[Chuubo's] Fortitude: The Glass-Maker's Dragon IC

[Tengu_temp]

Suddenly Leonardo's carefully crafted sensor array is disturbed by a human being appearing inside it! No, Natalia is not clumsy enough to knock one of them over, or anything. But she's there.

"Ah. Hello. I didn't expect to see anyone else here." Natalia approaches one of the devices, analyzing it from up close. It's different from the scientific equipment she's used to, and a part of her is curious about it. At this rate she might even start meddling with the controls!
"I see you're back on your feet already. That's good. What kind of research are you doing here?"
She's not good at small talk.

[Terraoblivion]

"You're right. It is." Jasper nodded as she looked out there. Really, there was something relaxing about watching the sun set like that and feeling like the world was in order, even with monster hunts and Outside storms. "I wonder what the new sun is like..."

Even after saying that, she turned to look at Miramie to see how she was doing. "Is everything okay...You sounded like something was wrong earlier."

[Geostationary]

It had been a busy week for Rinley. She had continued to help Miramie in her cafe endeavors, and today saw her in the Walking Fields after a rather seriously mistaken shortcut on the way home from school. Who knew cutting through Bluebell Park could get oneself stuck in the Fields? After a brief conversation with an ornery stray tabby, Rinley had grabbed a hold of a tuft of early blooming dandelions, hoped for the best, and jumped aloft in the air, held up by the seed tufts. It wasn't long before she found herself above the roofs of Fortitude, rapidly descending.

After a brief, cat-like landing, she spotted figures in the distance! On closer inspection, they appeared to be her friends! Well, I guess I know what I'm doing the rest of today!

As Natalia asks Leonardo about his research, Rinley appears over the crest of a nearby roof. Waving, she yells, "Hey guys! What're you up to?"

[Tengu_temp]

"Oh. Rinley. Hey." Natalia is slightly distracted from the device as she acknowledges the presence of her... friend? Can she even call her that? A frozen heart has no need for friendship. Friendship causes pain.

(I'll wait for Leonardo's response before answering Rinley's question.)

[Sanguine]

If Leonardo is surprised by the sudden appearance of the two girls he does an uncannily good job of hiding it. Gently placing down the Quantum Flux Analyzer, a strange box-shaped device with many blinking lights that appears to be a transmitter of some kind, Leonardo turns to face the two girls. "To answer both of your questions, I am currently calibrating my Quantum Flux Analyzer to pick up on any sort of dimensional resonance along the border with the Far Roofs, as part of a much larger plan to predict the next outside storm."

[Tengu_temp]

"I see. That makes sense; this place is closer to the Outside than Fortitude." What's this? Did Natalia actually do some research on the local geography? She leaves the device alone for the time being, at least.
"I suppose it makes sense to meet someone who's affiliated with both cats and the Rats on the rooftops, as well." Natalia glances at Rinley, as if asking for explanation of this paradox.
"I'm patrolling. There are numerous beasts creeping on the edges of this area. I have to make sure none of them get close to Town and put the inhabitants in danger. Especially not Typhon, the golden snake..." Natalia looks far away, towards the sprawling rooftops ahead, as if expecting a monster to suddenly come from that direction. It's very obvious there's something on her mind that she's not saying...
"Is the storm getting close? What will happen once it starts?"

[Crinias]

The wind blows over the roofs -
And the sun has set.

Distant clouds are on the horizon -
Yet storms are far away.

Spoiler

Show

Do you actually want to access the Far Roofs? It's possible, you know.

Also, remember, if you want to actually accomplish anything specific I'm going to need an Intention with a skill, or a miracle - For instance, Heartless Perfection's ability to take perfect actions requires 1 or more MP.

[The_Snark]

"No. Nothing's wrong in particular." Miramie idly tosses a pebble down the cliffs, watching it bounce off the limestone and out of sight. "It's just... Sometimes I feel like my default state is unhappy, and everything I do - my art, my work on the cafe, hanging out with you guys - is just me trying to distract myself from that for a little while. I don't think that's normal. Most people in Fortitude are content, most of the time. But - " She cuts herself off, and gives Jasper a strained smile. Now isn't the time to talk about how she doesn't have a place here. It would invite questions she doesn't feel up to explaining away, and she isn't sure the sun's daughter would understand.

"Sorry. Just feeling a little gloomy."

[Terraoblivion]

"Everybody feels gloomy at times." Jasper gave Miramie a soft smile. "And it seems like most people are trying to figure things out...Except Rinley, at least. There's something making Leonardo not want to get close to others and whatever happened to Natalia on Earth seemed quite bad. None of us are really normal Fortitude people. It feels cozy and like home, but we all seem to need something more..." She fell silent, gazing out at the lake and the sun slowly setting behind it. "But at least we've met others who are similar, so we can help each other."

[Geostationary]

Rinley smiles and holds up some dandelion tufts. "The wind blows where it wills."
"So if you're predicting the next storm, what are you doing to do during it? The Roofs aren't the safest place to be when the Outside blows in. I've heard tell from Eduard about some of the things that emerge at such times."
Rinley looks to Natalia.
"You're patrolling the roofs?! Can I join you?! I can bring Eduard along too if you need a guide!"

Spoiler

Show

Can I claim an xp for risking trouble in the name of adventure? It's still in the abstract, but asking to join Natalia on her monster hunts/adventures on the rooftops seems to be in the spirit of the thing.

[Tengu_temp]

"Are you sure you want to come?" Natalia turns her head just slightly from the landscape before her, looking at Rinley with the corner of her eye. "There's a possibility of encountering Typhon, and while it will change soon, I don't have the holy spear needed to slay her yet. If we find her, it will be a very dangerous meeting."
She looks down, regretfully, and looks at her open hand.
"...Every time Typhon kills or injures someone, it's my fault. I don't want anyone else to suffer because of my failure."

[Geostationary]

"I...I think I am sure. I've met her once before, and I saved Eduard. And if you're going to hunt for monsters on the Far Roofs, you really shouldn't do it alone- who knows what could happen?"
Rinley smiles.
"Besides, you'll need someone who knows where they're going- getting lost on the Roofs could be just as bad as meeting Typhon unprepared."

[Tengu_temp]

"I don't get lost easily. I can return by following my trail back in wood, in concrete. Even in the air, by scent.", Natalia mentions as if it was something people just do normally like that. There is clear hesitation in the silence that follows, though, and then...
"...Alright. You can come. Eduard too, if he wants to. I will make sure that no matter what happens, you stay unharmed. I guarantee it."
She's not going right now, of course. She still wants to hear what Leonardo has to say. His research sounds important.

Spoiler

Show

Claiming 1 XP for The Golden Snake of the Rooftops, for making another ally against the snake.

[The_Snark]

Most people aren't gloomy most of the time. But Miramie doesn't say this. Despite the gulf between them that Jasper doesn't (shouldn't) see, she can't help but feel a little better. It's true that none of her new friends are normal for Fortitude, not even Rinley. (Maybe that should be, especially not Rinley.) They might not be exactly like her. They belong in this world, they have a place, even if they haven't sorted out exactly where it is yet. But they're a little like her.

She smiles lopsidedly back at Jasper, this time a little more genuine. "I suppose. I don't know if it'll help in the end, but - thanks."

Spoiler

Show

I was thinking this might end up being a Slice of Life, given the sunset and all, but the talking ended up being more prominent. Shared Reaction! And I'm going to claim bonus XP for talking about dreams as compared to reality, and give Jasper gratitude XP for giving me a good lead-in to it.

I'm open to ending the scene here, but if you have more to say - or would like Miramie to ask something that leads into another topic - we can keep going.

[Terraoblivion]

"I don't think anybody can really know, but as long as we keep up hope there is a chance. Having other helps too." Jasper gave Miramie another small smile and a nod, before gazing out over the lake again and finishing her food. She wished she could do more for the mysterious girl next to her, but she didn't know enough to give the persuasive argument and things took time. All she could do was try to support Miramie as much as possible.

After a short pause she spoke up again. "So what is there to see and do down here? I think I've finally gotten used enough to the lower world to explore a bit more...Maybe get some more appropriate clothes." She looked down at her very traditional, very expensive and very Chinese clothes...She really did stand out in them.

Spoiler

Show

And Miramie gets an XP to comfort her. I also take one for having discussed Jasper's destiny earlier. And feel free to choose whether to follow up on this question or just have it fade out while they take about something else.

[Sanguine]

Leonardo is silent and thoughtful as the two girls talk, his cold clinical demeanor quite different from the ordinary Leonardo who would jump at any opportunity to talk about his work. Eventually the strangely quiet Leonardo speaks, though with none of the bombastic glee with which the two girls have become familiar.

"While my research is not yet done, everything points to the next Outside storm being this Sunday afternoon. Though if everything goes according to plan none of you will even realize there was a storm."

[Tengu_temp]

"Soon..." Natalia looks thoughtful. She noticed that Leonardo is acting differently than usual - no chewing the scenery or tsundere (yes, she calls him that even in her head), just analytical precision. And that means things are serious.
"What is the plan? Do you need assistance with it?"

[Sanguine]

Almost immediately Leonardo begins to say no. It would be incredibly dangerous, and of course he didn't need help, he was Leonardo de Montreal. But he stopped halfway through the word. The fact of the matter was there was one area where he did need help. "Do you know how to drive a boat?"

[Tengu_temp]

The Prodigy nods slightly. "Yes. Any kind of boat; I can drive them all." She's not gloating. Just stating a fact.
"My father is a fisherman. I help him sometimes." Well, help. More like listen to the endless seadog tales of his other sailor friends (Natalia's family is better at finding themselves in new environments than she is). Boring tales.

[Geostationary]

Rinley looks excited at the prospect of throwing herself into dangerous situations! This may not be a healthy urge when you get down to it.

She looks at Leonardo. "Leo, my family is part selkie- I can drive a boat. But what's the plan? Why wouldn't we notice the storm? They're not exactly subtle."

[Sanguine]

"Well since it seems you two will be helping me you probably will notice it. But no one else will, for the simple reason that the storm will never reach Town. We're going to stop it at Big Lake." At that Leonardo allowed himself a small smile, though for some reason it seemed more sad than anything else.

[Tengu_temp]

"Selkie. You don't look like a seal." Natalia glances at Rinley with a bit of scientific curiosity, as if looking for seal parts. This is just an aside mention though; what Leonardo says is important!

"You can count on me. Just tell me what needs to be done." Natalia doesn't smile herself, but for a moment she radiates a kind of content heroic confidence. It almost overshadows her usual melancholy.
"I promised not to think about this place as just my dream anymore. It's real. But even if it wasn't real, I wouldn't be able to just leave such a matter alone."

[Geostationary]

"It's been a while since it happened. It's not a lot of selkie blood, but it's there and that's what matters. I did have an aunt who threw herself into the sea one night though so sometimes it's stronger in some than others."
Rinley turns to Leonardo.
"But yes, you can count on us!"
She salutes for extra emphasis!
"..."
"How do you stop an Outside storm, anyways?"

[Terraoblivion]

As school came to an end and the afternoon of the next day started, Jasper made her way from the various errands she was running to where she'd agreed to meet with Natalia. Unusually for those who knew her, she seemed oddly subdued as she approached the small cliff on the outskirts of Fortitude. Even though she was the one who had suggested it, the thought of acting like a goddess and blessing a spear scared her. She had to do it to help her friend feel better and to keep the people of Fortitude safe, but what kind of things would it reveal about her? Was she even a goddess herself or just some weird being spawned from one?

[Tengu_temp]

Soon Natalia approaches, carrying several unusual objects with her. It's not normal for students to walk around in heavy leather aprons over their uniforms, after all. Her hands are occupied by a slab of some kind of metal (which she carries like it was nothing) and a solid wooden pole, respectively. Gathering all the required components and making sure they're just right took a while, but now Natalia has everything she needs!
"Ah. You're here." Talking to Jasper is hard. She's not sure how to proceed. "...You're different than usual. Did something happen?"

[Terraoblivion]

Jasper had been looking out over the sea and hadn't noticed Natalia approaching until she spoke. Seeing the Russian, she shook her head apparently ignoring all the random tools. "No...I was just thinking about how I'd never done anything like this before. I've really just been running errands since coming down here."

[Tengu_temp]

"Are you afraid?" Natalia turns around, looking towards the landscape visible from the cliff. She likes to do that. She naturally does dramatic things, even if she'd never admit it to anyone, even herself.
"I'm going to do something I never did before, too. I made weapons before, but not in this way." She pauses and shuts her eyes, thinking about her memories for a moment. As often the case, they're not good memories. "Not by smithing, like weaponmasters of old. But I read a book, and I'm sure I know how to do it now. And smithing is a natural skill for humans; it has to be learned." She looks to the side at Jasper, with her eyes only. "If you're a god, then blessing something is natural for you. You will know how. I'm sure."

[Terraoblivion]

Even after less than two weeks of having known each other, it felt a bit odd to be the one being reassured by Natalia and not the opposite. Hearing it, Jasper stifled a small laugh and turned to give the Russian girl a nod and a smile. "Right. Let's do this." She couldn't deny being curious about whether she really was a god or not. "...So where do we start?" They needed some fire, but what else?

[Tengu_temp]

"We need a forge. I already secured one; a distant relative is a blacksmith. He said I can use it when he's not working..." Natalia pauses. She doesn't feel entirely comfortable pulling family favours like this. She doesn't feel like she belongs in the local Russian community. Close family is one thing, but everyone else is like a stranger who treats her as one of their own for some reason. It's weird.
"And he's not working at this hour. The forge is free. Everything else, I have with me."

[Terraoblivion]

"That's great!" Jasper's expression practically beamed as she heard Natalia's explanation, her worries over her nature apparently forgotten for now. "We'll need to thank him properly once we're done." Really, as much as she didn't quite think she was part of things here, the child of the sun couldn't help but admire the willingness of the people of Fortitude to help each other. Even if they were just borrowing a forge. People used lots of metal items, so they had to be all over the place.