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 Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:40 pm
Willis took in the information, making mental note to ask for the pamphlet that was mentioned. He wanted all the information he could get. The older man distracted himself by watching Misha and Sera as Banning left the room. Their heads were together, dark against the strange sage green of...
...oh. The connection clicked. What he was looking at was an Essentic. Those strange rabbit-like ears were a result of an influence, apparently an unexpected one. He didn't look so strange... just as Banning had said, Misha looked relatively normal save for the ears.
When the other man came back over Willis found himself able to warm up a little more to the idea of having one of these things. He sat in curious silence as the other unlocked the small box, unable to withhold a soft gasp of surprise as he saw the item within. Tendrils of blue swirled lazily over the stone. With an expectant glance upward Willis scooted to the edge of the couch, hunching over the Spark.
"I'd expected... well with the name of 'spark' you'd think it'd be something more. Mechanical." He refrained from lifting the stone, sensing that he perhaps shouldn't. "My family had one of them. The way my father described them they seemed more like. Well, like machinery." Glancing up at Misha he frowned a little. His voice softened just a little as he spoke. "But they're not, are they? Hm."
Sera giggled, covering her mouth with her hands in an attempt to keep her laughter quiet. Her father was working, or at least it looked like it. Sometimes he did what he called 'bringing work home'. It was usually very boring for her. Not today, though. Sera lifted her arms up towards Misha in the universal child's language of 'pick me up!' "Not forever, Mish-AH." Her voice was a matter of fact tone. "Just for a little. Daddy says his heart will break if I go disappeared forever."
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:11 pm
Good, he'd managed to make the man relax somewhat about the matter. Banning found himself able to loosen up a bit, too, seeing that the child was being occupied by his employee's Essentic. Besides, he liked taking a short moment to indulge in the simple allure that were the Sparks. It appeared to have ensnared the other man as well.
"During the Crisis, most of them were indeed no more than machines, that was what people used them for." banning agreed languidly, and nodded at the information on his family having once owned one. He knew that. The next question had him tense again though. He needed a moment to formulate his answer to it.
"I would not refer to them as machinery, no, not with the way their growth has run rampant. It would be sentimental to claim the complete opposite, though."
A perfect compromise, and his words sounded matter-of-factly enough for it to be a suitable conveyance of his opinion about them.
"But no matter, I assume you have a Purpose for it in mind. Let's proceed to letting the thing know who its master in, shall we?" he gestured at the cosily blubbering Spark with a smooth handwave.
"To imbue it with purpose, all you have to do is take it in your hand, and... 'think' to it. With the task you have planned for it in mind and heart, you will command it to become." he said then, in a calm, melodious flow of sound. "The more specific your requirments, the more specific it will focus its later efforts. Be as vague or indepth as you wish, but keep in mind this moment will be of great significance for the development of your Essentic."
"Ah, I can believe that..." the bunny murred softly in response to her statement. At her silent request -what an excellent grasp of body-language- he knelt down, carefully laid an arm around her, tucked one under her knees and hoisted her up. "I'll un-dissappear you quickly enough again, don't be scared." he whispered, smiled at her fondly. A short moment of intense focus later, they were gone.
Wait, they WEREN'T gone! Misha could see her, and she could see him, but to Willis and Banning, their forms had vanished.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:55 pm
Sera wrapped an arm around Misha's neck, sitting on his arm so she could look out over the room. She waited a few moments, waiting for something to happen. Maybe lights, or a funny sound, or maybe she'd see things differently. But nothing happened. With a pout she turned to Misha, putting a small hand on his cheek to focus his attention on her. "Turn us-" Her attention was distracted suddenly by the mirror behind them. She could see her father and the scowly man sitting at the table looking into a box at something rather shiny but...
With a wide grin Sera gave a cry of glee, quickly clapping her hand over her mouth. She looked at Misha, a world of amazement, joy, and magic alive in the sparkle of her eyes. She lifted her hand a little bit, enough so she could talk though her attempt to keep a whisper came out as a string of hushed giggles. "Misha!" The single word was so full of delight it spoke volumes on it's own.
At the table Willis was far too focused to hear the barely contained laughter of his daughter. His attention was focused fully on the stone before him. The Spark.
Like a spark of life.
Gently, hesitantly he reached out. Willis paused a few moments, hands hovering above the stone emitting it's shimmery swirl of color as he gathered his thoughts up. He was horrified by the prospect that he could actually mess this up, instill some strange purpose into this being he was having a hand in creating. With a sharp intake of breath he reached down the rest of the way and took up the stone in his hands.
Willis instantly found himself marveling at the texture. It was soft, but not crumbly as it looked. It was almost as though he could perhaps mold the shape of the stone itself into something. And it was warm.
With a quick shake of his head he chided himself and focused intently on what he wanted the Essentic that would come of this rock to be. A nanny, a babysitter, a caregiver. Someone to tend to Sera when he could not. Someone to watch over her, protect her, make sure she was safe and happy and not lonely. A womanly influence on the girl's life, heaven knew how much she needed one. Help around the house. Be a companion.
"A friend... please be a friend." He didn't even realize he was speaking out loud as he gazed intently into the lazily swirling blue ectoplasm.
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:40 pm
Banning had been observing the man intently, blocking out all of the Essentic and the girl's antics entirely. Yes, just like that... For an impossibly long moment, he felt something churn inside him at the sight of the father handling the Spark.
Quite amazing what one can read off someone's face and posture, especially when they are focused into something almost resembling prayer. He had researched this man, he knew about his loss and his struggle. Even if he didn't relate to him concerning his field of expertise much beyond 'reading novels', he could empathise with his situation as much as his carefully restricted emotions allowed.
A friend...? Oho, he supposed the actual order for the Spark had been voiced in the silent turmoil that thundered below the veil of the material world, but... a friend, truly? Hearing that instilled a sudden longing for one in the duke himself.
He leaned back slightly, sat up straighter and gave the man room to finish up in peace. The Spark would let Willis know when it was ready.
In the meantime, Misha was simply overflowing with joyous feelings. He had the senses required to feel the magic tingle through his veings, to see the very subtle shift the environment had taken -their shadows had vanished, making them both look a little luminous in their shared space.
He had halfly anticipated her to not really be aware of the transition, and when she put her soft little hand on his face, he closed one eye and grinned warmly. Yes, would you look at that now hmm?
At her expression and the little noises she made, his young heart filled and nearly burst with that incredible, exhilerating feeling he loved so much. "They can't see us now." he spoke softly, used to keeping to an inconspicuous level in this state. With a mischievous, happy grin, he adjusted his hold on her a little, and moved closer to Banning and her father, circling around the saloon with such quiet steps not even Sera would hear them. He halted beside Bane's chair, let one arm go, and waved his hand in front of the man's face. No reaction to him, not the slightest eyetwitch.
Not that Banning wasn't aware of Misha's game, though.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:04 pm
His thoughts had wandered, he was sure of it. Willis found himself brought back to reality as a strange sensation overcame him. Or rather, his hands. The stone seemed to pulse, or vibrate... it felt alive. For a moment he thought he felt warm fingers clasping over his hands as he held the rock and for an even briefer second he couldn't help the stray, wild, hopeful thought of...
No. He chided himself. He wasn't much of a man of religion, truth be told. Where had that thought come from? She was nothing more than a memory now. When he looked down he saw that it was simply the shimmering swirl of that strange, soupy fog that seemed to flow endlessly from the stone that covered his hands. Regardless there was a definite feeling of acceptance that came from it, as strange as that seemed.
Willis cleared his throat, turning his head away from the other man and reaching up to wipe at his face as nonchalantly as he could muster. "Excuse me. That was... is it supposed to be like that?"
The small girl in Misha's hands had been watching her father from her new vintage point. At first it'd been fun, she'd even had to hold back a particularly loud exclamation of glee when the rabbit-boy had waved his hand in front of the frowny man's face. Now, however, it wasn't as good. Young as she may be, she could still tell when something was wrong with her father.
"Daddy? Misha, let him see me. Put me down!" Her own small voice trembled with sudden, half-understood emotion. Most of all her daddy looked sad, and that made her heart sad. She began to wriggle in Misha's arms, her urgency growing.
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:45 pm
When the girl's light voice sounded not at all far from his ear, Banning involuntarily leaned aside. It sure was enough to snap him out of his reverie.
"I assure you, most people do not get this.. carried away. But it might be for the best. A reaction like this proves you are now holding one of the most loyal Sparks I have encountered in my life." he answered his question calmly, trying not to let that hint of 'weakness' slip into his words. Despite his efforts, he did sound a bit hollow, a bit hoarse.
Misha had just in time cut short his mischief to notice the girl's rapid attention shift, and recognising what had upset her so with only the briefest delay.
Ah, if he put her down right here she might trip and hit the heavy black stone table, that would be no good at all. Holding her back, easily resisting her struggle, he walked over to the other side, releasing his shield with a flash. This time, it was noticeable in the light smacking back into the bubble, and their shadows returning.
Uttering a soft, shushing noise, he brought her to her father, lifted her up and off his arm and put her down by his side gently. Ah, what was happening now, he didn't understand this at all. Of course he could see something had made the man sad, but what, he'd been quite alright just a few minutes ago!
Oh Banning, you... He turned to glare at his owner's boss, jumping to a first irrational but not illogical conclusion. When he was met with an empty stare, so unlike the duke's usual hawk-eyed manner, he entirely lost all hope of ever figuring this out.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:11 pm
Sera immediately crawled over the couch where she'd been set to her father's side, reaching up to wrap her arms around wherever she could reach. "Daddy?" She sounded on the verge of tears, a far cry from the happy child she'd been just moments before. Concern etched her young face.
Willis smiled down at his daughter, reaching up with his free hand to gently stroke her dark hair, hand moving down to wrap around her back and hug her gently to his side. "It's okay. Look, Sera." He held up the Spark for her to see. "Do you like Misha?"
Still unsure about weather or not her father was really okay, Sera gave a small nod. She couldn't help but instantly be entranced by the glow. Willis hugged Sera even closer, tilting his head down to give a kiss into her soft hair. "Well this is going to be OUR new friend like Misha. But for now it's going to be a secret for us, Misha, and Mr. Banning here, okay?"
Sera had been about to ask why it had to be a secret when she felt a sudden waft of warm air across her face. Willis also seemed to have felt it as he gave a startled jolt. In his hands the stone's strange ethereal glow brightened.
"Um."
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:30 pm
Misha stood beside them a little awkwardly for a moment, padded back to give them some room. For a moment, he wished he could be like Willis and hug her to make it all better, whatever it was that made them sad. Her positive response to her father's question left a core of warmth in him, that slowly spread out, like an inkstain on his chest.
Hearing what their intentions were for his brother or sister made his eyes fill up, and for a moment, he shielded his eyes with his arm, trying to shake that awful feeling off. He was happy, why did the tears come now? Wasn't it wonderful that they wanted to have someone like him as a friend, an equal? The secrecy pact was a triviality compared to that.
The display of familial warmth and concern forced Banning to discreetly glance aside, get his mind off it. Yes, alright then. Maybe now they woud wrap this up the-
Misha had just peeked over his sleeve again, when suddenly he felt his brush stand on end. A surge of Source-energy tore though him, and he was wide awake, dangerously alert from the rush. There it was.
Banning had felt the more physical side of the uphand manifestation, turned back and stared. Yes, he knew this, he was about to witness another emergence... another birth.
For once, both the Essentic and the Duke were joined in an attentive, expectant stare, the excitation almost tangible like thick air.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:00 am
Willis only had time to glance up once, giving a confused glance towards Banning, and then his whole attention was claimed by the Spark within his hands. The warmth washed out in a surge, fluttering hair and ruffling clothing. Sera sat back on the couch, eyes widening in surprise.
The shimmering blue glow began to move in fervor, frothing up from the clay stone. Willis could feel tremors shivering through the stone he help up through the bones of his wrists into his arms. Points of light winked into existence, seeming to drawn inward and collect over the Spark.
A low hum had been present throughout all of this, gradually growing in volume and pitch. As everything seemed to reach a peak the hum broke from a constant and monotonous drone, soaring exuberantly into a series of pure, simple, beautiful notes that seemed to be perfect in their pitch. The glowing substance that had been working itself into a healthy roil as though the Spark was a source of heat condensed in on itself only to explode outward in a burst of light and energy.
Willis was blinded for a moment, dazzled by the color and light and sound. He had unconsciously curled his own body around Sera, protecting her from any harm that might come of whatever was happening. He blinked his eyes a few times, shaking his head to try and clear his vision of a thousand superimposed spots.
"What just..."
His words trailed off as his gaze fell on the... creature in front of him. And creature was really the only way he could describe it. Floating a few inches or so off the ground and a few inches taller than Sera was the most bizarre of creatures. As blue as the strange almost liquid fog that had covered the rock, it stared with wide, eerily vacant eyes toward them. Tapered ears gave it an almost feline appearance, but they stopped there. Two willowy lengths of cloth ending in a cloud-like patterns extended from a knot tied about it's neck, giving the suggestion of arms, as impossible as it might seem, hidden within. It had no legs to speak of, instead it ending in a wispy trail of shimmering light.
Sera and Willis were both struck rather silent.
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:05 pm
'What just...?'
"I believe your Essentic has emerged, mister Damont." Banning spoke up, not too loud in the quite sanctimonious silence that had fallen. Misha was downright slack-jawed, staring his pretty golden eyes out.
What a beauty is was, so soft and slender, quite tall for a Proto, Misha thought. If he hadn't passed onto Alter yet, he probably would have been the first to greet the new arrival. Now, he just resorted to keeping his excitement and wonder to himself, revelling in the feeling of another starting consciousness so close to him. He'd been the only one down here for much too long. Not even the knowledge that Kyru lived in the laboratory helped much to relieve his occasional bouts of loneliness.
While the bunny stared at the Proto, Banning got a grip again. So there it was, startlingly fast. It must've been eager.
"May I... suggest you give it a name? It will need to know which call to follow, after all..." Let us not get too distracted...
Both he and the other Essentic were insanely curious how it would behave now, what an exquisite chance at a first impression!
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:17 pm
Willis brought a hand up to cover his mouth, staring at the creature. "Name it?" He tilted his head a little, glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose and left, for once, unfixed. He was startled. No, a better word would have been amazed. He hadn't... well a part of him hadn't really expected anything to happen at ALL, of course. He'd basically been handed a rock and told to make a wish.
And here it was. A manifestation of that very wish. Or was it? He could have thought of something strange and given it a purpose far different than what he'd wanted.
"Hi."
Willis jumped. He'd completely forgotten that Sera was all but tucked beneath him. When his little daughter spoke he turned towards her, leaning back a little. She stared, transfixed, by the wispy creature that floated in front of them.
The Spark, or was it called an Essentic now? He wasn't sure. Whatever it was had shown no effort to move from where it was stationed, staring unblinkingly towards them. Upon Sera's simple greeting it tilted it's head just slightly, fixating it's golden gaze on her. "Hi." It repeated the single word back at her, tiny pink mouth sounding out the strange syllables. After a moment of hesitation it glided forward effortlessly, long strips of cloth fluttering behind it. It swiveled it's head again, this time twisting it's face up to pin Willis with that vacant eye'd stare. "Hi." It's voice was... completely unremarkable. It sounded more like a strange drone, possessing of neither male nor female intonations.
The eerie lack of emotion or gender threw Willis off a little. The stone had given such a beautiful song when it had been... growing? Taking on a new shape? Banning had said emerging.
With a small click, the older man's eyes settled on the creature before him, lips curving up slightly into a smile. "How about... Aria."
"Ah-REE-ah. Aria. Yes?"
Willis nodded. "Yes."
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:31 pm
"Yes." Misha found himself breathing it out, too. Oh, this brought back vague, very vague memories of barely thirteen months ago.
MEE-shah. Meesh. Mishmish. His name, himself. Yes, quite important for an Essentic to know, even if many had never received a proper name in the Crisis ages.
"Aria." Again, barely audibly, he tasted the name. Afraid of distracting the pristine drifty Proto, he subdued what he could only call his Source output. He could feel her Essence like a far-away heartbeat, a humm, a thrumming vibe, and he was fairly certain that he emitted a similar signal to her.
Her? When had it before a female to him now, how strange. No gender an nothing to show for it either, but Misha had the distinct feeling Aria wouldn't remain frigid for long. Longway had told him it'd taken him a few weeks to melt out of his own stubbornly pragmatical-efficient mannerisms, and a long while longer to finally begin growing into 'himself'.
Completely fixated on his new 'sister', almost, Misha'd lost all eye for everyone else in the room. Only Willis briefly snatched his attention back, when he so gracefully accepted Aria's presence and named her. He did appear to possess the right sort of tact to deal with a starting Essentic's pragmatical demands and questions.
Not that anyone would defend Aria if people chose to leave the Proto in confusion or isolation...
Banning could only nod pleasedly when Willis got back into the flow of things. Yes, no need to panic.
"Well... this was an unexpected but not uncommon event." he spoke up after giving them a moment longer. "I believe this calls for slightly enhanced safety measures on your trip home, I'm afraid. If you desire some aid in that, I would be glad to send Misha along with you to deliver.. Aria home without incidents."
As soon as they were gone, he WOULD have to recheck his records on that name, oh yes.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 2:04 pm
Willis glanced up, barely able to tear his eyes away from the strange little creature. "Ah? Oh. Well yes. Oh! Yes! Yes, please. I don't know how I'd be able to get her home without anyone noticing..." His voice trailed away a little as his eyes fell once more onto the creature. The soft halo swirling lazily over it's head.... well there was nothing it could BE other than a halo!
Sera slid down off the edge of the couch, pattering over to the Proto. She reached out a small hand, resting it on the middle area of the Essentic. It watched her with wide eyes, not making a move away from the explorations of the child.
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 11:56 pm
"Misha?"
A low drawl to break the Alter from his mesmerised daydreaming.
"Hmm...? Ah! Yes? Yes what, boss? Sir?" Gack, where did my focus go. "...sorry..." Dude, where's my focus.
Banning hardly minded, hadn't even appeared to have heard the bumbling. "Misha, you will go with them to make sure Aria makes it to their home safely and unseen. I suggest you cover her up and take her along, you know how Longway managed you, don't you?"
"I do." Just sort of a long brown overcoat, and she'd usually carried him in her arms but sometimes he'd been allowed to tripple beside her as well. He vaguey membered finding the floor so, so very dirty, but looking at Aria, he suspected she wouldn't have such a problem.
"Then go." Bane glanced at him with a touch of impatience. Silly thing, don't you just stand there...
"Sure! I'll be right back!" And with that, he flitted off into the entrance hall, slipped into the Staff room. Less than a minute later he came back, almost bouncing with excitement.
"May I interrupt for a moment?" he lowered himself down beside Aria and Sera gently, smiling warmly. He looked at the floaty young Proto, met her eyes. It didn't unsettle him to see them so void still, his heart was singing still. Very soon, Aria would become its own person, and he wished for that to be the single most liberating experience in its... her life. But not yet.
Calmly, he slung the coat over Aria, giving her lithe arms a little nudge, a hint to try and hold it up around her a little. Teehee, no shoulders eh.
"Will you put Aria's cap on?" Misha asked Sera softly, referring to the wide cap that was attached to the back of the coat. It was long enough to almost trail all the way down to the floor, and the cap was big enough to not restrict the Proto's ears too much.
Banning looked on pleasedly. Good boy.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 7:57 am
Sera nodded, reaching up to grasp the cap of the large jacket and flop it over Aria's head. She couldn't help but give a little giggle at the silly way the floating kitty looked all wrapped up in the jacket. "It's too big!"
Willis stood up, running a hand through his hair. He gave a nod, almost more to himself than to anything else, before turning towards Mr. Banning. He reached out to take the man's hand in both of his, eyes shifting up to make contact with his. "I don't have any way to really thank you, sir. I'm in your debt." He glanced back and forth from one of Banning's golden eyes to the other before letting go. He turned to his daughter, holding out a hand to her so she could take it. "Say goodbye to Mr. Banning, Sera."
The little girl ignored her father's hand, peeking around him to look up at the rather large, imposing figure of the frowning man. For a moment it looked as though perhaps she'd go back into hiding, finally breaking it by stepping around her father to walk over to Banning. She stood in front of him, head tilted back so she could look all the way up at him. Without a moment more of hesitation she stood up on tiptoes and wrapped her arms around what she could reach of him. "Thank you. You need to smile more, okay?"
She let go and skittered back over to Misha, raising her hands up to him. "Carry me, Misha!"
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