004; video; notably completely unencrypted;

[ruinsprofessor]

[Raine hesitates, for a very short moment, at the start of the video feed before firming the line of her mouth and plunging ahead. She looks tired, but determined.]

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Raine Sage. Please pay attention; I’ll try to keep this brief.

[She sounds more like she’s lecturing a classroom than delivering potentially shattering news.]

If you have previously thought none of this affects you, or if you simply missed the information, at the end of last month our enemy asked us to guess where it really is. Some of you will have already formed your own conclusions about this; I know I’ve certainly talked to some who have.

[Deep breath.]

There’s sufficient data with independent verification that I’m now sure, and everyone needs to be aware of this, sooner rather than later.

Our enemy has possessed Asti himself.

[A pause, considering. Well, the words are out now, no taking them back.]

That’s all. If you wish me to justify myself, either my conclusions or my lack of caution, I’ll do so, but more pressing right now is coming together to find a way forward, now that everyone is apprised of how severe the situation is.

[She lifts her chin a little then, and adds, not to any Foreigner but to the being she is pretty sure is watching,] Well? Do you care to confirm or deny?

---

[ooc; this actually is directly related to Nilin’s post a few days ago! I have talked this out with a few people, Xhan (Nilin-mun) included, and I’m keeping track of what’s happening there for continuity’s sake, but Raine is unfortunately not the most subtle person in the world and is past the point of waiting and watching. For questions comments plotting or concerns, I can be reached at makaricrow, ceryu (AIM), or makari.crow@gmail.com.]

Comments

text; unencrypted

[insertdadjoke]

What does Asti being possessed actually mean for the people living on it?

[ He is really not above asking stupid questions to get the obvious things out of the way. That the big bad is inside their turtlebuddy is terrible, but it would be nice to know the actual consequences. ]

text; same

[ruinsprofessor]

For a start, that the network should never have been considered not compromised.

[A conclusion she drew before she made this post. There's value in being aware of that, at least.]

Shall I meet you somewhere?

[Whether or not they cover anything especially sensitive, extended conversations via network are something she's no longer comfortable with.]

text; same

[insertdadjoke]

Good thing this is the first thing I've put on it.

Sure. Give me an address or a code or something.

[ He understands well enough, although Cain figures the network would still be useful for the more mundane side of things. Whether mundane is anything the people in Keeliai even think about anymore is something else entirely. ]

text; same

[ruinsprofessor]

The last place we met should do well enough, unless you have an objection.

[She could just send a location ping, and it's possible her caution now is overblown, but if he remembers then at least the location isn't being advertised.]

text; same

[insertdadjoke]

You got it. Meet you there.

--> action?

[ruinsprofessor]

[Raine's been all over the city lately, tracking people down for sharing theories and encouraging cooperation. She looks a bit tired by the time she shows up in the first place they encountered each other, but the eye she's keeping out for Jacob is sharp enough, and she waves briefly when she does see him.]

action!

[insertdadjoke]

[ Cain, meanwhile, doesn't seem much worse for wear despite being in the same boat as everyone else. He's not ignoring anything, it just seems that a lot of the problems only go skin deep for him. ]

Hey. You look beat.

permaction;

[ruinsprofessor]

It's been a long day. [By way of explanation.]

You seem well enough, at least. [Thank goodness some of the people in this city actually look after themselves.] You have questions?

[insertdadjoke]

I'm a quick study. [ His head tilts to the side as he considers what needs to be asked and what Raine probably has answers to. ] Is it known if Asti can hear individuals on its back?

[ruinsprofessor]

I'm not fully certain, but given some of the things said on that network, it'd be smart to assume he can. [Better to assume he can than that he can't.] Though where his attention is may potentially affect that. What languages do you speak?

[insertdadjoke]

Yeah, that's what I thought.

[ The question inspires a laugh. ]

Just about every major language spoken where I'm from by the twenty-first century. You?

[ruinsprofessor]

[She's going to assume that includes English, which has a script close enough to her own language that they're functionally the same. Absently, reaching into her pocket:]

Common, elven, angelic, and a number of mostly dead languages.

[She comes up with a small notebook and pencil, writes quickly in slanting letters that look just subtly off for standard English before offering it briefly in his direction.]

A few people have suggested that physical writing may be safe, but the theory is untested and works only for those who share a script.

[Overly paranoid? Maybe. But she's still not going to be the one who mentions it aloud. With a little shrug, Raine continues in the verbal direction she started.]

All of its responses seemed intelligible, but people responded to its text in a variety of languages. It's an interesting trick.

[insertdadjoke]

[ The letters take a moment to decipher and a bit of entertained headtilting is involved, but he does get the message. He quirks a brow at her and gestures that he might have the pencil next. ]

Clever, but tricky to tell. If we wanted to be the height of paranoid we could adopt man-made cypher languages that he would be unlikely to know how to decipher.

Some kind of transcendental language that even applies to writing. I even know those languages they were replying in and I still saw all his replies as my native one.

[ruinsprofessor]

[She hands it over when asked, takes it back when he's done to read. Hm.]

There's one generally reliable way to get its attention, it seems. It's no guarantee, but it's been talkative enough lately that I imagine it'd respond to its name.

I wonder if it's actually a universal language, or something else, relating to how we're all translated to each other in the first place. It is part of the turtle, after all... Hm.

[If its ability to make itself understood to anyone is at all telepathic, a cypher probably won't work, but the idea itself is a good one, and she likes the way he's thinking.]

Did you have other specific questions?

[insertdadjoke]

We would want to get its attention... Why? I thought the idea was avoiding it.

Like voice but in text. Maybe he just got the translation function booted when we weren't looking.

[ Cain considers that. ]

Are there any plans in place yet?

TEXT;

[ironwood]

It's rude to speak of someone as if they weren't in the room.

[insertdadjoke]

Floor's all yours if you want to answer.

[ironwood]

It means that you all continue to exist at my pleasure.

[insertdadjoke]

Then I guess I'll thank you for the hospitality. While you're here, what's your favorite nickname?

[ironwood]

Asti.

[insertdadjoke]

[ Cain is a terrible person, because he actually laughs out loud at that one. ]

2.0?

[ironwood]

Close, but no.

[insertdadjoke]

1.1 then? You saying you're not something new entirely here?

[ironwood]

I'm saying I cannot be a version of Asti if the only "Asti" is myself. Is that truly hard to understand for all of you?

[insertdadjoke]

Apparently so. We just can't compare when our brains aren't the size of Central Park like yours.