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RESPITE LIBRARY - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Maybelline enters the Libary a bit more cautiously than usual. She's off her usual schedule, her various academic and engineering periodicals likely not delivered yet. She's got a different route of research in her mind today, bothered by the line of thinking that Mia placed before her, and the possibilities that might have given rise to it. And so today, she's come seeking the Loremaster. "Ah, um, helllo? Loremaster Aurelius?"
Aurelius was at his desk today, doing some inventory management. When he heard his name called, he carefully put down the log book, marked the page, and closed the book, looking up "Ah, Engineer Maybelline. How can I help you?" Formal, and respectable. There's a trace of amusement there, he knows that being overly formal will probably fluster her a bit. It's the little things about the job.
Maybelline bows appropriately in response, certainly never quite casual with her own title and position, she's always been a little more respectful of Loremasters. "Ah, thank you. Err, that is, I was looking to do a bit of unusual research today, on a somewhat... taboo topic, at least from a Sarn perpsective."
Aurelius: "Ah. This is my little party trick" Loremasters aren't just stuffy librarians. They're also in charge of accumulating information on the region they're in, which means they keep an eye on current events "But first. The topic we're about to discuss is highly illegal in Sarn, and overall, a Sealed topic" He puts down a small piece of paper, pulled from his desk. "Just sign here". It's a fairly small note. Basically saying that May promises not to cause any damage over a certain threshold. (Which is roughly a city-state's worth) "While Loremasters believe knowledge should be available to all without restriction, a long time ago some common sense thresholds were put in place. The note is enchanted incidentally. Truth Magic" Very casual.
Maybelline takes a moment to read through the paper, making sure she fully understands before she signs. But in all truth, she's looking into this to PREVENT exactly that kind of damage, amongst other reasons. Still, it is always unnerving when dealing with Loremasters, how they always seem to know what you want to talk about before you talk about it. May's only ever met two before Aurelius, one at the University, and one when she was just a child. "Well, easy enough. As far as Sarn is concerned, my Dad always raised me to do what was right, even if the law didn't quite agree. Err, not that I'm saying I'm trying to break the law, just uh... well... this is complicated. Potentially very complicated."
Aurelius: "There are no laws being broken. We are not in Sarn, and in any case Loremasters are not beholden to such trifles. If we decide that a person should have knowledge, it is not a petty empire's place to say otherwise" He chuckles "That's the official line. In practice..well, we're not in Sarn!" He passes over a reading list of books. There's a lot of titles about artificial intelligence, golem foundries, animancy, life forging "Now, I just have to attest that you're sensible, and need the knowledge of any of these books. The note you signed was just to see the reading list! I don't think all of these are required, or relevant. So, tell me. What is the question you want answered?"
Maybelline takes a deep breath, glancing over the reading list. "I'm trying to link these events, but I feel like I'm missing a piece. I want to understand how this happened... and if what happened has created some kind of artificial magical entity in the generator, I want to know what I can do to... help it? Can it even communicate? What is it, and how can I be sure it won't hurt anyone, or hurt the town?" May is full of questions, all just waiting for the opportunity to spill out, especially considering how tight-lipped she's likely been about this whole situation with anyone else.
Aurelius doesn't answer for a while, instead lifting another book from the desk, and leafing through it a few times, before a third, and then closing both. "There's a lot of philosophical debate on what is a person, or a soul, or the like. The leading theories and evidence suggest that there is indeed an intangible nature to life that separates us from less thinking beings" He pauses "This logic extends to machines. There is something that separates a machine, from one that takes in instructions, and executes them, to one that makes decisions of its own. We have one, perhaps two such incidences recently. One, of the being formally known as Strix, and the other of the generator itself" He pauses, glancing up briefly "Now, deliberate creation of such things is considered an Enoch level threat" That's pretty goddamn high. Not the top, but far higher than one may expect "Before we go any further. Do you know why?"
Maybelline shakes her head, definitely knowing the threat level at the very least. "No, not exactly. The Engineer Guilds put some pretty damn strict guidelines on the usage of Magitech for this kind of thing, but don't give reasons beyond 'don't do it'. Maybe so as not to give folks ideas." She swears a bit. "Mia is still Strix, and definitely not some Enoch level threat." She doesn't consider whether or not Strix was considered any level of threat beforehand... that's not the point right now.
Aurelius: "Well, only because she's more interested in making new ways to re-heat chicken" He chuckles "But the reason is that previous attempts have ended poorly, to say the least. The resulting intelligences were capable of scaling themselves up higher limitlessly, and more than a few were 'born' with either military applications in mind, or with a serious gripe with their creators, or often, both. The creation methods were unpleasent. The new minds suffered greatly in their formative time. So you had malevolent intelligences capable of becomes smarter at an accelerating pace. Not a good thing. The Loremasters have a few of them working for us under supervision, but there were many I am sorry to say..scrubbed. The official policy is K.O.S." Kill on Sight "Though, Sarn has robust sapient rights, and many of our legal scholars muse that as they are newer laws, they would take precedence. I leave that to their mock trials" He yawns "Never my thing! Anyway, that aside aside" Heh "This is accidental on both counts, which means that on some level there was" he motions vaguely "Consent. Perhaps not in Mia's case, but I believe that your generator's position as it is is self motivated. There are certain levels of sapience, but I would suggest that in the generator's case it took an extra step voluntarily"
Maybelline ponders for a moment. "...the recent output from the generator has been above optimal levels. Is it crazy, then, to think that maybe it's... happy? Gah, I wish I knew more about how the generators are supposed to be charged! Elizabeth said she knew, but... considering the outcome of that, something definitely did not go as intended, and now she's been exiled out of town. There's the links with those two sentient elementals, but I only know about those through Louma..." She rubs her temple. "Do other engineers struggle with this degree of chaos?"
Aurelius: "Other engineers stick much more closely to protocol. You're in this mess because you didn't" There's no chiding there, just the not-so-gentle reminder of who's fault this is "I would say to treat it like you would a person. Communicating could be difficult, as it is unlikely to view the world in the same way you do, but..if it is happy, then you're doing something right"
Maybelline chuckles softly, "Okay, yeah, I guess I didn't. Point taken. ...this is all so uncertain still. I mean, I don't have any real proof... but regardless, the generator is My responsibility. I want to do everything in my power to prevent that kind of Epoch level incident. And to ensure it's happy. If she is sentient, she deserves that, at least."
Aurelius: "Enoch" He corrects gently "Treat her like a person. Mia too, since she would theoretically follow the same rules. Less concerned, as she has a 'organic soul', for want of a better term. Still, could be maybe capable of that same scaling threat" Saying that for completeness "In a lot of way the generator is like a child. Limited world experience. Mia?..More akin to puberty? Confusing body changes, new 'hormones'. Large amounts of experimentation..."
Maybelline sighs, nodding, "Mia's my friend. It's just my own fears that held me back, but I'm going to support her. She deserves to be happy too, and... it's kind of sad for her to realize she might not have been as Strix." She shifts a little awkwardly. "I... sorry. It's been on my mind a lot. All of this has. I don't mean to burden you with my issues on it all too."
Aurelius: "Emotional support is part of my job too you know" He replies gently, reaching over and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder "You're not a bad person for reacting poorly to a major change. Mia and Strix are the same person, but in many ways, they've changed. I've noticed it, and you noticed it. You shouldn't deny your own feelings. They're valid too"
Maybelline bows her head, "I... guess I didn't fully comprehend a Loremaster's job, then. I've... it's a lot. Mia's changes, the Generator. But then I think of what Mia is going through and feel pretty selfish. For all the hardships I've dealt with in this town, I've also had... just... wonderful things happen." She blushes a bit, lifting her hand to run a finger over the ring.
Aurelius: "Keepers of knowledge" He quirks a beak "Knowing how one should feel is still knowledge. It's not selfish to worry about your own feelings occasionally. Good people care about the welfare of people, and you're a person"
Maybelline chuckles, "And so is Mia... and so is the Generator. I guess that does answer the real core question I had, doesn't it?"
Aurelius: "Well, I would hope so. It's rather my job to answer questions"
Maybelline points to the reading list, "Can I still check some of these out? I mean, the more I can understand, the more I can do to keep things going smoothly. I'll want to read as much as I can about this."
Aurelius: "Of course. You'll need to sign some forms, but you can"
Maybelline nods, "Of course. I hope I can make heads or tails of the magical stuff... but it should prove to be an interesting read at the very least."
Maybelline proceeds to pick out a selection of books from the list to start with, and begins to sign them out, filling in the proper forms regarding risk of reading and a vow not to apply forbidden knowledge, standard stuff really, when dealing with the creation of sentience.
Aurelius has all these filed away, before passing May over some really interesting reading material!
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STREETS OF SOUTHERN RESPITE - AFTERNOON
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Louma leaves the alley, having just checked Xochi's house, as well as the back yard, for the missing younger Xochicoatl. She's in her guard uniform, and looks like she didn't get quite enough sleep the night before. After Nesseth had left, May's worried questions about the missing house guest served to amplify Louma's own concerns, and she'd enlisted Nesseth this morning to search her out, figuring 24 hours was enough time for her to cool down. Finishing her own tasks for the morning rather hastily, she'd joined him around noon. Spotting Nesseth up the road, she regroups with him again. "She's not at Xochi's house, I am running out of ideas, and I suppose you didn't find her in the Minnow?"
Nesseth shakes his head as Louma joins him along his route. He's in his own guard uniform, having been searching for Xochicoatl during his usual job around town. He's looking a bit grim, even though he'd spent some time unwinding with folks the previous evening. "No, I didn't find her at the Minnow, unfortunately. The barkeep didn't see anyone matching her description, and you know how meticulous they are about details like that."
Erika steps out from the front door of her house, pretty rare by itself for the okapi. She quietly closes the door behind her while giving a small glance and a smile towards the upstairs window. She sighs to herself and starts walking... and stops as she sees Louma and Nesseth some distance away.
Louma nods, looking about as she thinks, her tail thumping occasionally in her frustration. "This is all my fault... Introducing you like that, then lying to her... I just... Wanted to buy us time, and now I have only caused things to be more difficult. She's not even in her own home, though... Her garden might have given me one idea, perhaps?"
Louma looks at Nesseth. "Perhaps she's in the field above the waterfall, where I taught her to fly?"
Nesseth tilts his head curiously at Louma as the two stride (well, slither, in Louma's case) down the street. "Ah, you mean that little waterfall fixture she had in her garden? I could see that, sure."
Louma nods. "Well, that and the field is lush with wild flowers."
Erika starts walking towards the pair, not really sure what she might say to them, but feeling like she has to say something sooner or later. She attempts to gather herself at least a bit...
Louma hums, turning to stare at the road ahead of her as they move while she thinks. "I could fly there fairly quickly, but if she's not there, that's another half hour wasted."
Nesseth hums and nods. "We should at least check out whatever we can around town first before we try that. Or else... we could split and cover more ground for a little while?"
Erika steps into walking distance with the two. To her credit, she's trying to stay neutral in her expression, even if she's lacking her usual cheer. "Hello, you two."
Louma looks up at the familiar voice, but unfamiliar tone it carries, settling on Erika with a light smile. "Hello, Erika. How do you fare, today?"
Nesseth looks over at Erika, only to smile upon seeing her joining them on their route through the street. "Oh, hey there, Erika! Things all good at the garden?"
Erika gives Louma a bit of a half-smile: "Seen better days, seen worse, I suppose." She turns to Nesseth: "Mostly."
Louma tilts her head a little. "Mostly?"
Nesseth 's smile slides a bit and he tilts his head. "Mostly? What's up, Erika?"
Erika shrugs: "What's it that you are up to, right now?" A deliberate topic dodge, or intuition on her part, who can tell.
Louma glances at Nesseth, shrugging after a few moments. "Well, we are looking for someone. She looks a lot like Xochi, though much younger. Would you have time to keep an eye out for her?"
Nesseth glances at Louma as well, feeling rather nonplussed by the odd attitude. "She ran off somewhere since yesterday, and Louma and I have been trying to find her since we started work this morning." He nods, "If you could keep an eye open and let us know, we'd really appreciate it."
Erika smiles: "Oh! Oh. Yep, she's safe." She crosses her arms, the smile waning: "Not really thanks to you two, from what I hear."
Louma lights up a little when it seems Erika knows where to find their missing coatl, though her smile freezes before she responds. "Oh, perhaps. She is not exactly caught up with us, to put it lightly. Whatever she may have told you is probably colored by that."
Nesseth hums a bit as his own smile slides away completely. "We didn't want to scare her, but there's a lot going on that I think has to do with that... "dream" I had a bit ago. Remember, Erika? Xochi telling me to find her other self?"
Erika frowns: "I'm not sure how that ties into scaring the wits out of a teenager, even if that teenager is Xochi in a way."
Louma nods to Erika. "You may be right. That was an error in my judgement. We'd like to take her back somewhere safe, though. Sooner rather than later, so..."
Nesseth shakes his head. "We didn't want to scare her at all. We wanted to try and figure out what was going on, without the entire situation sounding utterly insane."
Erika frowns, her tail wishing agitatedly: "She came to me last night, crying, confused and lost. I'd be real careful about your next step."
Nesseth tilts his head, a slight frown creasing his lips. "We've been trying our hardest to not make her panic or freak out. How would you take it if some folks suddenly just say "Hey, you aren't the real Xochi, and your presence is actually not supposed to happen"? Is that worse or better than keeping it quiet?"
Louma sighs quietly, tilting her head a little bit. "Xochicoatl might be... No, is most likely a key piece to figuring out what happened to Xochi. We need to... I do not even know what we need to do with her, but Nesseth's strange dream lines up disturbingly well with snake lore he knew nothing about. We may only have a limited chance to find Xochi. If that means making Xochicoatl sad, then so be it. Where is she, Erika?"
Erika shrugs: "I told her what I knew of the situation, and it eased her mind. A bit more empathy, a bit less harsh on facts." She crosses her arms again as she looks at Louma: "If I tell you, what IS your next move?"
Louma looks to Nesseth. "Well, Sammi was involved, hopefully we find her. Though there has been even less of a sign of her than of Xochi..."
Nesseth shrugs a bit. "Well, with Xochicoatl herself... probably tell her the entire truth if you think we should, though I don't think that's too good an idea yet." He looks over at Louma, "Last I'd heard, Gareth was searching for her, but hasn't found a trace yet."
Erika looks between the two: "The 'entire truth'? Is there something about this I don't know yet?"
Nesseth nods. "A lot." He glances at Louma again, "Think I should talk about this, since it's all Snake mythology that you keep under wraps?"
Louma grunts in affirmation to both Nesseth's points. "I'll let her know what I know, you fill in the gaps. I think we can leave out the deep dive into the more esoteric side of things for now. Mostly because I don't have a much better grasp on any of it than you, I think." She turns hack back to Erika. "Well. Xochi and Sammi were going to perform a ritual of sorts. From what I understand of it, to help Xochi undo many of her regrets and missed opportunities. She and Sammi seemingly vanished around the time of it, and now we have Xochicoatl." She tilts her head a little. "You spoke with her. Does she seem to still be Xochi to you? Who you think Xochi would want to be?"
Erika nods: "I heard of the ritual, Xochi asked my help for some of it." She hums... then nods: "Mostly, yes. Xochi with a different experience, but definitely her."
Nesseth hums. "Mmh... then that just confirms what I know. Xochicoatl is Xochi's other self, plucked from another time, if what she says is true. The real Xochi... our Xochi, the one that maintains the garden in her house, and lives with Kira... is currently trapped in a sort of purgatory. Equal exchange to keep "the balance", from what I understand."
Erika frowns as she listens to Nesseth: "...I don't like the direction this story is going."
Nesseth crosses his arms as he frowns, mostly at the situation Xochi is in. "We take too long, Xochi effectively dies, and Xochicoatl takes her place for good." He shakes his head, "And I can say that how she's trapped is not a fun thing."
Erika frowns: "So send then young one in there in her stead? That's fair to you?"
Nesseth makes a sound of discontent. "She would go back to her own time, back to that manor she was living in before showing up here in Respite." He looks at Erika and raises an eyebrow, "You'd consign the real Xochi to being surrounded by the dead, though, all alone?"
Erika grunts: "There has to be some other way..." She glances back towards her house, unsure of what to do: "Something we have missed."
Louma sighs, shaking her head slowly. "I've spent over a month living with Xochicoatl. She is not our Xochi. She has her own ambitions and desires, some which Xochi may have given up on for a simpler life. Even if we let Xochi disappear forever... Let her die... Xochicoatl seeks a life that will not leave her happy. If anything she will risk her life trying to reclaim the coatl throne in Orela."
Erika gives Louma a pointed look: "You don't know that. She seems very eager to learn and explore."
Nesseth grunts in turn. "She seems to think it's her duty. I'm not sure she wants to, but she seems committed."
Louma returns the pointed look. "She's repeatedly and excitedly discussed returning to Orela with support to become empress."
Erika frowns: "Maybe. I still don't think it's enough to justify just banishing her..."
Nesseth 's frown deepens. "What other option is there? What I learned about this, it's always one for another, always in balance. We either let our Xochi remain in the Dark Sea, surrounded by the dead, or have Xochicoatl go back to her proper time."
Louma: "Our hope is not banishment, it is to get our own Xochi back. We don't know where Xochicoatl is missing from, but she doesn't belong here."
Erika lets out a grunt: "F-fine. Maybe you're right. Do we have any idea on how to proceed on this?"
Louma looks to Nesseth, expecting that answer.
Nesseth shrugs. "Only thing I can think of to start with is seeing what the ritual even did. To that end, we might need to search Xochi's house... like, inside the house, not just the garden, for things like notes."
Erika hums: "I did think about the notes, as well. Better start than nothing." She lets out a deflated sigh: "I will leave that to you, love. I will see to Xochicoatl in the meantime. Try to find a way to break this to her."
Louma hums, nodding. "That would be a good start. I only looked for Xochicoatl herself when I was there earlier. We also need Sammi. I'll try to catch Gareth. Today, hopefully."
Nesseth nods. "I'll see if I can get Kira to let me into the house, then. She's been worried about Xochi ever since she vanished, so I think she'll be happy to let me in if it helps get her back."
Erika gives both Nesseth and Louma a nod: "Well. I hope this works and... well, call me an optimist but I still want to think there's some other way we have missed."
Nesseth hums quietly. "If there was a way, I'd love to hear it. But if it's a matter of balance, there won't be a way to save both without losing someone else."
Erika gives Nesseth a look: "IF. Once a upon a time, we wondered if there is a cure for certain flower making us feral."
Louma shakes her head. "We wont know until the time comes. Keep that optimism up, Erika. One of us needs to."
Nesseth gives Erika a look in turn. "That was also something we didn't have to worry about a time limit on, or at least it wasn't a pressing one. We don't have that luxury here."
Erika crosses her arms: "We really only have your dream experience on that. But... I trust you." She shakes her head: "I will go see that young Xochicoatl is okay."
Nesseth raises an eyebrow. "And yet, all of that lines up perfectly with what we know. Like I said that night, I don't know if it was actually a dream or something else."
Louma nods. "At least we know she's in good hands. I'll search out either Sammi, or at least, Gareth." She turns, giving Nesseth a nod. "We'll reconvene at the barracks in the morning. Whether or not we're any closer to some resolution."
Erika glances at Nesseth, then shrugs: "I... well, I trust you. I don't really get any of this dream stuff."
Louma, Nesseth and Erika split off in their respective directions, hoping to make some headway on this magical mystery, clear as mud on what they need to do.