Welcome to Gaia! ::

Callum had a suspicious feeling this conversation was going places that could only lead him to trouble. The calm of the male before him when talking about what was essentially a slave and the emphasis on the worth of it was ringing every alarm bell in the 200 year old's body. Were they talking about .. well no of course they weren't he mused not those becuase they were long since killed off but perhaps something similar. Did this pair offer him some form of true artificial life that was as much magic as it was science?

Not that Callum was fully certain what they meant, it was only his best guess. For all the intrigued man knew the two of them were from some sort of strange rare species , he certainly couldn't identify them, and were trying to pawn their child off on him in the hopes he'd care for it becuase it might be useful to him. Similar offers had been made a few times before and if nothing else the pair seemed to be connected on an emotional level

Again the sylph nodded "That I could do yes, for such a thing great care would be taken to cultivate it's potential and keep it safe." Callum flicked his wings a little to relieve another itch. "A truly dedicated being, one you can always count on is something .. someone worth more than can be easily expressed." He gave a soft sigh, he trusted his staff implicitly but they went though rigorous background checks in so much as he could do them and he;d known many of them for years. Unwavering loyalty was key in this business and he rewarded it well when found.

"Whatever it is, this life you don't want published, it would be kept hidden here to the best of my abilities." If whatever they were offering was truly so grand a being that it needed hiding he could do it, especially if it benefited him or ill winds. That an implied raising was involved was merely a bonus as far as Callum was concerned. Liam was his only child and mostly past the point where Callum could mold him any further in any consequential way.

~

Uzi found Fran's description of her kind interesting if not quite truthful. She belonged with Eli yes and they.. they understood each other in a way that made their partnership flow seamlessly most times. Still Uzi had loyalties to others and was not above omitting information to keep promises to them. It was simply that her bond with Eli would always supersede anything else if it came to it, at least under those conditions. Her bonded had a hand in her destiny but he did not own her soul.. nor act like he did.

The thought made her golden eyes gleam and she stared intensely at Callum. " This life" she began slowly " would be loyal and yours to guide but not.." her hands became fists as she struggled to find the right words " not to posses as though it had no will of it's own." Uzi didn't care what essentics were supposed to be and how they were meant to be treated; she knew only that her legacy would not have it's freedom stolen before it could ever known what freedom meant.
~

" I see" Callum murmured "that does not sound unreasonable." All life wanted to flourish under it's own right and truly too much meddling and control stifled it.

So it was one of themthen, hmm he'd believed the hunt had truly wiped them out. Still it shouldn't have been too surprising that one of them might have managed to stay in hiding for some time. That still didn't explain what in the winds Francis was but Callum figured there was time to ask that later, this was more important. This decision could affect the rest of his life, how he reacted with the full knowledge of what was being offered.

Despite his age the man had never owned an essentic in his past although the Sylph had certainly come into contact with more than few in his younger days. Mind focused on a great many other things Callum had viewed the strange tools as simply there. It was only when a vote had been proposed to eliminate them that he'd had to evaluate his true feelings on the strangely evolving species.

He'd wanted them to keep living, none had ever hurt him and those he knew seemed well truly happy just working and finding new ways to do it better. That they'd learned to laugh at his jokes and play drinking games which were not related to their tasks better than him simply showed Callum that they were more than what they had been created to be. The sylph was not in the majority however and the Hunt happened anyways.

Callum shifted a little, placed his weight on his elbows as he clasped his hands together as if in prayer. " I understand now and what you say is true, her kind, what might remain of it, did not deserve what happened to them." Callum sighed heavily at the memories being brought up now. "If I'm the one you truly want then I'm honoured. I"m willing to accept the risk and responsibility entailed along with whatever other provisions you feel are necessary."

Callum hadn't known essentics could breed and yet it was clearly what was being implied. In a case such as this he wouldn't deny a parent the right to set boundaries even if he was needed to be a part of the child? Though at the same time they would have to be understanding that his history of essentics told him they were happiest when working and he intended to put any such being to good use while caring for it.

Would this man do, a hard question and yet Uzi had a good feelings about this. He had answered their questions well and shown the spark of a personality Uzi found interesting in the process. Giving her legacy to anyone was difficult but a better candidate the Huntress wasn't sure she'd find. Well aside from the friend currently offering her support and Uzi had been forced to rule out Francis early on.

"Yes, I think he will do just fine." Uzi would watch him closely in the future but for now the alter was sure she was making the right decision. Of course now Uzi was a little lost becuase she wasn't entirely sure what was supposed to happen next. Just how was the life that lay dormant within her supposed to get out.

~
Equally unsure about what was supposed to come next Callum just smiled and opened his mouth to express his gratitude at being chosen. The sylph's mouth did open but it remained that way in a state of awe as the strangest thing he'd ever seen happened.

The air around Uzi seemed to waver and ripple as if the intense heat of the wastelands was distorting it and then from nowhere a sort of palm sized, bright purple rock appeared. " What in the name of the four winds" Callum muttered. He'd seen essentics before but never like this not hovering just above his desk as rocks with some sort of glowing pulsing.. orange lava coming from them.

In a bid to save his desk from potential magical substance burns as well as to avoid a crash if the hovering stopped Callum snaked a hand out to grab the starfish shaped fuchsia rock. The instant the slyph's skin touched the spark there was an insistent voice prodding his mind and an overwhelming feeling of urgency surrounding him, tugging at his senses.

Tell me who I am.

I... I don't kno-

What am I? What is my purpose?

It wanted to know now? Callum hadn't decided yet, he wasn't even sure what type this was, what it could do.

Anything, the spark replied, reading the slyph's mind. Anything just tell me, it pleaded.

I'm not ready

I need to know

Wait he needed time to think, to evaluate.

I have to know NOW!

All the while the orange ectoplasm on the spark hissed and bubbled inching towards and onto the man's fingers. It seemed as though it might consume his hand as well as his mind in it's attempts to get an answer

Can you.., an idea had started to form in the Sylph's brain and he wondered if the request was possible.

Yes, yes I can I will, the voice was calmer now almost sated sounding. I will catch them all The words became even softer as the voice faded.

Callum's heart still raced but as he looked down the spark and it's lava seemed to have returned to a quiet state, bubbling only in it's clawed middle.
~
" What did you see?" Uzi asked Fran quietly. She remembered in a way being given her purpose by Eli and know she had seen what such a thing looked like to normal eyes. Fran though, she was sure he had seen something more, perhaps what the actual connection itself looked like.