on, if ever it feels like it might be a bit too much to handle on your own. You're welcome to visit."

"As for understanding...no. Not more than before, at any rate. But that is because the lack of understanding primarily arises from why you would abandon the real world. Some day, I may ask. And some day, you may feel comfortable enough to tell me."
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

"I am quite familiar. I have no desire to become a martyr. But there's no power without sacrifice. That's how it works, right? Whether time, effort, or other valuable things..." She looks down at that hand, muttering for a moment before she looks back to him. "I don't need you to follow me. I need you to understand me. Maybe help me, sometimes. No one is an island, Robert, as much as I wish it otherwise."

She pulls her hand out of his grip and then begins tugging the glove back on, hiding the most visible part of the changes to her arms once again. "I asked the question but it seems you didn't catch what I was asking." There's a little smirk at that. "But then, that's what happens when one isn't being clear, isn't it? I am, however, glad that you care enough to want to hear my story." She looks away. "... But it's not one I can tell. Not yet. But until then... Think about what is happening. What I am doing, and why. And then think about what it means that there is a group that wants to render it all meaningless."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero leans back in his chair, interlacing his fingers in his lap. "No power without sacrifice, but not all sacrifice is rewarded either," he murmurs. One eyebrow slides upwards, if barely. "No. I wouldn't blame you for a lack of clarity. I'm...prone, I suppose, to misunderstanding everything. I promise it isn't willful. I apologize, and will answer your question honestly if you're willing to re-state it."

"As for your history, I won't push it. I'm not very good at many things, but I do know demons when I see 'em." His hands lift, almost in mock-surrender. "But like I said. I can promise you that I do understand what it means to have someone whose purpose in life by necessity results in the complete erasure of yours. Haven't you noticed I've never made excuses for Scale, to you at least, ever since the initial part of our first meeting?"
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

He knows demons when he sees them. Proteus emits a short "Heh." at that. "Is that supposed to be an Imp joke?" She replies, smiling at him. "But yes, you understand. You stopped making excuses for them. But the problem is, I'm here on the outside. I can't convince each one of them in turn. If there's going to be a change, it also needs to come from the inside." She gestures to Robert. "Maybe you, who are on the inside, can help people understand the cost of what they're trying to do. I know it won't stop them all. Many of them are zealots who just want to go back to that... place. But maybe it'll stop enough."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero sighs, slaps a hand to his forehead. "I know you probably think I'm over-the-hill, young lady, but I do -not- do dad jokes," he quips. He's lying. He's not a particularly good liar either, and there's a bit of shiftyness in his gaze that could hint at all the times he's been called out for bad puns.

He holds up his hand, then, palm out, as though to halt her. "Already on it, Proteus," he explains. "I worked that into my after-action report, and intend to continue to do so in the future. It's a much needed perspective. Ignorance only makes people feel more secure and confident. It doesn't actually enhance security or understanding."
Proteus
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

Proteus snorts. "Really." She says. She certainly doesn't believe him. She leans back and slumps in the chair, a measure of exhaustion evident in her demeanor. "If you are doing all that, well.. I feel you're going to be needing the support more than I soon enough. Let me know if you ever need someplace to hide out. Plant Duck remembers those who help them. And so do I."
SpritesHero
Alne - Plant Hwyaden HQ

SpritesHero does not dignify her snort with a response. He clears his throat. Straightens his shirt. "I can deal with a few extremists," he reassures her, as he rises to his feet. "The rest are eager for information. Some are eager for information even when it runs counter to what they hope to see. But look at me yammering on. You look exhausted. Lovely, but exhausted. I should be on my way." He retrieves his hat, lifts it to her in farewell, then perches it back atop his head.