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 Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 7:52 am
{{backdated to 11/25}} Scholomance,
I must confess, there aren't many people writing to me to solicit my opinions on knighthood or anything else. I can only suspect your convalescence must be incredibly dull. Regardless, it's incumbent upon me to break up your monotony with a response, wearisome or otherwise. With luck, I'll lull you gently off to a much-deserved nap.
I was sorry to hear of your injury. As you've already experienced, Labyrinthite is extremely volatile -- someone I have a bit of (future?) history with. I'm glad he spared you, whatever his reasons. It would be a shame to lose someone so soon who claims to be interested in my opinions.
News of your Wonder is always interesting. I'm glad your ancestor was more coherent on this visit, though it does seem odd that someone whose ostensible purpose in lingering beyond life is to educate you would be so unforthcoming. I wonder if he feels he has reason not to trust you? If indeed your Wonder housed some sort of research program which may or may not have killed its own knight, it could be incredibly powerful. I've had occasion to visit a research facility on Mercury, a Wonder which is perhaps a little like yours in that regard. It was heavily booby-trapped and lethally secured against invasion. Please continue to be cautious in your explorations, if you ultimately decide to venture further.
Are you accepting visitors? I usually have some free time on my hands.
Fondly,
HvergelmirStrickenized feel free to write back or not, as you wish~
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 7:00 am
Shazari Dearest Hvergelmir,
Kindly refrain from defecating on your self-image. As far as I am concerned, the only writings capable of sending me off into a nap are westerns and questionable romance novels. Considering that your response reads as neither, I am still very much awake.
In regards to Labyrinthite, what can you tell me of him? Do you have any speculation on what his reasons were for letting me live? I am similarly interested to hear what you mean by 'future' history. I thought oxymorons were generally frowned upon.
I do not think that Blaine distrusts me. I own a pawn shop as my business; I have spent a lot of time interacting with liars to knew when someone distrusts or is trying to cheat me. His responses do not give me those indications. Sometimes it seems like he doesn't know himself, or that my being there is the only way he can jog his memory. I imagine that spending a thousand years in a place gives pause for much self-reflection, but similarly, I wonder if he ever found need to reflect upon basics. For example, I don't think you often remind yourself that the place that you reside in now is your house, and that you live in it. Therefore, I doubt that Blaine repeated to himself the nature of Scholomance many times over the thousand years he spent in isolation.
I am interested in hearing about this Mercury Wonder if you have the time. I personally have not encountered any booby traps at Scholomance - it seems that most of the place was kept locked down by magical security. The facilities may be related, or they may share only the common pursuit of research.
Also, visiting hours are between 9AM and 10PM. Please check in with the receptionist (Mont Blonc) before proceeding. I will enclose a sticky note with Mont Blonc's address with this letter.
Yours,
Scholomance
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 9:02 am
Strickenized My Dear Scholomance, In the same breath (or, perhaps one should say, the same droplet of ink), you chide me for a low self-image, and yet set me an incredibly low bar for successful achievement. One can only assume your pain must be fairly severe if nothing of the written word can persuade you to sleep short of pulp fiction. Well, then: if I cannot bore you with any success, let me at least try to entertain. Regretfully, I cannot provide you with much of substance on your subject of choosing. My encounters in this timeline with the man we know as General Labyrinthite have been notably few. I fear I cannot offer any insight as to his motives in sparing your life. I am, however, pleased to be able to provide you somewhat more substance on the subject of future history. Approximately a year from today, a large group of us -- powered individuals on any side of this conflict -- began to experience phenomena of strangely correllated dreams and waking recollections. These visions centered around our own lives at a future point in time which we understand to be approximately four years from the current date (that is, five years from when the visions began). In this future -- which we may or may not have circumvented by our actions in the past year -- we witnessed the rise and public exposure of the Negaverse on a global scale. Their forces began a worldwide takeover, with the Dark Mirror Court as their quiet and unequal allies. What remained of our forces, as senshi and knights, were driven into deeper and more extreme forms of hiding. Destiny City was run by the Negaverse as a totalitarian dictatorship. In our visions of this possible future, Labyrinthite, among others, rose to the rank of General-King within the Negaverse -- their highest honor. His violence, in that future, was the subject of some notoriety. I say we have a shared future history for that reason. He committed transgressions against my person to the end result that I was left without a tongue, and attempted to murder me wholecloth several years subsequent to that. I don't know whether this future will come to pass. Obviously I would prefer not -- though the prospect of having such a willing correspondent improves my outlook on the possibility in some small measure. smile Memory, as you noted, is somewhat of a curious thing -- and something in which I have an amateur's passing personal interest, having spent some time in study of it in my childhood. The place your ancestor inhabits is likely familiar enough not to spark many buried connections; this may be at the root of his relative responsiveness to you. Some facet of your existence, perhaps, inspires connections of memory that his regular surroundings no longer do. At any rate, there are any number of memory techniques which may improve the quality of his mental recall; I cannot vouch for much real expertise in this area, but I would be happy to accompany you to your Wonder if I can provide any assistance in this regard, should you see fit to extend such an invitation. Given your concerns as to its nature, I understand if you feel this is not possible. Mercury Wonders are generally highly technologically advanced; while I've witnessed some of the dangers of their defensive technology firsthand, my understanding in this regard is sadly rudimentary. It may be that the best way to enable you to compare notes between your two Wonders would be to put you in contact with the knight in question directly, if this is agreeable to you. It would be my pleasure to call on you during your convalescence -- I'll speak to Mont Blanc regarding a mutually convenient time. I hope you will forgive a lacking wardrobe; I find my knightly garb sets a bad precedent for the real thing to aspire to. Do you like chocolate? YOS, Hvergelmir
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 9:44 am
Shazari Hvergelmir,
I regret to inform you that I did not include one key fact about our exchange, which may have led you to the conclusion that I may not easily be bored. It is important to include that my willingness to respond to letters, including those of tepid intellectual qualities, is greatly dependent on the mentally stimulating nature of the correspondence. Therefore, I would like to further add that I refrain from replying to most letters that do not ask direct and pressing questions of me unless I find them highly interesting. As one of sound reason, you would be well aware if this were the case.
It is disappointing to read that there is no available information on Labyrinthite and his motives. I will need to pursue this through alternate means.
These dreams you write of sound like a very queer experience. I expect that it is fruitless to speculate over the purpose of these collective dreams, but I imagine that those involved took from it some kind of impetus - and I imagine that extends to both sides of the war if the Negaverse and Dark Mirror experienced the same. It is unfortunate that you dreamt of losing your tongue, though you might find in that more motivation to continue practicing correspondence with me. From a more personal perspective, I expect that losing one's tongue would be most dismaying when interacting with others on a more personal and private scale. But, if you find these pursuits foolhardy, inappealing, or otherwise extraneous, then perhaps life absent one tongue did not bother you so.
In either case, please accept this quick sketch (as a note, I have included the tongue):
[[Attached to the knight's note is a sketch of charcoal pencils, drafted in a highly contrasted and stylized manner, depicting a slightly inaccurate representation of Hvergelmir's smile. The sketch delicately addresses a shoulders-up view of the Cosmos knight with no hints of clothing beyond earrings and necklace. In the corner, Isaiah used the Scholomance signet as a signature.]]
My primary concerns regarding a personal invitation to Scholomance stem from its oppressive atmosphere, primarily - it is not a pleasant place, and certainly not an ideal location for hosting pleasant company. If you feel that you are still willing to attend, despite acknowledging that you may feel wholly unwelcome from the moment your sparkling ballet flats touch the dead landscape, then I am deeply honored by your convictions in choosing to come. I do not see a reason to object to mental stimulation attempts on Blaine; if you can manage some progress in this regard, then perhaps more of the Wonder will become clear to me (and by extension, you).
Kind Hvergelmir, when regarding your apparel for the day, please bear in mind that I have naught at my disposal for appropriate presentation beyond a borrowed hospital gown. From an artist's perspective, the figure itself holds far more importance than the cloth draped over it.
YOS - Your Obedient Servant? I fear I would make ample use of this if given the chance.
Yours,
S.
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:29 am
Strickenized To my talented friend Scholomance, I was delighted to receive your most recent letter, including the enclosed drawing. Bar one ten dollar caricature from a street artist on my tenth birthday, I don't think anyone's ever drawn me, even in jest. Take a layman's opinion for what it is, but I thought it was beautiful. I'm not sure what your intentions are regarding 'alternate means' of understanding Labyrinthite and his motives. I will hope that you simply mean a wider net of interviewees on the subject, and beg you not to endanger yourself further. Life without a tongue is lacking in many respects, if my remembered experience is anything to go by. Beyond the conversational, there were, as you imagined, a number of interpersonal drawbacks. The nature of intimate interactions changes -- though not all trauma kills the spirit. Life with such a disability does not lose all its luster. Dietary changes were often the most disheartening: absent a tongue, solid foods are generally prohibitively difficult and dangerous to eat, so my diet was liquid and, obviously, almost entirely flavorless (there are a few taste buds at the back of the tongue and the throat, but nevertheless the experience was entirely joyless). When you're well, we can arrange a date for a visit to your Wonder together. If it is as unwelcoming to its own knight as you say, I can only imagine how terrible it will seem to an outsider, as I am -- but we'll be together, and I will do my best. I regret you would certainly find me a disappointing servant, willing and obedient or otherwise. I despise cleaning -- a tiresome task -- and am desperately untidy. I cannot cook whatsoever. My footrubs, I am told, may with some generosity be described as adequate. But perhaps I can fetch some things for you to occupy you during your recovery? Send me a list of what you might like to have, and I'll see what can be managed. Please be aware my funds are limited. Warmly, Hvergelmir
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 7:21 am
Shazari Hvergelmir,
Would you chide me if I said that I intended to seek the answer from the source of the attack? I know how to do it by safer means, so you needn't worry over my well-being. By nature of my business, I have met with an assortment of occasionally unscrupulous individuals that have given me a commendable assortment of ideas for how to go about this. Is it hubris to call myself safe in this regard?
If you find yourself more forthcoming with information on Labyrinth to prevent me from this route, please do not consider your timing too late.
To be crass with you, Hvergelmir, if I were in your future possible position, I would be most dismayed to find that I could no longer enjoy the taste of other people. Feel free to take that in any manner you will, but I meant it in the most carnal fashion possible. Despite my charm and devilish good looks, I have a particular dearth of class. But this is all tangential information - I hope your tongue stays in your mouth, pleasantly attached, for many years to come. Perhaps, sometime, you would allow me to take you for drinks in continued celebration of your tongue's good health.
And, unfortunately, due to the nature of that celebration I will be bringing with me every tongue-in-cheek joke of my expansive repertoire.
(Aren't I cheeky. Ha.)
I feel that it would be most appropriate to act on such a plan after a trip to Scholomance. Perhaps we can tack it onto that and make a day of it. Does Saturday, December 12th sound like a fair day for the occasion? I understand it is quite close, and if you have other plans, I will not take offense to a reschedule. If you find yourself open on this day, then I invite you to meet me at the same fountain where we met before. Otherwise, I am happy to invite you here directly - it saves me the trouble of walking (which, by the way, I am getting my staples out very soon - this pleases me more than you can imagine).
As for thing-fetching, I've been doing a lot of reading - if you have any old favorites, I would be grateful to borrow them for a time. Perhaps this is less conventional, but if you have any old legal envelopes that were not destroyed in their opening, please bring those as well.
Also, don't be alarmed if you find yourself inundated with drawings.
I hope to see you soon.
- S.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 10:32 am
Strickenized Darling Scholomance, It is hubris. Do not play so cavalierly with your life, I beg you. Labyrinthite is a Negaverse General and a seasoned veteran of many years -- he is responsible for murdering many senshi and knights, a good portion of which were likely higher ranked and less recently recovered from injury. He has combat experience which I can only assume you lack in equal measure, and a weapon which could happily cleave you in twain more permanently than he managed it on first occasion. You will likely find yourself dead in short order, or else enslaved to Metallia for the rest of your natural life. Please. Do not do this. I cannot overstate the degree to which I believe it to be a foolish course of action. Do not, in this case, poke a sleeping bear in its cage to ask it why it sleeps. Find some safer way. I have to sit for an exam on the Saturday in question -- I'll be finished at 2 pm at the latest. I can meet with you any time after that for a trip to your Wonder, and drinks afterward . . . and with any luck, to prevail upon you further not to attempt to take your research to Labyrinthite directly. I'll join you directly at our mutual friend's house, if 2 pm is agreeable to you. I have little in the way of legal envelopes, but somewhat more in the way of books. I've taken the liberty of selecting several of my favorite stage plays, since those are easily to hand -- but if there is a genre more to your liking, please don't hesitate to specify. I cannot vouch for the quality of my own taste, but my life has afforded me ample opportunity for reading, and it would be my pleasure to make the attempt of selecting something diverting on your behalf. Your librarian, Hvergelmir
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Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 8:41 am
Shazari Hvergelmir, star of my skies,
To warn me of such is to assume I have a certain fondness for my life as it currently stands. While I can only surmise what comes from death, I am well aware of what comes from corruption - another life, broken off of this one, and demanded of me the servitude to a questionable cause. But are we not already servants to the Code? If I remember what you told me, Metallia differs by her endless want to consume, and I am not so enamored by humanity to attempt to save it. Scholomance makes constant and consistent demands of me, and if there is a piece of Code at its core, then I expect it is simply the Code exercising its will through the wonder. Regardless of who I serve, I will not live a free existence.
If confronting Labyrinthite causes me such trauma, so be it, for I cannot find the answers I seek from any safer source. As they will often declare in business: nothing ventured, nothing gained.
But my plans will not demand my death or corruption so quickly that I cannot take you to my wonder before then. 2PM sounds perfectly amenable to me. You can continue attempting to convince me otherwise, but I am afraid that short of stooping to deprecating circumstances, you may not be able to sway me. If you find interest in dark humor, consider the visitation of Scholomance as a funerary rehearsal. There are enough bones there to play the part.
I would similarly like to request that you bring your lap when you visit me. If ever you are concerned with your taste in literature, feel free to take a quick sweep through the erotica section of any bookstore and bring what you find - I would happily perform a dramatic reading of the material to our collective enjoyment. And for more solitary times, crosswords and sudoku often burn up hours with frequent bouts of slumber.
The hour grows late, and I fear I am fading. I would implore you a last time - are you certain you do not want to share any further information about Labyrinthite?
Your Saturnine associate,
Scholomance
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Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 9:31 am
Strickenized Sleepy Scholomance, No human who has ever lived as part of a society truly lives a free existence. We accept certain obligations in exchange for the benefits we reap from the obligations of others. I cannot tell you what obligations you might prefer to bear, and which benefits you can bear to give up in exchange for other ones. Only you know what you can live with. What you can live without. Your friends will miss you, if you go, or if you die. I will miss you. Your decisions are your own, but they impact many lives. Choose -- because your will is your own, and I would never wish that taken from you -- but choose wisely. Not all things that are similar are equal. I will meet you at 2 pm Saturday to make my arguments in person. I'm sorry -- I've told you all I can about Labyrinthite already. I know no more about him than I did the last time you asked. Till Saturday, then. Sleep well -- I wish you the sweetest of dreams. Yours, Hvergelmir
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