A Doctor's Visit

Someone did not employ apples with daily frequency.

Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    Merek of course would take a little bit of time to wash up and look for a nice meal. He brings a small plate of what looks like meat and noodles. The man takes a drink from the tea with him, while he waits along for Uta to come by. He is wearing a night attire, from the shirt to the pants.
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

The howl of the wind resonates for the brief span of time during which the door to the library is opened and closed to allow Uta to enter. She closes the door as quietly as she can on her way in, and lets out a shudder. "It's freezing out there." She temporarily places her medical bag on the ground, removes her coat, and places it on a nearby hook, picks her medical bag up again, and walks towards Merek. "Oh, hey! There you are. Bon apetit."
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    Merek looks up to see Uta, and will nod a bit to the woman, "Thank you. It is good to see you Uta," he will offer. The man takes a bite of the meat while he chews on it, then he's picking up his tea to take a sip. The man pours another cup for that visitor while he takes the time to offer it. There's steam, which means that it is the perfect winter drink.
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

"It's good to see you as well, Merek." Uta says, as she sets her bag on the table. She sits down, and smiles at the offered cup. "Oh, thank you, that is very nice of you." She picks the cup up and takes a sip. "Sorry for interrupting your lunch."
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    "Ah, that's alright. I was waiting for you, I knew you might like to eat and drink," Merek then places a bit of food upon the woman's plate, while he will take a drink of that tea, "There won't be a Wave. You probably know that from that AAR. I'm not able to use that Power Path so I wasn't able to assist any at all." Except, "Well. I did take a data drain meant for Amalthea." Well, that makes sense.
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

"Oh... Oh, thank you," Uta says, as she extracts a couple of chopsticks from her medical bag. Wait, are those medical tools, or... is she just always ready for sudden food?

"I... Well, there was no mention of a Wave specifically, but if what they say is true, that Waves are triggered by defeating a boss, then- well, I suppose one can deduce it. No victory, no Wave."

After the mandatory "Itadakimasu," she picks up a morsel from her plate (using her chopsticks, of course), and takes it to her mouth. She chews while looking away, absently. "...Data Drain... I know so little about it, not to say nothing. Yet, it... it doesn't sound good." She frowns at Merek with worry. "What was it like?"
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    Merek looks to the noodles while he will take a bite from that. "I... Don't know, it was like being in a white void away from the world. What was there, I can't remember. It was like we were there for a while, on our own, I don't remember any of the others being with me. That said, I don't remember a lot anyway. Why we were even there. I know that it was like... Anyway, I don't know." With that, he will nod along and looks to Uta, "That's the power that I am seeking. And I worry what it means to take a power like that as well."
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

Uta listens with concern at the description of the experience. "Sounds... nasty. It's, uh, also got an interesting name. /Data/ drain? Hm."

She goes silent in thought for a few seconds, then shakes her head. "I probably know less than you do -- but I understand that acquiring that power is necessary, and someone will have to do it."

"I'm not sure I could wield that power myself. I wish you good luck in your research though."

Chin placed on her palm, she stares in the distance. "I wonder how many powers there are we don't quite know about..." She shakes her head, and digs her chopsticks into her noodles again. "But I suppose I am overthinking it. First of all, we should-" She slurps up some food, then continues, "-check if you inspect alright." She flicks her hand, navigates through her menu, and after a final jab in the air, she extends one hand towards Merek. "I need physical contact for medical inspection. Can I have your hand?"
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    Merek lifts up a hand, which he will then offer along to Uta, and nods a little bit. "Alright, I don't know, there are a lot of powers, not all of them are safe for people to wield." While she inspects, there will note that he seems to be alright, in status.
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

"I've only ever heard of Data Drain myself. From you," Uta comments. She scans the medical report on her UI. "The report, once again, doesn't report anything out of the ordinary. Like with that sword." Trying to inject a little humour into the situation, she adds, "...I guess that now you'll be melting down the floor 10 boss like the sword..." before going for another few noodles.
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    Merek will look to Uta, and will take a strap from the inventory. It looks like a strap that can keep alchemical gear on it, in addition to what bandits wear with makeshift armor. He shows that to the woman, it looks like it's been crafted well. "This. Is an item of power. It is what the Data Drain will be in when I manage to complete the slime dungeon."
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

Uta takes some time to admire the item. And whistles at it. "Merek... this item is downright impressive. I think I know someone who could give you some interesting information about the origin of- wait, wait, wait." She shakes her head, and her eyes pop open with interest. "Did you say /slime/ dungeon?"
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    "Ya, the slime dungeon that the Bandit King wants me to look for a helmet while I'm at," Merek will note along to Uta, while he nods a little to the woman. Then he takes a drink of that tea.
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

Uta attempts to mantain her composture, but instead she ends up shifting in her place and grinning from ear to ear, eyes atwinkle. "Hit me up when you go there. I think... ah... it might be an... interesting scientific endeavour."

She takes a sip of her tea herself, chomps on another small clump of noodles, and asks again, "Say, mind if I put you in contact with someone with my alliance? He has a way to determine who crafted items. That way, we could figure out who made that strap. I am interested myself, I'll have to say."
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    "I would like that, if you can manage all of that for me. And I already planned to take you," Nerek will note, while he nods a little bit along to Uta.
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

Uta smiles wide. "Thanks! Let me know when the big day is going to be, and I will be glad to offer my expertise on gelatinous creatures!" Noodles and tea alternate, until Uta is done with her food (but not yet with her tea). "What do we know about this Helba person?", she asks, eventually.
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    "Ah, well she is a hacker from the time of Fragment I think." Merek nods along to Uta while he thinks about it, "I don't know a lot about that, though she seems to know a lot about the world."
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

Uta nods. "Good to know. Speaking of which, can I mention to my contact that the item he'll be examining is an item of power which will grant Data Drain once activated?" She sips more of her tea.
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    "I don't know about that, I would like to meet them first," Merek will note along to Uta with a nod.
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

Uta nods at Merek. "I need some way to pique my contact's curiosity... so I will just describe it as a 'unique item'. Enticing enough to raise interest, but doesn't really give away much."

Uta flicks her menu open, makes a few selections, and then speaks the way Adventurers are known to when engaging in chimlink conversation. "Lin? I have another treat for you. What seems to be a truly unique item to work your appraisal magic on." There is a short pause where she appears to be listening intently. "The owner would like to meet you before sharing more details. But if you are around the library of Shibuya, you can swing by? We're here now."
Lin
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

It doesn't take much more than hinting at unexplained mystery objects to get Lin arriving as quickly as he can. He makes his way to the Shibuya library with all speed, pausing for a minute outside the entryway to compose himself. The Pooka strides in, looking quickly around the library for Uta. Spotting Merek, his face goes from excitement to understanding. "Now it's all coming together. This must be about Data Drain. Did you get your hands on it already?" Oblivious to how rude it could be, he skips greetings and gets right to the part he cares most about.
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    Merek will look to the place when Lin arrives, then he nods a bit to them. "Ah, well I don't at the moment. I have an Item of Power. It doesn't have that power in it at the moment, though I think that it will when I manage to complete what I'm doing. What I'd like to know would be where the thing came from." Then he nods along to Uta as well.
Uta
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

Uta blinks at Merek. It appears they're in the middle of eating noodles and drinking tea (luckily there seem to be no other patrons in the library -- nor any books on that table, so it's okay to be noisy). Uta's dish, in particular, has been emptied recently.

Her back turned to the entrance, she takes another sip from her cup as Lim strides in. She turns to look between the two men as they speak, and when they're both done, she simply says, "...Hi Lin. Seems like I need not add anything."

And goes back to sipping her tea.
Lin
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

Almost immediately Lin looks a bit embarrassed, realising he skipped the pleasantries. "Hi Uta. Merek, nice to see you outside of a tower climb. Uh. Well." The Pooka tucks his silver hair behind one ear and takes a seat at the table, then leans forward. "Item of Power is a new one to me. I've seen some odd Relics. I don't know if I'll be able to tell you where it came from, but I can probably tell you who made it. If it's anything like some of the more unusual Relics, the description might have hints. They always seem to be factual. Do you mind if I ask how you got your hands on it?"
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    "Well, the Bandit King would be the one that gave that to me," Merek will note along to Lin, while he nods a little bit, thinking about it.
Lin
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

"The Bandit King himself? That's pretty impressive." Lin's eyebrows arch in surprise. "Was this as a quest reward or something? Or did you sweet talk him?" The Pooka raps his fingers on the table thoughtfully and then adds. "Do you have it with you?"
Merek
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

    Merek looks then to Lin and will nod a little bit while he will lift up that bandit strap which he keeps with him. It looks like the kind which bandits will wear, "Ya, I keep that with me, it's kinda. Ya."
Lin
Shibuya - Astral Athenaeum

Lin looks a little let down. He squints at the strap. "It's on me for having high hopes, but I really thought it would be a bit flashier." He flicks through his inventory and pulls out a set of glasses with a myriad of lenses that can be raised or lowered with small levers. "I guess let's take a look at it then."
Uta
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

Uta, finally done sipping her tea, places the cup aside, and leans in. "Simplicity is a trait of true greatness. The humblest things are often the best."
Merek
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

    Merek will nod a little bit while he waits for Lin to take a look at that relic while he waits about.
Lin
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

What could be an eternity passes, but it's really no time at all. Lin stares through his glasses at the straps, flicking lenses up and down with their levers and scribbling notes in his book. His brow furrows. He turns to his book, lifting the lenses, and takes a moment to double check his work. "An unknown relic that seems to be related to a being known as The Blind One. Get this." The Pooka takes his glasses off and lays them on the table for what can only be dramatic effect. "Listed creator, The Blind Goddess."
Uta
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

Uta, who had picked her tea up and started sipping again while Lin was busy working his Appraisal magic, does what any sensible person would do in these circumstances: spray green tea from her mouth and almost choke, coughing a lot with bulging eyes. After very concerning noises and some rolling around on the ground in an attempt not to suffocate, she scrambles back up to her seat, coughs once more, sideways, and SLAMS her hands on the table. "T-THE BLIND GODDESS? HOW CA- Oh, ew... I forgot I wet the table.", she grimaces, lifting her hands and letting them drip tea.
Merek
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

    Merek looks to that relic which he wields, the strap. Then he nods along to Lin, he seems a bit thoughtful and excited about it, "Interesting! I knew it would be related, I didn't know that the Blind Goddess actually made it. Which means that the Bandit King... This is going to take a lot of work to explain." Then a nod along to Lin, "Thank you for the information!" To Uta, a look and a little kind pat.
Lin
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

Lin recoils from Uta's tea explosion, grabbing his book and lifting it up with an expression of librarian horror. He settles down delicately. "Wow. Okay. Sorry, I should have been a bit less dramatic. And waited until you weren't drinking." The pooka pushes his hair back behind one ear and closes his book. "No clue how the Bandit King got his hands on this, but it's the second item so far that I've seen with divine origin. With the first one I wasn't sure if it meant they were on our side or not, but this looks pretty conclusive. They're trying to help us. Indirectly."
Uta
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

"Thanks...", Uta replies in response to Merek's patting. "...and please feel free to go ahead and explain. Nothing is known about the Bandit King, except that they're a Spriggan. And... I'm particularly interested in learning how my race and its members fit in this world."

Uta casts an apologetic glance at Lin. She looks as horrified as he is, if not more, at potentially damaging a book. "How the Goddesses work in this world is mysterious. I wish I knew more myself...", she almost whispers (but loud enough to be heard), as she materializes a piece of cloth from her menu and begins to wipe the table.
Merek
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

    Merek will think about it a little bit, "Well... I don't know the way to explain it. It's like it's the Bandit King, except it's not. There's... Something else about them, and I think that they are a messenger for another entity possibly." The man nods a little bit to the two, "Well... While I've not met any of the Goddesses, I do think that they are actually working along with the people of the world."
Lin
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

Lin sits quietly for Merek's explanation, creeping sideways slightly as the tea spreads along the table. He offers a faint smile to Uta - apology not needed. "I've been wondering if they were just some maintenance program in the system or something. But..." He fades off into thought for a moment. "Maybe we never will meet any one of them. If they wanted to be met they clearly would have made it happen by now. What about the Bandit King made you feel like he's a messenger? I've noticed some strange Lander behaviour that felt directed too."
Uta
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

Uta's frantic wiping wasn't no match for the pool of tea at first, but by now she manages to at least stop the spreading. She looks with interest between Lin and Merek. "Directed behaviour? Like what?", she asks.
Merek
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

    Merek will think about it a little bit, bringing hands up to his chin while he steeples the fingers. "I imagine that it is the fact that perhaps there's a guiding to what they all do. Like, a thing that speaks through the Landers. All the same, there's no proof with that." The man nods a bit to the two while he begins to pour a drink, tea.
Lin
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

Lin points at Merek, nodding in confirmation of the offered theory. "I can't really disagree. I've noticed Landers getting a lot more... human whenever they're moving towards a goal that we have to help with. Uta, you remember when I tried to trigger a Strange Mood? My Patron barely spoke with me before that. I kept going to him trying to get help and information, but when I started working on my magic, he shows up and starts giving advice. It's things like that."
Uta
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

Uta, who by now has managed to contain tea and to not only stop its advance, but also push it back, stops her cleaning campaign to cross her arms for a moment. Pensive, she nods in acknowledgement to Lin. "Landers do behave in strange ways. Baroness Wake and Robert 'SpritesHero' have been applying psychological methods to try and crack what makes them tick. Perhaps, if you plan to pursue this line of thought, you might want to ask if they've made any headway in that department." She raises her chin and looks in the middle distance. "Still... the Goddesses. Hm." She turns towards the statue of the Beautiful One in the corner. "Lin, you remember how when this Library was completed, that statue over there started glowing by itself? And how everyone who participated got a Menu notification that < The Blind One has noticed your Actions >?" She turns to Merek. "You will remember that something similar happened for the library in Shibuya, except that it involved The Beautiful One."
Merek
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

    Merek looks about, while nodding along to Uta. "I think that the Goddesses probably really like libraries." The man smiles, then thinks about it a little bit, taking the sip of the tea, "Anyway. I don't know. I would be interested in a little bit of that, if they don't mind sharing the finding."
Lin
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

Lin lifts his book, then pockets it away in his inventory as Uta sweeps across the table. He slide back towards the other two, brow furrowed by the discussion. "I wonder if they found anything. Human psychology on Landers is an interesting take." He looks to Merek. "Maybe? Or it could be that they really like statues. There's a bunch of them all over the place. I've seen ones made by Landers that have living descendents. This is going to sound stupid but... has anyone tried praying yet?"
Merek
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

    "I do, although I kind of don't do it for any answer," Merek will note.
Uta
Castle Eas - Library of the Valiant

Uta blinks. "Nnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooo, I haven't tried praying. And... you know, now I feel pretty dumb for not doing trying that. Especially since..."

She goes silent. She taps her chin. "There /is/ a whole Church of Alba, to be fair, but- Hm. You know, they seem to know a /lot/ about the songs associated with Strange Moods, I've tried to contact them to have a chat, but while they politely decline due to lack of time, I get the impression that they're trying to avoid me..."