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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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 Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 3:00 pm
"It's good to feel that hope." Encke had to feel that hope. Letting himself feel anything else meant that he was diving back into the terror and fear that had haunted his mind for years, and still did if he wasn't careful and when he was least expecting it. They could win. This war had been going on for longer than he would have ever wished, but there was hope. There was freedom from Chaos. There was something they could do. Viatrix kept her distance, but found herself pawing at some of the things below her and around her just in case something had burrowed nearby. She didn't see anything. Nothing tempted her in the way that somehow cute little spider on Keiko had tempted her to leap at it -- she hadn't, Keiko had told her not to, and Encke probably would have scolded her and she didn't feel like getting scolded -- but she didn't notice anything-- Oh. Pendour noticed something. She sat back and watched as something that shined was risen out of the water, and she found herself scrunching her snout as she realized what they were. Oysters. Well. She guessed she wasn't going to have any instincts to fight off about chasing those ones. Reaffirmed why she didn't go in the water-- "Oh, you got creatures too! I guess he did have something useful to tell you!" Encke had pulled his head above wonder and all but scrambled over to where Pendour was to take a closer look at the life himself, his eyes widening as he saw the way the creature's shell shined-- "They're beautiful." He didn't take it from her, but he did put his face nearly right up to her hands to take a closer look. "Perfectly suited to the cove, too. I-- you have life! Like animal life! Like I do! I--!" These things made him feel hope, too. "Pendour, these places are coming back--"
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Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 4:00 pm
Pendour didn't say anything else for a long moment. She just stared, reverent, at the little creature that she was holding in her palms. She explored the texture of its shell with her fingertips, almost waiting for it to dissolve into sand or youma dust after a few seconds passed, but no. It was solid. It had been magical enough seeing the life on Encke's wonder, but that had only been so surprising. If anywhere in space was going to be restored to that level, it was going to be his world. He'd been dedicated to space since before she'd awakened, and researched species, and gotten plants growing that belonged there, that he hadn't brought up from an Earth supermarket. Yet, there was life here, too. "This is a miracle, isn't it?" she said. "Everything else, I planted. I brought it up. It was only so magical, but-" Still holding the oyster, she stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around Encke, squeezing tight. "Something's happening, isn't it? Something big, bigger than just a few worlds."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2022 12:42 am
It was a miracle, to a degree, probably something of magic and something of energy, but why did it have to be oysters? They were in a cove. It could be like, lobsters maybe. Or crabs. Or maybe even some little fish that swam around in the waters. But oysters? Oysters were gross. She hoped Encke never got any oysters. Gross. Still, she guessed it was important, even if it was an oyster-- Encke squeezed Pendour back, careful to not jostle the oyster she was holding as he did. "It has to be. Almost everyone I know who has been paying attention to their planet has noticed something popping up. I've seen the variety of life that's showing up and--" He had no idea what was happening, but it felt like everything he had dreamed of. These places in space were truly coming back. Why was he a bit misty? "I dreamed of it, but to see it--" "Life's returning!" Even if it was oysters...
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2022 7:50 am
A big part of Pendour's heart wanted to delve deeper, to vanish under the surface and look for more. The other part of her knew that doing so wouldn't quite be fair to Encke, who couldn't breathe underwater the way that she could even if he'd do his best to keep up. It very much wouldn't be fair to Viatrix, who was awkwardly sitting at the water's edge. That would be for next time, then. It would give her something to look forward to, something to hope for. Pendour untangled herself from Encke. She let the oyster fall back into its watery home with a small plop. She walked back out of the cove, wrung the worst of the water out of her mermaid train, and then sat down next to Viatrix with only a moment of hesitation. She looked back over the water with a proud smile on her lips. "Something is healing in the universe," she said, almost reverent, before the smile quirked just a little to one side. " And we have muffins to celebrate with." That part would make Viatrix happier, maybe.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2022 5:17 pm
Honestly, if Encke could, he would figure out scuba gear just to get a look at what was down below. Or at least snorkeling gear, which he definitely knew how to use -- he just wanted to know. He wanted to see it all. He wanted to see everything of this mysterious new life in space and the reigniting of the species of the universe-- His heart was overflowing as he followed Pendour out of the cove, to Viatrix, who was very much keeping herself away from the water. After all, there were oysters in there. Gross. ... Also, she just didn't like being wet, and maybe Raksha had a point in that what Viatrix didn't like was just brine and the ocean moreso than oysters, but oysters were slimy and nasty and-- "Yes! I love muffins!" Viatrix's thoughts cut like a record scratch at the concept of that. "A perfect thing to celebrate what happened here, right? Encke, we're really seeing life come back everywhere, aren't we?" Encke plopped himself right down next to Pendour without a moment's hesitation. "Something is healing. I hope this is just a sign of more to come, right?" The concept of what he truly dreamed of seemed so far and fancy-free, but there was something that felt so tightly in his grasp. These worlds were liveable again.
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2022 4:29 pm
Oh. Viatrix liked muffins. Okay. Maybe that was the way to get Mauvians to like her? Pendour hadn't really thought of it before, but it sort of lined up with what had happened. Soleiyu was one of her best friends, and they were always ordering dinners to have together. All of the other Mauvians she'd met, the ones that things were awkward with, she hadn't offered food to at all. Maybe that was where she had gone wrong? In any case, as soon as she wasn't dripping too badly, she went over to where she'd tossed her pouch and dug out a few muffins, one for her, one for Viatrix, and one for Encke. "I wonder," she said, staring upwards towards the sea, "How many people I could fit in those houses." She waved a hand towards the upper layer. "Or- how big is your comet? Do you know? That might be better. We might be able to keep them all together. Um, the Velencyans, I mean." While she stared upwards, she wondered if there would be some way to restore life outside of just this dome, since she was one of the Knights serving the whole planet of Neptune. Many people had lived here, once. That might be enough. "That's the answer, isn't it? That's how they can live for a while without having to try to kill Caedus."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2022 6:31 pm
Viatrix eagerly took the muffin from Pendour when it was offered. It was hard to say if muffins were the magic to getting along with Mauvians, but it was certainly magic for getting Viatrix to get those nasty oysters out of mind. Despite being a cat, she peeled off any paper pretty easily and eagerly put a bit in her mouth as she listened and as Encke's eyes lit up. He thought so. "Pretty big. I mean, it's a comet, so it's not like it's huge or anything --" which was interesting, because it certainly felt bigger than it should have logically been, or perhaps his memories were blending with the past and the present -- "but the Enckeans were a pretty sizeable people. I think that's what they'd've wanted, too, right? Being a safe place and a melting pot for people if you will." Viatrix finished swallowing a piece of muffin. "Don't get carried away though. You offered it as a safe place to Caedus so you gotta be sure any Velencians you invite aren't just gonna turn around and merc him if he's there too." "I know that," replied Encke, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Careful balance, like everything else -- and there's multiple planets coming back, so maybe we can offer multiple places -- or maybe having places to stay will remove the impetus," Viatrix snorted at his word usage, "for their," he glanced to Viatrix, " mercing." "I think it's right, anyway," she took another bite of her muffin, swallowed it, and continued, "that we offer these places to people who need them, ya know? They're alive. Uh, do you think people can stay on them full time?" It was an odd question. "Suppose we'd need to test that somehow..."
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2022 6:22 pm
Pendour took a bit of muffin to give herself time to think, and while she chewed it, she glanced up to the upper level. From this angle, right by the edge of the water, she couldn't see much, but she knew that the houses were up there. "I could take Caedus," she offered, after she swallowed. "Maybe some friends for him, so he doesn't get lonely? People we know aren't going to try anything awful with him. Um, assuming I can talk to Irving and make sure he's not going to be the one trying something awful." He'd probably agree with Lyndin, she thought, now that she was rolling ideas around in her mind. He was utilitarian and quick to violence and although Pendour wasn't sure how much he could do as a ghost, she was not about to assume it was nothing. "You could take the rest," she said, to complete the thought. "The Vanguard, I think they'd like Encke. The electricity and all matches their sleek futuristic look a little, doesn't it?" She let herself focus on that thought for a second, of everyone alive, and happy, on lovely worlds away from Chaos. Then she came back to reality. "It's going to be a big project," she said. "It's going to take more for people to live somewhere than it will for a few oysters, but it's something we can look into, right?"
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2022 7:29 pm
There was a stubborn thought in the back of Encke's mind as he took a bite of his muffin and listened that he was Caedus' friend, dammit, but he also knew that was a ridiculous thing to get stuck on. Pendour was right; Encke probably had more space to work with, his comet seemed relatively close to their sleek futuristic look, and Caedus would like this place. He had seen how much Caedus had liked the fountain, how much he had just wanted to sleep there, of all places. A whole cove like this? Maybe that was what Velenian ideals of paradise were like. Still, that was probably a good point -- talk to Irving, maybe see if they could recruit a few friends for Caedus too, maybe poll others, maybe make sure these places were truly ready. It was logistics, a lot of big projects, a lot of things to look into to see if places could even sustain more than a few oysters... Viatrix scrunched her snout for a moment at the concept of a wonder full of only oysters. Ew... "I mean, it's gonna take some work." For one, this place needed more than just stinky oysters. Maybe some things that would eat the stinky oysters. That wasn't her. She wasn't gonna eat them. "Maybe I can make some kind of tool we can leave here? Like some sort of motion-sensing camera. Help monitor what's going on and see if it's a sustainable kind of thing." "Or we could just buy a camera--" "Encke, I'm a Mauvian. My tech is superior." She punctuated this not-so-humble brag with another muffin bite, of course. Encke rolled his eyes, finally ready to respond to Pendour with a, "You might be right. I'm inclined to let Caedus stay with me, of course, but I want what's best for everyone -- and he melted when he saw the fountain on my world? Almost literally. He actually slept there, for a bit." His smile was warm. "I think he'd love it here. If this place could help house him long-term... "Of course, it comes down to what the Velencians want, and probably things like Irving's opinions. It's a long road, probably. One step at a time."
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Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2022 3:26 pm
"Oh," said Pendour, her lips making a tiny, mortified circle, like she'd overstepped something terribly. "You can have Caedus. I'll see about unlocking the rest of Neptune so we can bring more of the others here. That might work better anyway. Lyndin and Irving could probably distract both of themselves for a while talking about how the ends justifies the means and all. Maybe they'd even keep talking for a whole thousand years." Pendour was no good at fake smiling, but she was about to try it, just for Encke, when the thought of Lyndin meeting Irving made the corners of her mouth twitch upwards all on their own. It was good, because she didn't want Encke to think that she was trying to steal his friend just because they'd watched Bob Ross together and she'd tried to save his starseed. Or maybe she just hated any conflict, any hint of disappointment, and had to back away from it quickly. "But it'll take time to get to that point, still. It will take testing. Wildlife cameras would be a good start," she said, and nodded towards Viatrix, thinking how nice it would be to be able to keep track of things a little on the days that she couldn't come up, "But I might have to start coming up for more than a few hours at a time before I send anyone else up here to live."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2022 10:18 pm
The little circle she made prompted Encke's eyes widening, and Viatrix found herself laughing quietly to herself as he clarified, "I didn't mean to imply I have sole rights to keep Caedus with me. Or that he can't have other friends. Or that here wouldn't be a good idea. Or anything like that. He's his own person and ultimately, he'd decide what to do." Even if that was staying on Earth or returning to Velencya if he really thought that was a feasible option. "It's good that we might be on a path to make that available to him and all of the other Velencians, right?" He couldn't help a sideways smile and a snicker, "Though, to be fair, Irving and Lyndin might actually get on." "I think you're getting ahead of yourself, Encke," teased Viatrix, before turning to Pendour and adding, "and he's just anxious about Caedus, that's all. From what Encke's said, he'd love it here. You should show him!" Honestly, he'd probably like the oysters, too. For some reason. Gross. "And I can start working on some wildlife cameras! I can probably have some that are powered by solar or hydro put together that I can give to you in a couple of weeks or so." She took another bite of her muffin. "Even if it's just an adaptation of the stuff Earth already has. I know there are already cameras, Encke." Encke stuck out his tongue at Viatrix before taking an evening breath. "I've stayed on Encke for days at a time to get some things done. If it's possible, it might be a good idea to try lengthening the time you're here. Make a day out of it. A couple days, even."
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Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2022 2:23 pm
Caedus made his own decisions. That was true, and thinking about it kept Pendour from curling into too much of a tense, conflict-avoidant ball. Instead, she kept looking thoughtfully over the cove. "We'd have to find Caedus before we could offer him sanctuary, anyway," said Pendour with a little shrug. "I haven't seen him since that fight. It's a little sad, because I was going to teach him how to paint." Maybe if she did run into him again she could bring him up here to paint so she didn't have to worry about the conflict that was surrounding him, just for a little while. She liked that thought. "I don't know much about wildlife cameras," she said to Viatrix. "Could you make one that works underwater? It seems like that's where I'm going to be needing to watch the closest, although," she glanced over her shoulder and shrugged, "I can give you the tour in a second, and you can see if there's anywhere else that you think we should watch." The gardens, maybe, or there could have been insects crawling around in some of the ruined buildings now that she thought about it. "And I don't know if a few days are even really long enough to tell if you can live somewhere, but maybe I'll come see how long I can last once there's things ready to harvest in the garden."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2022 4:04 pm
She hadn't seen him? Encke had, of course, which made his head tilt in curiosity. "I'm sure he'd love to learn how to paint. Caedus has been laying low for understandable reasons," trying to stay away from Lyndin or other unfriendly people who might decide it was time to turn in his starseed, mostly--, "but maybe I can help get you guys back in contact. Especially since he knew you before, so there's no reason to be nervous." Hopefully. And Caedus seemed to like going to space, too -- about as much as Encke did, honestly -- and being in space was safer because no one could really get to them here. Certainly not a gauntlet-wearing Lyndin-- Viatrix looked up for a moment in thought, before quickly nodding. "Yeah, I bet I can make one for underwater. I can't put it in the cove myself, though. Not really a fan of getting wet." Or the oysters. "But I'll test it with a bucket of water at HQ. I don't hand out untested tech -- and yeah, I'll come with you and we can try to figure out some other good places for this!" She was honestly getting excited about a new project, and it distracted her from the concept of oysters, which was a bit of a win/win scenario. "As a plus, we should be able to come back here about once every three days or so," Encke might have started keeping track. Three days was approximately accurate -- seemed to match up with when he was able to come back to Encke's Comet, anyway. "Might help us make preparations or bail out if we notice experiments aren't working, for example."
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Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2022 4:37 pm
Oh, so Encke had been in touch with Caedus, still? That was good. "You can tell him I won't try to hurt him," she said. "I won't, you know." Although, as she absentmindedly ran a hand over the bumpiness of the scars on her forearms from that night, when she'd been reaching out for Caedus's starseed, she hoped that both Caedus and Encke would already know that. She simply gave a small nod at Viatrix's explanations of tests and waterproofing. Pendour wasn't an engineer, so she didn't have much advice to offer to a cat who seemed very confident in her ability to make things were better than what you could buy off the Internet. "Oh, I can do all the diving," she said, but that thought was cut off as she blinked a few times at what Encke was saying. " We?" she asked. "Was that, um, just you speaking generally, or do you want to come space camping with me?" That would be nice. The Wonder was her pride and joy, her sanctuary, but somehow it always felt a little safer, a little lovelier, a little more like home, when Encke was here with her.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2022 9:11 pm
Encke assuredly already knew that, and he didn't need the reminder of seeing the way her fingers ghosted over her scars. She had been by him too, attempting to pull that starseed out of Lyndin's grasp and put it back where it belonged. He also knew her; she wouldn't hurt a fly and she definitely wouldn't hurt Caedus. He was just nervous. Anxious. He didn't want the wrong person to somehow come upon Caedus and undo what they had done to save him. His life was his, and he should have the right to make his own decisions on what to do with that life. There was no telling how long it would take him to resurrect, anyway. There had to be another way. Another way that didn't involve another life getting lost. Maybe, just for once, everyone could live. Viatrix grinned. "Great! I'll give you everything you need and then you can put it down in the cove, then. Just give me a couple of weeks and I bet you'll have the best wildlife cameras you've ever seen." Not that she was sure Pendour had seen any wildlife cameras. It sounded like she wasn't super familiar with them. Admittedly, Viatrix wasn't either. If there was one thing she was sure of, though, she could always make better technology than whatever these humans had come up with... Encke grinned at Pendour. It was to some degree both, and he leaned into the idea of coming with her directly. His desire to help her with her wonder hadn't wavered and certainly hadn't decreased now. "Yeah! I mean, I'm not the best at roughing it, but," he flexed, "I want to help. And maybe we can figure out how living up here would work, if it can work, right? Plus, then that won't just be asking you to stay up here for days on end by yourself..." Well, by herself and Irving. He wasn't sure if that was worse. "Just make sure the house residents know where you're going," teased Viatrix, reaching over to nudge him with his paw.
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