animus_network | Is ♞ even on the network's character map, or: event related, at -5.

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Is ♞ even on the network's character map, or: event related, at -5.

[The video feed is focused on a pretty egg-shaped gem, colored blue and swirling black. It's sitting on the keyboard, and Sayaka's face is level with it, staring at it. She's not blinking. From the angle, you can't see her (normally violet) collar.]

It's right there. But I keep thinking it's over there. [She waves a hand into the camera's view, dismissively at some-direction.] But it's not, but it feels like it.

Maybe this is what happens when one of us uses too much magic.

It's driving me crazy.

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[John squints at the message for several seconds before replying.]

What is that thing?

[She's going to bump her nose into the gem, if she puts her face any closer to it.]

A soul gem.

It's me. Uhm. I mean mine.

Well, uh...

[Egderp is egconfused.]

Maybe you can trick your mind into fixing itself? Somehow?

Hahahah. Just think positive or something?

[She flicks her eyes to the terminal screen for a moment, and seems surprised.]

Oh. Hi again.

No? It's like when you start to get carsick, because your eyes say you're moving but your brain says you're not moving your legs...?

[He shrugs.]

Hi.

Uh, are you feeling okay?

Oh. I usually just take the train.

[Yeahh, back to staring at the gem again.]

Not really. Like I said, it feels like I've lost it, but it's right there...

The train? That's cool. We don't have many trains where I am.

Well, uh, maybe you're just going stir crazy from being here too long? Do you wanna do something else to get it off your mind?

[He's no good at this... Call Rose! Send help! Aaaahhhh!]

There aren't trains in the tower, yeah!

_{[That last bit's said with some amount of mirth, since she knows he probably meant where he's from, but.]}

Whenever I walk anywhere I have to keep stopping to check on this, though.

...Wow, oops! [John laughs with her. That was a truly spectacular slip-up.] Yeah, I guess they don't have any trains where there's nowhere to go, huh?

Hmm... can you put it on a necklace? That way you can just look down and see that it's there, or feel the weight or something.

Normally I do this with it.

_{[Sayaka waves a hand in front of the gem, and like any sleight-of-hand trick it's gone. What's new, though, is the ring on one of her fingers.]}

And that works. But I keep thinking it's gone anyway. It's so light like that.

...it's still there on my hand, right?

Uh, yeah! [John has to put his face very close to the screen to see the ring in Sayaka's video. He probably looks pretty stupid to her.] That was pretty cool! But can you make it bigger or something so it's not so light?

_{[...Ding ding, cue lightbulb, she's got an idea.]}

I could tie something to it! A bell would work great, but I doubt if I could find one...

[John nods eagerly, and then gets to thinking about where she could find one...]

Oh, I know! There's a cathedral floor or something, right? Cathedrals have lots of bells. You could see if there's one there.

Okay. I'll do that. I think I've seen it before, maybe it's not TOO far...

_{[More focused on the ring on her finger than anything, Sayaka moves offscreen - and doesn't return. Looks like she forgot to cut the feed before going off.]}

[He wonders what the gem is but his eyes widen as he realise it is Sayaka talking.]

My magic, keeps being strange as well... I can't always sense Gohran and Sanshi... sorry... maybe they've decided to try and control us again...

_{[She sounds substantially different than what you're used to, Taiki. A bit of a high-strung monotone, that's verges on petulance every now and then.]}

If that's what's happening, they're stupid. You can't control someone by making them go out of control, right...?

[It worries him, and he tries to sound calm, but fails pretty spectacularly] I don't know... they've done it before, they made us all try and kill... Maybe... maybe they want to know what will happen...

_{[There's a long silence, before she snatches the gem in the center of the feed up, hands wrapped tight around it so that the delicate bones in her hands stand out.]}

I won't kill any innocents. I'll smash this before I let that happen. _{That's one way of keeping in control, right? I bet like I am now I wouldn't even feel it.}

[Taiki's eyes widened though he didn't know what it was she was holding. But the way she spoke... he guessed it was important.] Sayaka... what... what is that?

_{[Despite the words she's spouting, Sayaka loosens her hold on the gem. Even feeling like this, she'd gotten an uncomfortable sense of claustrophobia from doing that. Too pressed in.]}

It's a Soul Gem. Kind of obvious name, right?

[A very obvious name, Taiki leaned towards the computer intently.] Don't smash it Sayaka!

..I'm just saying, if something like that happens, then...

_{[She puts the gem down, seeming a bit calmer now.]}

It won't [Taiki looked relieved when Sayaka put down the gem] You will be OK, don't smash it... Please.

..I don't really want to, anyway. _{[Admitted a bit begrudgingly.]} So we'll just have to watch out for what they do, I guess.

Good. It will be alright... their games only last a few days...

"Too much magic"? What's that supposed to mean?

Gee, what does it sound like. Magic, used too much. I have a limit to it and I think I might've... went over it.

You have a limit on your magic? [That was a new one.] What is this, an RPG?

So how do you regain magic if you used too much?

I wish. Then I'd get save points!

_{[Never mind that she does have extra lives.]}

Grief Seeds. Which, surprise! I can't get here.

The hell is a Grief Seed? [IS HE IN A JAPANESE ANIMU]

Did you try the infirmary?

Hahahah, hahahah, hah...

It's not medicine. It's something you have to earn.

_{[You may, in fact, be in a japanese animu.]}

[What. Dead-eye stare go.]

From what I know, they provide anything you need to survive there. And it seems like you're pretty in need of it.

[BUT WHATEVER headshake here.] If it's a certain kind of magic, I might be able to help though.

"A certain kind?" Uhm...

_{[Sayaka looks down at her soul gem, a contemplative frown on her face.]}

What kind?

I guess you could say it has to do with your mind-- or your psyche, or your soul, whatever you want to go with it. We call it Persona; a manifestation of your innermost self given physical form. I have medicine that can suppress that power.

It'll cost you though.

_{[She snaps back up to stare at the camera at the word 'soul' in particular. Way to be obvious, Sayaka.]}

So you can make it just, stop being physical? With medicine? And that fixes it, just like that?

_{[This is mind boggling, but she is really.. tempted..]}

[Oh welp that got her attention. Hm.]

It doesn't stop it from being physical, but it basically keeps it from going out of control. It's the power going crazy and out of our control that could potentially kill us, so it keeps the power under control. It decreases your life span, but given the fact you can't die here, I don't think that'll be much of a problem.

You said it would cost me.

_{[She's still mulling it over, but it's definitely important hearing that part. _{..making deals before knowing the real price is something she really doesn't want to do again.}]}

Of course; nothing comes free. [He sighed and propped his arm up, leaning his cheek on the palm of his hand.]

There's not exactly much we can do with currency in the tower though, so how about I just collect an IOU and call in a favor later?

Oh! ..Well, that's not so bad!

_{[Comparatively.]}

..should I find you somewhere? I don't know if I could stand traveling that much like I'm feeling now...

[Chill gurrl, he don't give a shit about entropy.]

Just let me know where you are. I have to run back to my room and grab the medicine, but it shouldn't take too long. And if you're already freaking out about this stuff, it's probably best you stayed put.

_{[This is the part where she relays coordinates like awesome.

And then leans on the keyboard while waiting because asdkjh; this event is misery.]}

[And OFF he goes to the dormitory floor to dig up his pills.

After a unspecified amount of time, Jin returned to the library with the bottle in hand, making his way over to the blue-haired girl, holding the bottle out to her.]

Try it out.

_{[There's innumerable lines of nonsense characters piled up on the screen of Sayaka's terminal, from where she's hunched upon it, holding her soul gem to her forehead like you'd hold an ice pack.

The shake of pills in a bottle get her to sit up and stop languishing before Jin even speaks, and she takes the bottle with a thoughtful expression.]}

Wow, it looks like normal medicine. I almost expected it to be like... a paper seal, or something.

_{[She gives the bottle a light shake. Yeah, that's a pill sound alright. Easily taking off the top (ha, child proofing) she takes out a capsule, and just sort of - holds it awkwardly.]}

...So, what is it? 'Pop one a day to keep your soul nice and not freaking out?'

[Jin did give a curious glance at the nonsense characters on Sayaka's screen, but shrugged it off for now as he watched Sayaka hold the capsule.]

Basically. It's just like a normal prescription; don't take it regularly, and you're screwed.

[It's just in this case you risked getting choked by a giant personal demon version of your id.]

Oh.

_{[Should she... just take it herself? Or would it work if she applied it to her actual soul gem...? How does this work even.

On a whim, she holds it near her soul gem a moment, like you would prime a Grief Seed to clean it. It does nothing, of course, and with an embarrassed look she simply takes the pill. WHO NEEDS WATER TAKING IT DRYYYY--

...

..nothing seems different yet.]}

Uhm. Thanks, by the way.

[When she just held it near the...bauble, whatever apparently it was very important, he just kind of stared. The look of derision let up at least when she actually did swallow it.]

No problem. [As long as there's payment at least.] Name's Jin, by the way.

_{[The disconnect still hasn't gone away, but the placebo of having taken the pill at all has her able to push away some of the freaking out.]}

Jin, got it. I'm Sayaka. Sayaka Miki.

Good to know.

[Because normal people said "nice to meet you.]

Let me know if you need anything else.

[And ooooff he gooeeess.]

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Is ♞ even on the network's character map, or: event related, at -5.

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choo choo im the backtag train

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choo choo im the backtag train

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QUALITY POST BELOW:

I'm gonna nominate it for an Oscar [Video-->Action]

[and action is remains]

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there now we can have one less thread jfc