|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
|
 Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:32 am
"... Are you all right?" sweatdrop she asks of Melody.
As for the twins, she'll repeat the trick as soon as she finds where that ball rolled off to... neutral
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:37 am
Yes, yes, Melody's fine...
She's not... really familiar with this sort of thing...
Though really, Melody should be ashamed of herself. She can handle two glowing magic 8-balls hovering around her father at all times, but she can't handle a piece of paper being launched at the ceiling?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:44 am
Baikou nods, projecting reassuring feelings at Melody. "Sorry for giving you a start," she says, laughing a bit, nervousness that she is holding behind a wall leaking out in her tone of voice, "I didn't expect it to be that light..."
As for that particular paper towel, it's not likely they'll get it back, as someone under the table has KILLED IT DEAD. scream ... And, eyeing the strangers, grabs her quarry in her mouth and scurries off to finish destroying it in a hidey hole somewhere.
Eyeing Kan's retreating tail, Baikou wonders if perhaps they do not need to repeat the trick. "But... yes." She pauses a moment, considering her words, then tries to explain in lay terms: "You could say spells and enchantments give off a sort of light, like a candle or flame gives off normal light. We do not... see it like we see normal light, but the mind receives it through the eye, subconsciously." She chews her lip a bit, struggling to find simple words for things she is used to chatting about in heavy jargon. "When there is a sudden change of 'lighting,' the eyelid comes down to moderate the input until the eye can adjust."
Does that make any sense to Melody...? sweatdrop
"... The short of it is, if you notice them 'blinking' when you do not see anything unusual around, their eyes may be receiving magic that is too faint for you to detect."
If Baikou had the proper instruments they could do a more philosophical test, trying different gradations of magical stimulus and measuring the twins' blinks, but she doesn't have such a machine ready...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:52 am
At the sight of Kan, Melody immediately leaps onto her chair, crying out with alarm.
What IS that thing?! gonk
Now, Melody may be used to bizarre animals on Gaia, but they'd never been scurrying about like that!
But... but... yes... she finally says, still perched atop the chair. She thinks she understands. And maybe, she thinks, that explains why they'd complained of brightness...
... sweatdrop
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:56 am
Baikou jumps too at Melody's reaction. Wait, what, where!?
... Oh, that? "That's just Kan, our cat," Baikou says with a nervous laugh. "She's sweet, but she doesn't seem to like strangers..."
Ah, that's right, the animal called a 'cat' in Gaia is a furry creature, correct? Baikou recalls a trip through the Minishops district and leans back in her chair, patting her stomach. ... But yes, Kan's species is a little different, but she's nothing to be afraid of.
"... If you would like, we could get that dampening visor and try it out on them?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:58 am
Melody sheepishly climbs down from the chair, her embarrassment nearly tangible.
Dampening visor? Will they do anything for the noise, too?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:02 pm
Noise? ... ... ... Baikou frowns, but then... nods slowly.
"The magic that we 'see' is perceived through the eye, but it is not seen in the same way that light is. So... it very well could be that they feel as if they are 'hearing' magic, but that the stimulus is still being detected by the same organ in the eye..."
... However, even if it does work, there is still the problem that it is only a visor, the sort that enchanters use when working with large amounts of concentrated magical energy. It only fits over one head and doesn't cut out all of the stimuli. ... Of course, perhaps if they could find a good enchanter she could use the visor as a template and make Melody a veil for the crib...
Still pondering, she very slowly rises from her chair. Unfortunately, "The device is at Rika's, so it will take a while to retrieve it..." sweatdrop
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:04 pm
She sees, she thinks...
Still.
Melody has to thank Baikou; this is far more information than Melody even expected to receive. She must seem rather backwards, to be so ignorant of her own species... sweatdrop
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:22 pm
Baikou once again shakes her head, encouraging Melody not to feel ashamed of her 'ignorance.' Nobody can know everything, and this is not Melody's specialty, so there's no reason for her to know this kind of technical detail. That's what specialists like Baikou are for!
... If Melody likes, she can pour herself the tea when it is ready. It make take Baikou a little time to return. sweatdrop
She makes her way to the doorway of the kitchen, turns and bows slightly with a warm smile, then begins on the long road to the udon-ya.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:59 pm
Left alone with her children, Melody sits once more, turning the stroller to face her.
Well. It's just them again.
The children, aware of her earlier distress and surprise, brighten as their mother seems to be more calm now. But still, they're bored, they've been in the stroller for how long now? And they're beginning to get fussy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:06 pm
... ... ...
Although it is some time before Baikou returns, it is not too extensive a wait; it may have taken Baikou a while to walk to the house and back, but Rika being in, she didn't have to worry about how she would ever climb the ladder to the attic. At the doorway to the house she projects a gentle greeting, then lets herself in.
Plopping into a chair in the kitchen as if she's just returned from a tiring, though not exhausting, jog, she presents to Melody what essentially looks like... a strange veil, made of heavy, canvas-consistency but semi-transparent gray-colored cloth, attached to a plain string that, Baikou indicates through projections, is tied around one's head. "Somewhat crude, but effective;" one can still see regular light through it, but it has been treated to screen out much of the 'light' from magic. The design is based on the findings of anatomists who...
... errr... maybe Melody doesn't need to know the details.
She hands the visor to the mother. "Perhaps we can place it on one twin and see the other's reaction?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:11 pm
The findings of anatomists who...?
Maybe Melody doesn't want to know how that ends. She finds that anything that begins with a discussion of anatomy in her family inevitably turns crude, and FAST.
Well. Not so much with her husband, but her fathers and nieces... At this, she can't help but laugh a bit.
Eiji, she points out, is less tolerant of light and noise, while Tsubaki might better handle being the unshielded twin. What does Baikou think...?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:20 pm
... Huh? Baikou doesn't seem to follow that trail of conversation about anatomy... confused ... ... but lets it go, moving back to the matter at hand.
Well, for now, Baikou thinks they might try just testing it on them to see if it works at all. Her theory might be wrong, after all. sweatdrop But if it does work, Melody can certainly keep the visor and use it if it proves any help in getting them to fall asleep.
She gets up, reaching for another paper towel to crumple. Say... if she does it further away, so the stimulus is fainter already, and the visored twin notices while the other does not, they can be reasonably certain the device had an effect.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:29 pm
Melody nods, lifting both twins (now starting to fuss out loud) out of the stroller and bouncing them on her knees until they calm down.
All right.
Melody thinks they're ready.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Imperial Princess Rika Vice Captain
|
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:36 pm
Baikou frowns a little bit when she sees the babies fuss, as if hearing them rouses the instinct to rush forward, scoop them up and entertain them -- but for now she must be philosophical and carry out the experiment.
Walking to the other side of the kitchen (which, being quite small, is not far,) she holds the crumpled ball on the tips of her fingers, standing still for a while so the babies have a chance to lose interest in her movement. Then -- this time, knowing what kind of resistance to expect from the object -- she very gently lifts it off her fingertips, pushing up telekinetically at the same time she pushes down. It's inefficient, not the way one would normally perform levitation, but as twice the energy is being used, it should be an attractive thing to look at.
At least Baikou hopes, frowning at the mental exertion of balancing the forces so that the object does not go zipping out of her grasp again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
