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 Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 11:49 am
She'd considered not going back to the hill. At least until there was another... summon back. Holding the crystal in her gloved hand, she maneuvered it a bit a bit between her fingers, letting the copper swirling energy distract her a bit. Metis had kept it against her skin on-off, not allowing herself to faint with it against her. Even at her apartment, with Raja curled up next to her bed, did Lil allow it to linger against her skin.
That being said. She had slept a lot better that night than she figured she would, all things considered. Slipping it into a small pouch she'd brought with her, she tucked it away under her bodice for safe keeping--and keeping it off her skin for now.
It wasn't quite evening, though the sun setting early as it did, she figured the dropping temperatures were connecting to the slowly creeping shadows. A twinge of guilt ate at her throughout the day that she'd spent in her rather warm apartment, and in the reception area of the veterinary clinic she worked at. They were all warm.
As she'd gone back home... Lil had taken a detour to a local store, buying up a few little packets that once ripped open and the cloth squares inside were handled a little, were supposed to keep hands and feet warm for a while. She'd also caved and gotten a large thermos, and managed to get it filled with warm soup. Adding a few bottles of water into the mix, she'd also gotten an insulated lunch... bag... box.... lunch duffle bag, pretty much, to carry it all in.
And this was the thing Super Sailor Metis carried with her as she made her way up the hill towards the dark ripples, having to more rely on his energy signature from the night before rather than auras to find him.
Though it helped that that night, she had her seeing-eye dog with her, on a leash instead of her harness. The lack of a harness gave the golden retriever more ability to move around freely, and one thing of particular interest? Was the strange scented figure up on the hill.
Metis pulled Raja back a bit as they approached, feeling suddenly quite... awkward for her pack of food and hand warmers, and um. Accompanying dog.
"Caedus? Is it alright if we... approach?" She spoke gently, unsure if he was accepting... visitors at the moment. Raja pranced a bit against the cold ground, ears alert and tail wagging uneasily as she watched the stranger. "If it's alright, I brought you some food... and um, water, and some little hand warmers." She lifted the insulated bag off her shoulder, holding it towards him before turning her head to the yellow figure of Raja. "This is Raja, my seeing-eye dog. I um... I wasn't sure how much of a chance you would have to interact with some of the other life here on Earth." Ok that was a bit of a lie. It was more she was thinking about how warm the dog was, and at least for while Metis was there, could be nice company for the stranger so far from his own home.
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 12:51 pm
Caedus had been on alert when Metis was approaching; he had his eyes on her for a while. Not because she was particularly threatening, but because he remembered her from the meeting. Initially, he had been concerned that she might be against him or his plan, but towards the end she had been polite. "You may approach," he confirmed, coughing shortly after he spoke. His voice had a metallic sound to it after the cough; when he cleared his throat, his voice sounded as it had during the meeting, only a bit softer. He watched the dog with mild interest and was careful not to let it get too close. While he would have thanked her for any assistance she offered, his interest was almost entirely on the creature she brought with her. "Seeing-eye dog?" he asked. "…What is that? What does he see with his eyes that you do not?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 1:39 pm
Metis had paused her approach slightly hearing him cough like that, tilting her head at the sound. It... sounded metallic..? Recalling how he hailed from a synthetic planet, it occurred to her once again how it was... probable she was looking (sort of) at a being of artificial life. A robot..? One advanced enough to speak, consume food... and apparently be worn down by exhaustion.
Or low batteries.
Dropping Raja's leash, as she walked forward she unzipped the top of the duffle bag, pulling out a bottle of water and holding it out towards him. "Do you need to drink-- oh!" Remembering how he wouldn't allow people to get too close, she set the bag on the ground and the water bottle on top of it, before taking a few steps back to give him space to take them if he wished.
Raja, in turn, had stepped a bit closer to the unknown.... thing, head raised as she sniffed curiously. A small, curious wine came from her, tail wagging a little harder. Metis only smiled--and hoped he didn't become frightened by the canine. Nodding to his questions, she tilted her head a little as she... debated how to explain. "Raja--she," Metis corrected politely, "is my guide dog. I am... well. Blind, physically. So, there are people who train dogs--and a few other animals--to help assist and guide those whom cannot see to certain degrees. There are also dogs that help people with anxiety, or are suffering post traumatic stress disorder, or can detect when humans are about to have seizures... the list goes on for what they're capable of helping us with." Looking down at her dog, the affection in her smile was quite obvious. "Raja helps me navigate through parts of the city, gets objects for me, makes sure I'm crossing a road safely and am not about to walk out into traffic..."
Hesitating slightly, she then added, "She's also incredibly sweet-tempered, and great company. I've found she can be... quite nice to have around, whenever there's tension in the area. Or at least, I have a hard time staying wound up when she's near by." Though she said it with a laugh, as if she were making a joke, it was a little bit of her intent there. A... well. Peace offering. A chance to just talk--though she wasn't sure if he'd be comfortable petting Raja, or letting the dog get that close to him.
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 2:06 pm
He waved his hand nonchalantly, as if to dismiss concern. He looked at the water and finally, hesitantly reached for it. He held the open bottle up to his face, though it was impossible to watch him drink. He was very careful not to reveal anything beneath his shadowed cloak. One thing was certain, though—he drank the entire bottle in only seconds.
He lowered the empty container and did not seem to know what to do with it, so he held it in his hands before him.
"Thank you."
His eyes were back on the dog.
"She," he corrected himself. "Is fortunate to have someone who speaks so highly to her. But you can see," he asserted. "In your own way. You were looking at me, at the meeting. Were you not?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 2:38 pm
For the nonchalant wave, he certainly packed away that water rather quickly. Trying to smother her amused smile, she motioned to the bag the rest of the water bottles and thermos was located in. "You can keep the empty bottles in there if you'd like, or I can take them back with me. There's also a thermos of soup in there... and the bag itself is insulated so it'll keep things a little guarded from the weather." She wasn't sure how much he had with him but... at the very least, it she hoped it could offer something of ease while he was there.
Of course, it would have been better had she brought more food maybe...
The senshi nodded her head, smiling a bit despite herself at his question. Raja tried to creep a few steps forward to sniff at Caedus. "I'm... not quite sure how it functions--or rather, why it functions--but my magic, when I am as Metis, enables me to see in... energy waves? That's the only comprehension I have of it." Her smile faltered and color came to her cheeks. "Thus my... incredibly rude behavior to you during the meeting." She bowed a bit, doing what she could to try and make it clear she was aware she'd been in... quite the wrong for her assumptions and assertions.
"I am very sorry for how I acted. I'm afraid my time as a senshi has... caused me to jump to rather poor opinions of others until proven... well, innocent," she explained with a wince, straightening. While it at least... was not entirely still true for Caedus--there was still no proof he was really out to help them--but she hoped the concept was clear enough.
Finally noticing her dog trying to sneak closer to Caedus, she tried to step forward to grab Raja's leash from where it dragged on the ground. "Um... if she's bothering you, I can keep her back here with me. Do you... have dogs on your world? Or anything similar to them..?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 5:02 pm
"What is easier for you?" he asked; it was clear that he did not want to inconvenience her any further. Ultimately, whatever happened to the bottles was inconsequential. When Raja approached, he looked down at her and did not seem to know what to expect. "She is not bothering me," he said cautiously. "But I do not know what to expect from her. We…I have seen creatures, of many shapes and sizes. But we do not have these, specifically, on my world. The luxuries of companionship do not come in the form of other creatures, but perhaps in very special cases. But…" She had a good grip on Raja, so he glanced back to her. "You do not need to apologize. Caution is a good trait to have. I wish I had more when I was younger. It seems that you have a very unique skill. I hope it serves you well."
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:25 pm
The question was touching, something that surprised Metis a bit. He was... a stranger to this world, and a great deal of them hadn't been the nicest to him during the meeting he'd called. And yet he... seemed almost to go at lengths to keep from being a hassle to others.
"Whatever you no longer need, I can take back with me. You shouldn't have to spend your time here on earth dealing with trash," she told him calmly. He'd... stated he wanted nothing more to do with Earth, last time. Just wanted to go home. If they could at least try to alleviate some of the negative views he formed of the planet... Perhaps it was wistful thinking, but it would be nice to maintain an alliance with another sentient being in this vast cosmos.
Metis crouched down a bit, keeping one hand on her skirts to keep them down against her legs, and the other she snapped her fingers lightly towards the dog. Raja sneezed a little as she sniffed after Caedus, though after shaking her head, she trotted back over to her owner, burrowing her nose into Metis' skirts and arms as the girl began to gently ruffle her fur and scratch behind the canine's ears. "Not all dogs are the same of course, like people or any other creature I at least know of, but Raja is more the type to sniff and try to, in her own way, get to know someone, and if she likes them, then she's likely to act like this and try and comfort the person if she can." At least she felt that was the best way to describe her overgrown puppy. "If you're comfortable with it, you can call her and she'll likely come over to sniff your hand."
Though, depending on how many creatures he had already encountered, that might just be repeating what he already knew of animal behavior in some shape or form. Looking back towards him, it took her a small moment to locate the shifting darkness before she was able to keep her head facing his direction. "Pardon my curiosity but... you worded it as the 'luxuries of companionship.' I take that to mean you did not have pets, or guide animals, but could you tell me a bit about your world, and your people..?" A new smile came to her, and she had to turn her face back to Raja to try and hide it. "I... must ask that you understand, those of us born here on Earth have rarely ever had the chance to encounter others from beyond this planet. Many of us understand we, in previous lives, came from other worlds, but to encounter someone like you... and hear that here is another world, another flourishing world... It's something many of us never believed was still possible. Especially to hear it might be yet outside of Chaos' grasp. We have often been told by those we consider beyond our power that Earth was the last bastion for the galaxy... a rather horrible thought, really."
Her voice took on an almost apologetic edge as she murmured, "The last alien life forms we had encountered... the Doom Tree, and a... queen of some sort that utilized the eclipse... had all lead to disastrous events around the city and risk many lives... claimed a few, in fact. These were years ago, I'm not certain if most of those present last night had even been aware of either occurrence. Certainly some however." Seven years. It would be seven years since Astraea--Luna--awoke Metis into the war of this lifetime. "I cannot say my caution has been earned through the best means, though I thank you for your understanding nonetheless."
A smile twitched her lips and she followed with yet... another question. Her curiosity was most definitely getting ahead of her. "May I ask... what you were like then, when you were younger? Many of us now in this war are so young... It would be good to hear from someone who had at least seen the events that started us on these paths."
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 8:47 pm
"I…Think I am all right with not calling her," he responded, as if a bit awkward at the idea of calling the creature over. "We do not have pets. We do our labor ourselves. We do not imprison or enslave others, animals or other races. I mean no offense," he said suddenly. "It is just that we are capable of managing without the use of others. That creature is clearly inferior to your intellect. She would know no better life with or without you. But many of the races we encountered were intellectual. Not quite our equals, but intelligent all the same." He thought of her commentary on the other aliens that had come to visit and nodded knowingly. "I suppose that explains why so many of you were reluctant to aid me. I do not blame you if all of your foreigners have come with intent to harm. It must be alarming to hear about news such as this. About another world." A world he had last seen a thousand years ago, but still had faith in its durability. He did not know if it was easier to talk about his homeworld or his history, and he tilted his head at her. "Of my youth, though? I was ambitious. Foolhardy. I had faith in others that I should have kept to myself and my kin. I was hopeful. Naïve, I think. That is the polite word for it. Curious. I wanted to learn about everything. I was very interested in the study of crystals and improvement of our world. Was there something specific you wanted to know?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 6:26 pm
As Caedus compared keeping pets to slavery, Metis' expression became alarmed, quickly shifting to argumentative even as he quickly backpedaled from his original statement. Instead of bringing up arguments of less intelligent fauna--other worlds surely had cattle-like creatures, or other forms of life they utilized for meat, milk, leather, and so on--she tried a different approach, "If one of your kind possessed a disability, would they compensate with technology then? Or did such things not exist among your people..?" If they were synthetic as she believed... could disabilities exist? Malfunctioning parts? Programing errors?
If they did, could they just be... replaced, whatever parts weren't functioning properly..?
"Does your kind not consume meat, or utilize leather goods?" Her head tilted in genuine curiosity, but she wondered to what extent his comment of "without the use of others" extended. "Were those not the sort of organic resources your people traded with other worlds for?"
Scratching Raja behind her ears more, Metis nodded slightly to his accepting of her explanation of previous... encounters. A wistful smile played across her lips. "Alarming might be an understatement. I... have seen my world. Or, rather, my past self's world. It... possesses plant life, somewhat, but anything more? No longer seems to exist beyond Earth. Thus the prospect you propose, of another world still thriving... it's beyond what any of us might have considered possible in this lifetime. I can only image how many might hope to see it," she added with a laugh. How many would be begging him for trips? For information?
She listened intently as he spoke of himself, curious about the being before her. Or rather, whom he once was. She was... curious of the sort of being that would form an alliance with Beryl. His description... matched so many of them, she realized with a silent laugh. Hopeful. Faith in others that was misplaced. Curious. Hoping to aid in the improvement in the lives of others. "What sort of study did you focus on with the crystals? I... well." A thought was forming in her head--one that pushed aside the questions about his travels and other worlds he'd seen. "Do you think... any of that technology... could help us reclaim our worlds? Bring life back to them?"
Flushing a little, she quickly switched, "Or I would love to hear of some of your travels. It's clear you've experienced far beyond any of us."
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 10:11 pm
"We compensate with technology. Or we use our crystals to attempt to restore the defect. But we very consume meat, and we have used leather goods. We do not slaughter them ourselves, but there are those of us that need the nutrition. Many of us are capable of surviving on fruits, vegetables, minerals. But some of us are defective." He paused, cleared his throat, and then shrugged. "I am defective. I am among those that require the consumption of other living creatures. But we utilize leather goods. There is no point in discarding the material after it has been obtained. That would be wasteful. We do not waste." Caedus made himself a little more comfortable as he rested his voice. "I am sorry to hear about your world. I hope you find a way to restore it. I do not know if any of our crystals would be able to restore it. Life happens naturally. Your planets are probably suffering because they are without the presence of their senshi. Your starseed," he nodded towards her chest, "Is a crystal. And your planet, at its core, should have one as well. Or," he shrugged, "That is the hypothesis I have. I was researching that before I was trapped here. I wanted to know about the soul of a world. I wanted to know if you could make one." It seemed like there could have been much more he had to say on the topic, but he seemed quick to leave it at that. "I have had many travels. Most of them were diplomatic in nature. I was very good at that. I had a lot of responsibility. In my youth, I was reckless. I often found myself in trouble. But it was a wonderful learning experience."
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