tushanshu | 001

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001 - Audio

[She's not completely convinced that this world and its people aren't malevolent and/or something to avoid yet. The circumstances of this place . . . they're really not her business. It's not the way of her kind to concern themselves with a given planet's inhabitants -- far better to do what Gems need from the planet and have done.]

[Maybe it's Steven's influence still working on her. Maybe it's the fact of watching so many of these people up close, seeing their faces and listening to them in the streets. Maybe it's the couple of individuals that she has met -- barring the one who tried to kill her -- who hint that maybe, maybe there might be more like them.]

[She just knows she has to try.]

[The consoles haven't been hard to figure out. She's watched others using them, not to mention technology far more advanced than them.]

[It's more the resolve that takes work. The conviction to approach. Actually willingly making connection with the other residents of the turtle.]

[As the audio feed actually comes on, her resolve falters. Skitters away. For several moments the Network will be met with silence as Lapis pulls back from the console. Almost flees entirely.]

[But she comes back. Slowly. Hesitates for a few more seconds. Tries again.]

H-Hello? [Her voice wavers. She digs in, forces firmness into it -- as much as she can manage.]

My name is Lapis. Lapis Lazuli.

Someone told me that . . . that this turtle that you're living on, it's sinking.

[More silence. She nibbles at her lower lip, hesitating, before the words surge out.]

Do people breathe underwater here? [Genuine uncertainty on this.] There seems to be a lot here that doesn't. Plants. And animals.

What . . . are people doing about this? [More genuine uncertainty. They might be doing everything in the world about it; she honestly wants to know about the plan.]

[To sum up: Turtle is sinking . . . should Lapis be worried about everyone drowning?]

[More hesitation.]

Also, is . . . there usually not a lot of rain here? I thought the fields on Earth were green . . .

((ooc: I'd love to get Lapis involved in trying to keep the Turtle afloat until someone can heal him if anyone would want to plot. She's an extremely powerful water user, but Asti is also his own continent. --If I've missed someone else's plottings, though, please let me know!))

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Well, so far it seems like we determined the turtle's not dead. Awesome! He's still sinking, and we're all gonna drown at sea, but at least we're not gonna drown on top of a corpse.

I dunno about you, but that makes me feel much better about our impending doom.

[Isn't that great? Because Hiro thinks it's great. Totally. Can you tell?]

[Lapis does not always get jokes/sarcasm. Some things get taken at face value.]

[This would be such a moment.]

[Cue pregnant silence.]

. . . It's still sinking.

[The implicit question of why, strange boy is in the tone.]

[....

...................]

....Yes. That's kinda the point.

Or did you completely miss the biting sarcasm, there?

[He doesn't understand blue people and their literal ways pls explain]

[Being stuffed in a mirror for thousands of years without recognition or connection makes one kind of rusty at this social skills thing. :|]

. . . Yes?

[She did miss it. She sees no point in denying it. But the reply still is uncertain, querying, like "what was the point to this sarcasm?"]

Why are you . . . ? [A breath out the nose.] If you can't breathe underwater, why are you joking about this?

[Sorry, Hiro. You want to try that point again?]

Edited (all the coding fails) 2015-08-21 01:14 (UTC)

[.....Okay. He drags a hand down his face, making a frustrated noise.]

Because I can't breathe underwater, and joking about it helps me not think about the fact I can't breathe underwater, and that I'm gonna drown horribly in a little over a year's time unless I learn how to grow lungs.

Does that make sense?

[Continued this face.]

No?

[But it does evoke some sympathy nonetheless -- just a little.]

Wouldn't it just be better to figure out how not to drown?

Yeah, sure, lemme just figure out how to evolve gills in the matter of a few months.

[- Wait, no, sarcasm won't work. He sighs.]

Look, we have to figure out how to keep a comatose turtle the size of a small continent from sinking, and we have a time limit, so if you have any ideas on how to...I dunno, beach this thing, or float it, or something, I'm sure everybody is all ears.

Edited 2015-08-26 23:00 (UTC)

[But. Humans couldn't evolve that quickly, and --]

[Oh, he'd moved on. Thank goodness.]

[Strong hesitation.] I could . . . probably hold it. But not for days or weeks. Not anything permanent.

. . . Don't you have anything here? Other people with powers. Or technology?

I dunno 'bout anyone else, but I can't breathe underwater.

And the fields on Earth are green, but we're not on Earth. Didn't this get explained to ya?

I know. [Avoiding the question about if anyone told her. She figured it out, with the stars not even the same . . . and the idea of being on another planet isn't so strange. It's mostly thinking why she's on another planet that freaks her out.]

But almost everything seems to follow mostly the same rules so far.

Are the plants not supposed to be green here?

No clue. I assume they're not, because they're not.

And rules can be changed depending on the playing field.

Recent attempts have proven that he's possibly scattered. I'm assuming this means that we may have to somehow find the pieces.

[ A pause filled with dripping, like he's wringing something out.. ]

I'm trying to figure a way to keep air with us, even if we cannot stop the turtle from actually sinking.

[ It's not going very well. Ocean water is complicated. ]

[The fall of water does catch her attention and her interest. She kind of wishes he had the video on on his end -- though she doesn't dare on hers. Audio was bad/hard enough to talk herself into.]

. . . There's more of him somewhere?

[Admittedly, she's thinking physically. She wasn't here for the confirmation of life.]

That part isn't too hard . . . you just keep the pressure of the water outside of the negative space.

The hard part is that there's only a certain amount of air, and if there isn't any more, there's no way to replenish it.

[. . . Done this before or something, Lapis?]

[ ... Wait he just realized that sounded wrong. ]

As far as we can tell, it's the mind that's else where. [ They'd gotten 'I AM HERE' out of that venture. So! ]

My problem is the water itself. Clean water is easy to define on one side or another, however ocean water varies based on salinity and what is ... living and dying in it nearby. The formula in mind can repel solid objects with ease, I just have to reconfigure it for ocean water and.. everything else...

.. while somehow getting the right balance of oxygen through, yes.

Oh. [Well, that's harder.]

What are they doing about that?

[And . . . a small frown on her end.]

Water isn't a problem. The ocean should be as clean as anything else.

At least for me.

But the other issue is that the pressure will get harder the further it goes down. It should be harder to keep any kind of barrier intact.

It might be best to see if it can be made to float somehow -- the turtle, that is. Then no one has to worry about air at all.

[It strikes her again that she should probably be despairing of all of this -- that a decent into the depths for these people is inevitable.]

[No guarantees that she won't yet. But maybe the last few weeks that she remembers . . . as awful as they've been, maybe they have made a change in her.]

[Just a little.]

I'm not sure. Matters of the mind are not something I feel I can be helpful with.

[ His magic doesn't work that way.

Duke hums a little in thought. ]

Your magic works differently then. [ He sounds vaguely curious here- ]

Salt water is different from spring water, for me. If I tried specifying spring water as my exclusion, we would be finding a dusting of salt over everything, as that could pass via pressure but the water could not. [ ... Maybe he should look into the projects for turning ocean water into drinkable water. The drought they were having... ]

Agreed. It would be a matching increase of fueling, but I was thinking of a last minute measure so another plan could complete. [ There would always be another last minute plan, as far as Duke was concerned. His had taken a few months, and Brave Vesperia had thrown theirs together in far less.

Hmmm yes floating would work better, except... ]

Then there is the problem of how to float something. [ Levitation would probably also be too costly, with something of this size. ]

If the water is used - the salinity would have to change to increase the buoyancy, which would kill or drive off the creatures in the water about the turtle, which would change how the city feeds itself. [ That's the first thing that came to mind-

It's almost like he's getting lest distant as this conversation goes on... ]

[He's completely lost her at the discussion of salt water being different from spring water (it's only salt; it doesn't affect water being water) . . . but then again, she realizes, he may be half talking to himself, not just to her.]

I might be able to keep it afloat. But not for days or weeks. You shouldn't change the water, though. It's easier to affect the turtle itself.

Edited 2015-08-23 02:53 (UTC)

[ There's also different tiny things living in it, and he's not good at water to begin with.

But she is also right, he is half talking to himself. ]

I wouldn't want to. [ It would disrupt too many things, as he half muttered earlier. ]

.. The only way I know of to make the turtle float would also be difficult. It's based on weight, thus... [ huge turtle is huge. ]

[She doesn't understand this . . . this "wouldn't want to." He seems very determined, this man . . . and ensconced in his own ideas and plans.]

[It makes her wary -- especially the "wouldn't" -- though she couldn't exactly say why.]

[For the time being, she falls silent, leaving him to his thoughts.]

[ It's a good handful of minutes before he realizes the conversation sort of ended.

And he can't quite figure out why. He shakes off thoughts of half formed plans, and tries to review the conversation.

.... ]

... Did I say something wrong? [ It is probably his fault. You don't just spend a decade with yourself as company and come back with sparkling clean social skills. ]

It seems we're facing a number of crises. If there were, perhaps, a way to steer the turtle into shallower waters, that could buy us some time in waking it up. So even if it does sink, it wouldn't be very far down and at worst the edges of the shell would go under.

As of now, I don't think anyone has a particular solution to this problem though.

[. . . This is an idea.]

[Possibly a really good one.]

Why is it moving now, if it isn't awake?

Where is there more shallow water?

[He does sometimes have those.]

Most likely due to currents. Though presently, we're circling something known as Zhausing's Well.

As for where, it's equidistant from three major landmasses, one to the east, one to the west and one to the north.

What is that?

[Yes, he did say "something known as," but he might know something more about it if he knows the name.]

[A breath -- this may not work. And she's going to be stuck here watching all of these people drown . . .]

[Maybe pulled to the bottom of the sea too, if she can't swim far away from the turtle . . .]

[No. Something. She has to do something.]

If we can pull the turtle out of the current and steer it towards a land mass, we're more likely to find something we can work with.

Some sort of rift in the ocean. Perhaps not the best place to be circling on a sinking turtle.

And I quite agree - I just can't think of a way to steer it. If Steven were here then... no, this would probably be on a scale fare beyond even his capabilities.

[There's a defeated sigh.]

Apologies. I was thinking out loud.

A rift? Like . . . a crack in the earth?

[That's alarming.]

Is there any activity with it? Like . . . is it pulling things inward towards itself, or pushing things out?

[Both will create their own problems. If there's no activity, it's still not ideal, but. At least one less dangerous issue.]

[Then . . . that name. That name stands out amongst everything else.]

. . . Steven? You know Steven?

[Her tone is immediately different. Eager. Closer, as though she's leaned forward towards the microphone.]

Ah... I'm not sure about that. The winds here are odd, and the turtle seems to be circling it. I imagine there's something it's doing to the current.

[He's rather taken aback by her sudden eagerness. He wonders if this is one of Steven's girlfriends? God be good, the man does get around.]

I know a Steven. Steven A. Starphase; my friend and colleague - he's tall, slim, and has a distinct scar on his left cheek. Is that the same Steven you're thinking of?

[Not by a longshot, Klaus. Steven Universe and Steven Starphase couldn't be more different]

[. . . Definitely not her Steven, no. Her voice falls a little.]

. . . S-sorry. My mistake.

[More softly,] It's . . . kind of stupid to think anything would be the same here.

If the rift is holding the Turtle in place, it will take more energy to move it away.

There's nothing to apologize for, miss. It sounds like your Steven is very dear to you.

[He tilts his head, now genuinely puzzled.]

It would take a lot of energy to move it anyway, I'd imagine. Do you... have something in mind?

[Dear? She wonders at that word. Honestly, it's not something she's considered before, at least not deeply. Steven is important, he's kind . . . and he needs to be protected. Of all things, his life matters, and she would do anything in her power to keep that small light safe.]

[Is that "dear?"]

[She's silent for a few moments in the wake of it -- then the softest of murmurs, as though acknowledging the words and pushing on.]

If we can determine where a land mass is, then maybe we can move the turtle like you said. To shallow water, where it doesn't sink so far.

[She's barely even aware that she's said "we." She hasn't intended to say "we."]

[Oh dear, he hopes he didn't touch a nerve there.]

I've seen maps of the world. Going North, East or West from our current position would lead us to land and, hopefully, shallow waters.

[He did . . . but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad, either.]

How far would it be . . . ?

Do you still have the maps?

I do actually!

Let's see here...

... Ah, here-

[He unfolds a cheap copy he got of the world map and holds it up to the camera]

Tavimbi, to the north seems closest.

[She leans closer to the screen, fingers reaching out to touch the continents, to trace the space between them.]

I think it depends on the currents, too . . . and the direction of the wind. If we can use those, it should help.

More than fighting the current, anyway.

There's a lot of other information that would be good to know too.

[Is she honestly talking about this like it could be an idea?]

Are there other maps here other than this?

The wind probably won't be much help until we're free of the Well. They change directions at the drop of a hat here.

However, we could probably use the currents to our advantage. Perhaps someone in the city is more knowledgeable about the oceans routes would be able to help?

...And I'm sure there are. I can try to find a cartographer.

A cartographer would be . . . good. And someone who knows the currents.

[The words are half-absent, half-small, as though Lapis is only beginning to realize what she's saying.]

[Profound hesitation.] Can I . . . meet you?

[He's a little taken aback but he recovers quickly.]

Yes, yes of course. I work at a flowershop in the Wood district, though is there anywhere in particular you would prefer?

[But she hears it in his voice -- just that brief pause -- and it makes her question the choice.]

Is . . . that bad?

Not in the slightest. I was just surprised.

I apologize, I'm Klaus Reinherz.

[ It's actually her name which gets his attention; lapis lazuli had been among Egypt's most prized and precious stones. Idle coincidence, he thinks, but he's bored enough that it's something. ]

It rains more in the other seasons.

[The flat suddenness of his voice surprises her; she hesitates before replying:]

It's . . . like that on Earth, too.

But I guess it's surprising for people to plant things if they expect them to die . . .

Expecting them to die and acknowledging they might are two different things. It's impossible to accomplish anything without taking risks.

That's not really what I meant.

I don't think people would plant things every year if they only expected them to die later. That takes a lot of time and resources.

So that means that if people planted these things, they expected them to grow. It either should be raining more, or they aren't able to provide enough water to make them grow.

If they're using the plants for food, that's a problem later on.

[Not that she's really registered it as a genuine concern, mind you. She doesn't need food, and so she has no attachment to the issue. Mostly it's just strange at this point, and an attempt to understand the motivations of the world around her. After all, if she understands motivations, she can predict possibilities and patterns . . . and know what to avoid.]

[ Parsing the unusual speech phrasing here is interesting, and Bakura files it away. ]

Perhaps if they are worried, they should ask for help. There are Foreigners here who can provide water.

There are . . . others?

[Is this something she needs to worry about? And if others have powers, are there any Gems among them after all?]

And . . . do Foreigners eat the same food from the fields?

You as well? There are a number of sorcerers here, or those with magic--

[ And it's unusual, that he separates those two into distinct categories instead of lumping them together like most would. ]

--who can manipulate elements, water among them.

For the most part, yes. The kedan do seem to have stronger stomachs than humans, in general, but most of the fare is similar. Some kedan have even taken to making food the Foreigners describe as best they can, with local ingredients.

[ He had so not anticipated this conversation turning into talking about food. He really is bored. ]

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001 - Audio

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[Video]

audio - . . . I love this idea. A lot.

8D

<3 - sent you a PM

<3<3

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