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 Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 11:52 pm
The lab was locked.
Apparently Empyrean had gotten on Mother's last digital nerve and now he was locked out. Even his side account.
Grumbling about Mother's intolerance to his attempts to make an acid-projecting snake robot- something she claimed had no 'practical use outside of hurting yourself.' Empyrean sulked away from the ship and toward the lake.
"Why does something have to be useful? Can't I just make it because it's cool? Just because I'm a kid I can't be trusted with acid?" Empyrean grouched as he picked up a rock and threw it into the lake roughly from the shore. He wanted to try skimming the rock, but lacking any actual skill, the rock sailed through the air and landed in the water with a plonk.
Frustrated, Empyrean threw another rock into the lake, annoyed that his desired skimming was not achieved. Glowering at the water, which, perhaps was the wrong vicosity for skimming, Empyrean stomped over and lifted a bigger rock, intending to vent his frustration on the lake. "Obviously something is wrong with the water, or I'd skim rocks just fine."
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:28 am
Kanja was swimming casually with the glowing fish in the deep waters of the lake. It was a quiet day, or was. A rock sank down into the waters, and the fish scattered. Oh! Who could be looking for him? The dragon child had told his friends to throw a rock in if they wanted to see him and he wasn't around. Then a second rock came tumbling through the dark waters. Oh! It must be important! Kanja swam quickly towards the surface, veering to the side in case another impatient stone was tossed his way. He reached the embankment where the tall reeds and grasses grew, and slowly poked his head out if the water. He didn't recognize the red-clad boy who was hefting a large rock up.
"Um... you don't need to throw any more stones in. Is there something you need?" The aquatic dragon moved closer to shore, his scaled shoulders and dark dreads visible above the water. This kid looked frustrated, and how did he know to toss a rock to get his attention? Was he a friend of one if his friends?
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:40 am
The sudden voice from the side startled Empyrean and he dropped the large stone, narrowly missing his own toes by a milimetre and letting out an unmanly shriek. A sudden displacement of water in front of him from the stone resulted in a sploosh as physics took control of the splashback from the action and Empyrean was suddenly covered in lakewater and mud. Mostly mud.
Spluttering and wiping at his face, Empyrean blindly stumbled back, "Where did you come fro-" The words cut off as he tripped, the consequence of trying to walk backwards while blind, and fell on his backside in the water.
A very miserable groan echoed from Empyrean's throat as he stilled, instinctively stopping movement so he could assess if he had, as it felt, bruised a very delicate bone.
The day, it seemed, was not improving.
Empyrean wiped his eyes, smearing mud over his cheeks and frowned at the native boy. This was clearly not a Genome and Empyrean informed him as such. "You're not a Genome..."
Perhaps the smartest thing that had come out of his mouth all day. A statement of obvious fact.
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:48 am
Kanja was glad he was far enough away that the sudden splash from the dropped stone didn't cover him in the same grime as this boy. And then he stumbled and fell. Oh. Maybe he was a friend of Dash's? Kanja was trying very hard not to laugh at the poor boy as mud streaked his cheeks.
"Ah, that's true. Everyone calls me a native. I live here in the lake." He thought about it a moment, then slowly emerged from the water, climbing onto the shore. "When you threw the stones into the water, I thought you were trying to get my attention." Kanja offered his hand to the boy. "Would you like some help? It's less muddy over there, we can get you cleaned up too."
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:55 am
"A native...?" Empyrean had heard the adults mention the native lifeforms they'd found. Most didn't seem aggressive- obviously this one wasn't, or they'd have removed them from the Dome. His gaze drifted over Kanja's body slowly, assessing the humanoid's shape and style.
Empyrean pouted at the hand offered to him but he was a little sore and the native was standing on solid ground easier than he was. Frowning, he raised his hand and accepted the help.
"I can walk, I just fell." As if to belay his statement, he twinged when he stood up, wincing. Pridefully, Empyrean straightened, adjusting his posture and placing both hands on his hips. "I'm not clumsy. I just didn't know there was sentient life around here. I wouldn't have fallen over at all if you didn't startle me."
Empyrean took a few steps, his suit squelching with water. "How did you get inside the Dome, anyway, Mr Native?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 1:03 am
"My name is Kanja." He was sure 'mr. Native' was just being used since he hadn't introduced himself yet. Oh, the boy winced and Kanja hoped he hadn't hurt himself in the fall. "Mmmh, I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you were one of my friends, being impatient and throwing stones to get my attention." Perhaps they were both startled. This boy just got the worst of it.
"Hm. That's a good question. I guess my egg was just... in the lake. I hatched here, so... I've been here all my life." They walked to where the lake shore was rockier, and the water clear. "Why were you throwing rocks into the lake anyways, if not to get my attention?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 1:11 am
"Kanja from an egg, huh? I've never met someone from an egg. We're born from plants, which is normal... well normal for Genomes. I suppose eggs are normal for your species." Empyrean found a log and squatted near it, grabbing a stick and starting to doodle an egg shape in the mud.
"I wasn't trying to get your attention. I was skipping stones. Well I wasn't skipping stones well, but I was trying. I got kicked out of the laboratory by Mother, so I have nothing to do." He drew a fish in the mud. "Since you came out of the water, do you breathe underwater like a fish? I heard the Natives have part-animal characteristics... you ever been examined under a microscope, Kanja?"
Empyrean's attention clearly had come full swing and after a pause he realized he hadn't introduced himself. "I'm Empyrean, an incredible and genius inventor and scientist. You know, I might just be the best Genome scientist that's ever lived? I mean, of course you might not know that, but I am. I mean, I want to be. I might not be there yet."
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 1:27 am
"Yeah. I guess all of us come from eggs, even those who seem more mammalian, like Luna.c he watched Empyrean doodle in the mud. He didn't seem inclined to clean up. Oh well.
Suddenly, the boy was bombarding him with facts and questions. Ok. Ok. He could tackle this bit by bit. "The stones you threw in were too angular. The stones here have been weathered more and are flat and smooth. They are great for skipping." To prove his point, he picked one up and flung it towards the water. It skipped 8 times before plunking below the water.
"I'm not a fish." He scratched the back of his neck in thought. "I'm a dragon." He wasn't sure how to explain how he knew that, but he just knew it. "But because I'm an aquatic dragon, I can breath under water. That's why I live in the lake. You genomes have beds in the ship, I have a lake bed." Ok it was a bad attempt at a joke.
"I've never been examined, no." And he didn5like the sound of it either. "But I've also never been kicked out of the labs. Then again, I'm usually with someone. Amy or Argent mostly. I'm hoping Aren will have so.e time so I can talk to him about his artificial leg. Maybe he'll let me help improve the design."
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 2:16 am
"Fascinating. Do you eat your shell after birth like some species do?"
Empyrean frowned, watching Kanja's rock-skipping demonstration. The points between his brows drew taught and his lips turned up in a pout. "Oh.... well.... that makes sense."
Following Kanja's example he selected a smooth pebble. True to example, it skipped twice before falling into the water.
Empyrean glanced at the term dragon. As a Genome born with genetic memories and capabilities, he knew full well that dragons were mythical creatures from human history, hearing that on Utopia this wasn't a myth but a real creature perked his temper away from annoyance and distracted him from his lack of stone-skipping skills. "A dragon, that's fascinating. I don't suppose I can get some samples?"
"I only got kicked out of the lab because Mother claims I need to cool off. What does she know? I was angry because I had important experiments to do, not because I didn't take breakfast or have an afternoon nap. Sometimes I think she babies me. I know how to handle acid, you know?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 1:40 pm
The question about the shell caught him off guard. "No? That just sounds gross. I mostly eat fish." But Empyrean was already moving onto other subjects.
"Um. I'm not sure what sort of samples you want... but maybe I can help. I mean... genomes don't know a lot about us. Then again, I don't know much about us either, having no elders to learn from. I wouldn't mind researching more about myself, I suppose." This boy was clearly very curious and eager to learn. But his excitement was different then Kanja's own. But that was ok.
"Acid? Can't say I've had the desire to use any of that yet. I guess because I haven't found a use for it in my builds. Why are you working with acid?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:08 pm
Empy nodded in false understanding. "Fascinating. Are you purely carnivorous?"
At the mention of samples he flippantly listed off his thoughts, "Tissue, urinal and blood are the normal sorts of samples, but I'm not much of a biologist so I wouldn't know what to do with most of them. You look young, so you must be growning, since you're a dragon, do you shed scales? We should test the durability of your scales. I'm fascinated to see if they hold up as efficient and effective protection." Empyrean stepped forward, reaching out with the intention of grasping Kanja's shoulders for a particularly hands-on examination of the native.
"Everyone says that about acid. I mean, without it, plastic wouldn't have been invented. It's important to note that like all liquids, acid and different minerals and metals can combine and form synthetic compounds that are extremely versatile. But does that matter to Mother? No. She's like 'no you can't play with it and just 'see what happens' Like she doesn't trust me. You set off the fire-alarm three or four times and all of a sudden Mother locks the best stuff away." He huffed at this.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 4:06 pm
"No. I eat fruits and things too." Kanja was ok answering questions, but he was starting to worry about Empyrean. "Sorry, I uh... I don't think I want to give... er... samples right now." When Empy reached for him, Kanja stepped back with a laugh, trying to deflect the boy's attention to something else.
"Maybe there's a shortage of supplies, and... uh, mother wants you to be sure of your experiments before potentially wasting a limited resource. Do you start with small scale tests?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:16 am
"Fascinating." Despite Kanja's clear aversion, Empyrean failed to read the social signals and continued to advance as Kanja retreated, sharp gaze travelling from one part of the native to the other. "I mean, I don't have any sample collection devices on me, but I could probably get some..."
At the mention of supplies he paused. "I suppose that is true, most of our supplies are what we have leftover... I shouldn't squander them conducting experiments on natives, and should focus on just one area of scientific advancement. That being said..." Empyrean paused in his slidling closer and considered the thought chain running through his head, "... if we know how your species works we can better equip ourselves to assimilate to the environment... as a scientist I shouldn't back away from biology just because it's not my specialty..."
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:45 am
When Empyrean said he didn't have 'collection devices' on hand, Kanja let out a sigh of relief, but he still backed up from Empy's advances. "I'm not sure assimilation is quite the right word to use. You can adapt, sure. It might uh... maybe it would be a good idea to work on divices that will let you, or others, explore the world outside the dome better. That way they can bring back more resources, then mother can't stop your experiments, right?" He was trying desperately to derail Empy from wanting to study him.
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 1:01 am
Water sloshed around their ankles as the two boys advanced and retreated into the lake itself.
Empyrean paused when his toe hit a stone and he crossed his arms, "A device to help explore outside the Dome, huh?"
Kanja's desperate words diverted Empyrean's attention, much like dangling a dog-treat in front of a chihuahua. "What sort of device, though? No matter what I think of, Mother says I'm overcomplicating things!"
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