retested | IC Inbox

[Slowly, he pulls away after one last feline headbutt, only doing so when she does as well. She might not meet his gaze, but that doesn't mean he'll look away himself.] Amanda, I spent the entire reading of Atem's Will and Testament on the verge of tears and locked myself in my office for the next week.

I think all of us have a point of breakdown, where it matters, [he sighs, and as if to herald a need for a chance of scenery, the kettle clicks. Time to make that tea, he thinks, as he gets to it.]

I suspect I know what Javert already filled you in on...but there's unfortunately more that you wouldn't have encountered, or heard about- specifically what I'm trying to work toward resolving myself. Naturally the balance here is vital, but access to the world beyond Ryslig was made, and with it...we learned about something that She herself fears.

[How? How could things possibly get even worse for the Fog God? What could She, the mightiest force in this world, the giver of everything, have to fear? Amanda feels dread mounting in her, twisting her stomach and making her heart pound against her ribcage as powerfully as any device she could build.]

Tell me. I need to know everything.

Edited 2023-10-11 15:12 (UTC)

[Noa nods- but motions for them to sit in the small living room with the teas.] We'll want to be sitting for this- trust me, [he adds, moving to the room. Once she's at least in there- he'll understand of course, if she can't, if she needs to pace, anything- he'll start.]

What do you know of the 'Great War'- I know she explains a part of things to her new Priests, but I also know she explains it differently each time... ...whatever it was she told you, it was true of course, but the details of 'what now' are something she's been avoiding.

The world outside here- it's out of her control. It's covered in Fog that's out of her control, [he emphasizes, waiting to see if he either needs to explain the war properly, or if there's anything else he needs to start with.]

[Amanda takes a seat...for now, anyway. And it's a good thing she has.]

Bullshit. [She's not actually calling Noa a liar; she just can't accept his assertion so readily. It's in Her NAME, for chrissake!] She IS the Fog. How the fuck do you expect me to believe there's some out there she can't control?

[As for what Amanda knows of the war....it may be best to give her a rundown anyway, because she's kind of floundering as a whole right now, regardless of what she's heard before or not.]

[Noa doesn't flinch, or protest, which no doubt only strengthens the trust- indeed after all he isn't lying. For Amanda's sake then, he explains the story behind the problem-] I'll start from the beginning; the War.

Our God was originally one of three, as you probably know; Fog, Day, and Night. She was the peacekeeper between her sisters- but their battles grew too much for her to peacefully come between.

The result of that was the seclusion of Ryslig...that much we knew, but we didn't know the gravity of the consequence. Amanda...the Fog outside of here was hers- but whether it was in her wrath for what happened, or as a consequence of killing Day and Night...what's out there was split apart. There were monsters out there, that she can't even speak to anymore, and they're beyond any sense possible, [he adds, visibly shuddering.]

...She doesn't think she can ever get what was hers back. Any questions about the world out there that we've now seen, about the monsters out there... ...she mourns and considers it all lost, never to be hers again. So...

[So...Noa breathes.] ...So, I've been studying what's out there to try and fix that.

So what's the plan? How do you plan to fix it?

[It sounds like it would be a long, slow, perhaps even torturous effort for him, but Amanda can't help but jump right to looking for a solution. The Fog NEEDS them, dammit. She NEEDS them to fix this shit ASAP.

...just wait until Amanda suggests her own way of helping, Noa. He'll need to talk some sense into her before she gets herself killed (or worse).]

You're not going to like this, [He warns, but given the dry tone it at least isn't...a serious matter presumably, not the way everything else has been so far. Instead it's simply-]

A lot of research.

[Ah, go figure.] At the moment, a group of unaffiliated scientists- and I do mean that genuinely, do not let anyone try to convince you they're the 'fourth's' own, it's a matter of coorelation given their...origins...long story short they found themselves heavily infiltrated by his ilk, and they have since been handled, [Noa explains, grinning for a brief moment.

He coughs though, getting back to it.] Ahem- a group of unaffiliated scientists who overtook the ruins of Haftesal have been trying bit by bit to make their way out into the wastes for study. I've been using this to get my own work in place to see what can be done to make what's out there accessible and acceptable for Her.

I unfortunately know that the toxic haze as we'll call it, is definitely not something she can simply take in- one of her recent converts attempted to gift it to her and...mmmm.

[He narrows his eyes. He wants to find a good way to put this without accidentally setting Amanda on anyone after all.] ...They meant well but it drove her power out of control for a short time, arguably leaving her vulnerable for a few moments. Lessons were learned, [the cat finishes, looking back.]

Right now however my primary goal is finding a way to harmonize the energy. Tricky, given the toxic nature of it thus far. Those scientists I mentioned are in full hazmat out there and frankly, so am I.

[She can't help but facepalm when he tells her only copious research can help. If only there were something tangible to do, too build--that's what she does, what she's best at, and it would be comforting to throw herself into that kind of work. To feel like she's actually making a difference.]

Fucking hell...

[But maybe there's another way. Something else she can do, however small. It would be so simple. Painful, to be sure, but simple. She jumps at the possibility.]

I can help with the toxic fog.

[She sounds positive about it. Eager to do it, too.]

Well put... [He sighs, the sound almost lamentous.

And then...he tenses. The cat's ears swivel back, an almost horizontal line at the scalp, as he slowly opens his mouth to speak.]

....I have a feeling I'll regret this...but how?

[She narrows her eyes.]

Don't give me shit, Noa. Not right now.

[She laces the fingers of two hands together, rests them on her knees, and leans in closer. She's clearly VERY serious about this.]

How much do you know about sarin gas?

Incredibly lethal nerve agent, and can you really blame me for being worried?

[Still, he'll hear her out. ...For now.] I'll admit I'm curious about what sarin gas has to do with this though so go on.

Did you know you can build a resistance to it? Not an immunity, there's no way, but if you breathe in a very small amount of it one day, then a tiny bit more the next, and even more the next...eventually, you'll be able to withstand breathing it in for quite a while with minimal recovery time after the fact.

[It's a lunatic idea, an absolutely unhinged thing to even THINK about trying, but she's not wrong. All John had needed to do was present her with the idea and tell her he believed in her, and she'd gone for it.

She holds up three fingers.]

Three hours. I can spend a little over three hours locked in a house, breathing an incredibly lethal nerve agent, while everyone else drops like flies around me.

Get me a sample of the toxic fog.

[Anything for Fog Mom. ANYTHING.]

[Oh. Oh god. Oh no. Oh no-]

It's fungal and parasitic, so no.

[Well that was fast. While there was a brief widening of eyes before the dry, strained reply, he at least he keeps going-] Normally I wouldn't doubt the potential here otherwise...but unfortunately, we aren't dealing with a literal toxin; this is something...alive, for lack of any better word, so it wouldn't work well with that method...

[....................................................] Three hours though, you managed an immunity up to three hours? [At least he sounds amazed? The cat does rub his head as he says this, clearly considering something.]

I can't justify getting a sample back here after what happened over Spring- but I can bring you to the wastes with us, at the borderline; at the very least, we know how to deal with it if it does start to take root...even if we'll be relying heavily on our gifts as Priests to do so.

[The trick is amputation. The worst kind!]

[She grimaces.]

Fuck.

[Well, there goes that idea. So much for getting to feel useful.]

I don't know shit about fungi. I had to build the sarin resistance for a game; I played the part of a test subject to ensure one of the others made it out alive, and the kicks keeping us in the house with the gas coming through the vents would only unlock once three hours had passed.

[She relates this information like it's the most normal thing in the world.]

John and I never had a reason to work with fungi, or much of anything natural. But I'll go with you to the border of the wastes anyway. I need to do something.

[She's intimately familiar with both the concept of self-amputation and the best way to do it, so sign her the fuck up! She won't hesitate to do what needs to be done.]

Edited 2023-10-24 01:49 (UTC)

Being frank, neither does most of the world. Fungi are one of the most alien things on the planet- even the normal one. Death as an extant form of life- the studies are enough to make my head spin.

[But, that won't do anything for their mood, so as he goes for his tea- he's let it cool, hm- he gives an impressed purr at Amanda's tale.] Well now- I take it the idea was that anyone who passed the test would possibly need assistance getting out? Or did you need someone to perform another task after the game?

[In any case.] Natural isn't easy to control after all- a single thing goes wrong and there's not going to be any dialing back. But yes; we might not be able to use any resistance tactics, but the best way to learn is to see, and you need to see this.

[The cat pauses, blinking at his friend. Given what he knows of her eagerness, he decides he'd better add one small request.]

...though I'd rather we both use the hazmat for the initial tour of the guide rope's limits at least, so that we can maximize the time...

[Amanda waves away his question about the nerve gas house game, because the answer is less than straightforward. Understatement of the century, right there.]

It's a long, long story. I'll explain it all later.

[After their current discussion, but before she leaves, Noa WILL hear the story of Saw II.]

Fine. I promise to wear full hazmat gear. Satisfied?

[He will hear it, and be entirely entertained, listening with the kind of big big eyes that only cats can have.

For now they're just normal cat eyes, and he nods.] Much.

In return, you can take as many pictures of me in my own hazmat as you like. ...As you can imagine, it's made for this form.

[Cute kitty hazmat pictures with which to tease with...Not the best trade, but it's a Trade!]

[She cracks a small, half-smile at that. It takes effort to work up even that much, but she makes the attempt because she knows Noa was trying to get one out of her. It's the least she can do in return, right?]

Deal. They'll go great with that emo poem you posted to the network.

[That had been YEARS ago, even BEFORE she vanished. Why does her memory have to be so good?!]

AACCCCKKKK-

[NO

NO!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-]

How do you even remember that still!!

[The point goes to Amanda this time!]

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, AMANDA. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 102.92.004.06 * gameover has joined 102.92.004.06 <gameover> This is Amanda. <gameover> If you need to contact me, do so here. <gameover>** DO NOT waste my time with stupid shit.