exsilium | 01 [video]

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01 [video]

[This is his first time addressing people in this fashion. While he’s used to presenting in front of groups at small info swaps in Sybak, this is a whole new experience. While there’s a smile on his face, he’s a little nervous. ]

This isn’t what I had in mind when I first set out to do field research. It’s quite interesting, in any case.

[A pause. He’s had time to settle in, albeit a short amount of time, and has a general idea of what’s been going on. Hearing about the recent bombs was especially unsettling, which is why he’s outside the living quarters just looking at his surroundings. He’s eager to help out in this new place, even if he's not sure where to start. The people here had been through a lot already. It was apparent even from a casual glance at the last posts.]

For the time being, I’d like to offer my services to help reconstruction efforts in any way I can. I’ve only just arrived, but I hope I can be of some use.

[His expertise is research over anything else so while he looks useless, he can at least put a band-aid on someone. Or give them a hug. Or hold a nail while someone whacks it with a hammer. Before he ends the chat, he appears to remember something and quickly asks: ]

Are the words Tethe’Alla or Sylvarant familiar to anyone here? If it’s not any trouble, I’d like to talk to you.

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Em-- huh?

[She stops and scans over the entry. What... the fuck? That is clearly Emil but that is clearly not Emil's name... She has the feeling she's met him before, on top of that-- pinged mostly by his manner of speaking.]

I'm from Tethe'alla, too. That's a Sybak uniform, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

[There's a slight pause as he takes a moment to study her face. Hasn't he seen her? She hadn't been a student in Sybak and he can't recall her being in the towns he visited with Richter. ]

I feel like I've seen you before now and your name...

[He double checks it quickly, rereading her name a couple times until it finally hits him.]

I remember now! You were at the Elemental Research Laboratory at one point, weren't you?

[Sheena is a bit surprised he was able to pick up on that so quickly. It makes sense though. She knew Emil had been a little familiar, and that was because she'd ran into this kid while he was researching Summon Spirits or something. Sheena was always the resource for that, being the world's only summoner-- and highly successful, at that.

This must be Aster, the researcher Emil admitted to murdering. And the guy whose face he stole.

Shit. This is-- this is awkward.]

Uh... yeah! That was me. I thought you looked kinda familiar. Aster, right?

That's correct.

[The summoner remembers him aw yis. Even though she almost called him Emil. That's cool too. He wants to ask her so many things, especially since the worlds were back together in his time and summon spirits were kind of a huge part of that. Just a little. Maybe he should make sure that's the time she's from first before barraging her with questions. What about Corrine too?]

It was brief the last time we saw each other, but it's good to see you again. Have you been here long?

[Sheena wonders if Emil is going to do something about it. It's his problem, though she'd like to help him 'cause they're friends. It's just... she's not really great at this sort of thing. She doesn't know anyone who's stolen a face before. Ninjas don't really have any use for that level of identity theft.

The best she can do right now is be supportive, really. Emil felt terrible about what he did and -- well, Sheena doesn't really dislike Aster. It's just strange to look at him and not call him Emil. There are some minor differences, but...]

Yeah, something like six or seven months. It's been a while, but I'm holding up pretty well.

[She pauses.]

Excuse me for asking, but can you fight? We were brought here to serve as their army, but if you're not really a fighter... it'd be safer for you to stay in the back.

[Sheena's question is an easily answered one. Even though Aster was on the front lines monster wise back in Tethe'alla, Richter was always there to beat up everything.]

No, unfortunately my skills are limited to research over fighting. However I was given a weapon like the other arrivals. It may be of some use.

[Though maybe not front line use.]

There's nothing wrong with being a researcher, but...

[Sheena tries to imagine a weapon that would suit a researcher but she can't really think of one.]

What is it?

One moment.

[Wow does Aster have something to show her. He moves the tablet to the side as he pulls something out of the inner pocket of his coat. Out comes an unlabeled book that he shows her.

See Sheena they do have special weapons for researchers!]

It's a book. There are no words, but look!

[Now he's excited. Why? Because when he opens the pages, smoke comes out which he directs towards the tablet screen. It only lasts a few seconds and it's not very thick, but that's a bonafide smokescreen. He shuts the book to slip back into his pocket, waving the smoke away with his free hand.]

It's incredible what they can do here.

[Yep.]

A blank book...? [What's the point?

And then he makes smoke come out of it. It's not that much different from what she does as a ninja, but she never knew her cool ninja info cards could be ripped off or whatever.]

Whoa! The book did that?

Huh-- you're right. That could be pretty handy in a pinch.

[Learn to trademark your ninja cards™ Sheena gosh.]

Correct.

It was disappointing to see there was no writing in it though. I was hoping it would offer a more thorough explanation on the weapon itself.

[He's never had a weapon before so this is all pretty new to him. Richter usually took care of that stuff.]

I guess that's too much to ask of these guys, huh.

[She smiles a little and shrugs it off.]

What were you researching, again?

Yes. Seeing a book with blank pages is upsetting on its own. I would be happy to see it filled with anything.

[Though he may be deeply distraught by the injustice of blank books, he seems to cheer up when being asked about his research.]

We were researching the spirit Ratatosk along with the recent climate changes.

Ratatosk, huh?

[That's right. God, Emil is probably going to freak out when he sees that the guy he killed is here. Shit like this isn't supposed to happen. And Aster-- he doesn't seem to know his own fate...]

Well... uh, if I can help you out, let me know. I'm not really an expert on climate change though.

Perhaps not, but I did have a question to ask you.

[Even with other distracting thoughts in mind, he's still barely able to contain his excitement for the answer to this.]

Were you able to retain your ability to summon here?

[He's... such a geek. She's torn between making a face because it's so geeky or just... acknowledging that he's adorable. It's hard being a tsun.]

Yeah! The only one I can't summon is... [Her expression softens.] Corrine. He became Verius, so he's still on our world. But all my pacts with the elemental spirits, Origin, and even Maxwell, seem to work just fine.

That is a relief. For a moment, I was worried the ability would be gone or be hindered in some way due to the nature of this world.

[Sheena he was worried about you really, but summon spirits man. From the little he knows about Sheena, losing Corrine must have been hard, but from a scientific standpoint it had been a complete success for them. Even if they hadn't been directly involved in the true spirit formation.]

...I have been curious about that. What were the conditions that lead to Verius being formed, if you don't mind my asking?

[The focus from general summon spirits to Ratatosk had shifted very quickly. While he planned on doing a full study on all of them after dealing with more urgent issues, but now he was here. That would all have to wait.]

Believe me, I was worried, too. I can handle myself without pacts, but when the going gets tough, I like having backup.

[She pauses, not because she's offended, but because the memory is bittersweet and she misses Corrine a lot.]

We were making a pact with Volt and... I hesitated. [She doesn't go into the incident when she was a child. Aster probably heard about it.] Like many Summon Spirits, he was reluctant to form another pact and became hostile. Corrine-- Corrine protected me.

Later on, in Iselia, I heard him calling to me. After that, Verius appeared in Martel Temple. I'm not sure of the science behind it, but our bond allowed Corrine to sort of... evolve, I guess. That's probably why he's the summon spirit of Heart and not some other element found in nature.

Edited 2013-08-10 03:34 (UTC)

[He assumed something must have happened to spark the change in Corrine, but he didn't realize it was because of its death and rebirth. It's almost funny that the creation of a summon spirit had finally happened, but it had nothing to do with the lab and everything to do with Sheena and the friendship they shared. There was no way the lab could replicate that to make more summon spirits, not that he would want them too. In a way, it's almost fitting that a summoner would help in the creation of a new summon spirit. ]

It's not impossible that spirits can evolve, under the right circumstances or if there were changes in the mana levels.

[Ratatosk has a core form. The centurions do as well. Maybe that's true for the other spirits to some degree.]

...Regardless, I am happy Corrine was with you for all that time. From what I heard, the spirit was happy in your care.

[Not that she needs it, but he hopes it brings her some comfort. Let's just pretend the lab wasn't a horrible place for Corrine to begin with.

Outside of that he's worried about Sheena too, though he's not even sure how to begin asking about it. This would have been awhile ago, but it's impossible for him to shake his concern, so he asks anyway. ]

I suppose it's too late to ask this, but are you doing okay?

Verius is Corrine, but at the same time, he's not. He belongs to everyone now. I'll never forget what he did for me.

[Her smile is small and a little sad, but honest. Corrine is the reason she's here now. Her one and only friend for so long...

She's a little surprised at the question. She's used to researchers not giving a damn, but Aster has proven himself to be completely warm-hearted.]

N-no, it's... it's fine. I'm doing all right. I've seen a couple of people from our world come and go, and with the time travel thing, there's a lot of weirdness that happens. But it always turns out okay.

I doubt he will forget what you did for him as well.

[If he were in a similar situation, Aster isn't sure he could be as strong as her. Brave maybe, but being able to accept that about a close friend, that they were gone, surpassed even what he could do. He's really impressed. At the very least, he offers a smile back at her.]

When this is over, I hope to meet him in that new form. I never was able to learn much about Corrine so I have always been curious about him.

[Some details regarding creation and other technical matters were there, but as far as personality and other factors Aster is woefully ignorant.]

That is a relief to hear. I imagine this world takes some getting used to though it's all very interesting. As long as we all work together, I am sure things will continue to turn out fine.

[His smile, similar and yet different than Emil's, is both comforting and unnerving. But he's honest and she's trying to accept Aster on his own terms.]

Hmm. Maybe you will. He should still be at the bottom of Martel Temple somewhere, if you can get to Sylvarant.

[She rubs at the back of her neck.]

There's some things I've seen that are horrible, but for the most part... it's not that bad. As long as we keep fighting the UE and protecting the people who live here, I think we all stand a good chance.

[If you can get to Sylvarant huh. That means she's from a different time. It would be a lot easier than she thought.]

I agree. We have to protect our world as well.

[It's not like Aselia's doing great to begin with since the world rejoined. The last thing they need is more mana imbalance.]

With time, I am sure everything will work out. For this world and ours as well.

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