• Mature • Hagnophage

[Sybil Malach]

VI

35th of Saun, 719

A crooked smile leaves Sybil's face. The implication that there was the same kind of 'shoddy' material to test from, between the Malachite Prism and labor camps struck a bit of a funny bone. They'd learned to keep their lips sealed about the state of equipment in those places. Though they were ignorant, they knew how useless Academy-only students were in postings outside of highly regulated facilities. They'd learned to make due with what was present, even in surgery. Yet there was truth to gleam: a reality of the theoretical side of chemistry. The man was a master, and knew what he was talking about.

Sybil would be an idiot to discount his speech just because they work in subpar areas of Viden.

"I suppose I've learned some bad habits along the way, then. It might be best for me to start over from the basics, work my way back to where I should be." They admit. Their fingertips glide across the cover of the book. Distillation would be a decent place to start, anyway. It wasn't like they were looking to make something complex, simply purifying existing compounds of waste materials. Relearning how to use a still might be beneficial. Perhaps, even further, learning how to keep results consistent regardless of the available bench's materials, "That's why I've came. To try and figure out why things aren't working as intended, after all."

A slow shrug of the shoulders is offered to Doran's explanation of his emotions, "Between you and me, that's what makes the Eidisi almost like children. So coddled against emotion and chaos, they forget that the world operates differently." Leaning back against the chair, letting out a bit of a breath, getting comfortable, they level their gaze with Doran, "Emotions are just pangs of the soul. We feel them for a reason. Forgetting them entirely is a fool's errand, inviting shortsightedness. Embracing it fully, one becomes irrational."

"I've met many a mage that believes that they're free of emotion, or control it entirely. Yet they lust for power like an incoherent moth to a torch." Settling the book on their lap more squarely, they sigh, hand raising to pinch the bridge of their nose, "Control is a fickle, ever subjective thing. But I'm glad you've some semblance of it. The world could use a bit of it."

--Was that last part flattery?

Yet, they blankly blink at the insinuation at them being foreign.

A long stare is given to the man.

"... My name is Sybil Malach. As in, Malachite. My family took the name once they rose out of the Prism to remind future generations what would happen if they failed to pick up a decent trade." Their head tilts further to the side, eyes continuing to flutter. They burst out into laughter, though. A fingertip raising to the bottom of their lashes, wiping away the resulting tears from the hilarity.

It seems that he completely caught the student off guard, "... I was born and raised here. But I won't snicker about you being from Rharne. The Eidisi have a nasty habit of speaking ill of the country, but participating in the same Feudal nonsense they claim is beneath them."

[Doran]

“Indeed“, the Mortalborn agreed as Sybil stated that it might be best for them to start over from the basics. He noticed them touch the book and added, “You may borrow it if you wish. I’m already familiar with the concepts and the recipes mentioned within.” Borrowing the book would require them to return it – and give him another opportunity to study an interesting subject. So far, he didn’t have any idea what exactly it was that affected his ability in such a way, whether it was a magic such as Empathy or divine intervention.

While Sybil leaned back in their chair, Doran sat completely straight. He took no offense at what might be perceived as slight criticism of his attitude on their part, but simply regarded them out of cool blue eyes that seemed to occasionally be tinged with hints of orange, in a way that could almost be considered curious. “I didn’t suggest forgetting emotions entirely”, he pointed out. “I spoke about controlling them. There are times when it is more beneficial to operate on logic, and emotions can be a liability. A warrior that allows his hatred for the enemy to rule them might make mistakes, and their attacks might be inaccurate, for example, and, ultimately, lead to their demise.”

There was more to it of course, but he wouldn’t talk about some of the more unique side effects of his alliance with Syroa, the Allure and the fire, still carefully controlled for the time being, that he sometimes felt deep inside of him - and the price that he paid for his refusal to deal with what he considered to be a weakness a lot of the time, the things that had begun to haunt him in his sleep.

“Mages”, he repeated. He was not fond of them and disapproved of the way they handed their souls over to the Spark so willingly and of the way they almost seemed to welcome the corruption, in spite of having been somewhat close to a mage of great power, a noble lord from the House of Venora, at one point and protecting another mage. “Mages are not free, of anything. Tell me, Sybil Malach, are you familiar with magic and that which gives mages their power?” he wanted to know and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

He didn’t say anything more. He essentially considered the Spark to be a parasite that prayed on the core of one’s being, but he didn’t say so out loud. He was not some sort of foolish, short-sighted zealot that shared his views with everybody that he came across, without even gauging their attitude first, and he was, at least most of the time, perfectly capable of being civil with those that he considered to be exceedingly flawed beings.

“My apologies”, he remarked curtly as they informed him that they had in fact been born and raised in Viden and added, “Your appearance and your story led me to believe otherwise for a moment. As for the feudal nonsense as you call it, every political system is flawed to some extent, wouldn’t you agree?” he asked, again taking no offence at a statement that he considered to be of little consequence in the long run.

[Sybil Malach]

VII

35th of Saun, 719

The air was so thick with doublespeak and halted words, that one could cut through the withheld nature of the conversation with a spoon. Sybil was a piss poor liar, make no mistake, when they told a lie, it was blatantly obvious: perhaps to the extent that other parties might assume they're doing it on purpose. Questions bred unanswered mysteries, statements provoked questions that simply couldn't be answered. There was a strange air between the two, and at least from Sybil's end, it didn't seem to be hostile.

It might even seem mercurial. To brazenly call out magery in front of a professor in a country that all but praised magic. And then... To just keep moving on through the conversation. It was hard to tell if Sybil was just dumb, shortsighted, or actually had something that they were hiding beneath that cloak of theirs.

"Thank you. I'll return it as soon as I figure out where in the process I've went astray." They offer, sliding the book beneath their cloak. Unseen fingers sliding it into an internal pocket, before returning to rest on their lap, "It's hard to find anyone that has free time at all. Truly, thank you for your time, Professor."

"Mm? Oh, I merely commented on the Eidisi." They cant their head to the side, blinking slowly. While the man was lacking in emotions from what they could see, they couldn't particularly call it sociopathy. Not yet, at least. A difference could be held between the school of thought concerning extreme control of one's emotion, versus the elimination of empathy, "Anyone who believes not feeling, versus feeling and managing, is quite the... Well. There are patterns." A slow shrug of the shoulders is given, "Besides. I think I made distinct concessions for you."

And then... The subject of magic.

A smile smile crossed Sybil's lips, as they simply remained silent. They weren't spending the time sweating it out about their slip of the tongue. Nor were they, however, about to react in any way other than something deliberate. "I am aware." Is the only answer given to his question surrounding the spark. No information given up. Merely answering his question in brutalist fashion. They allow the silence to saturate the air, before Doran moved on.

"Yes. It's all flawed. It's ran by Man. Some even, ran by the Divine. Still flawed." They slowly nod at the subject, "But just because all the apples in the bushel are scuffed, doesn't mean one cant make a comment to the merchant."

But they return their head to its natural resting position, before easily saying, "Mm? Think nothing of it. I've been getting that comment quite a bit, these last few days."

[Doran]

“Good“, the Mortalborn remarked as Sybil stated that they were aware. Their answer had been short – they didn’t seem to be particularly forthcoming with information, no matter what the topic was – but it had been sufficient, as far as he was concerned. “Then you are likely aware of what magic does as well”, he concluded. He didn’t mean the things that mages could do, but the things that magic inevitably did to them.

He was aware of the status that mages had in Videnese society – so different from what he had experienced in Rynmere, back before the Plague had killed more than half of its inhabitants and changed the kingdom forever – but he considered it to be a bad idea to ignore the dangers just because magic was so powerful and enabled you to do so many things.

“You are not a mage yourself though”, he concluded and looked at them. Had Sybil been a mage, they would likely have worded things at least slightly differently. People tended to speak differently about a group they belonged to, especially if the group in question was accepted by society.

“As for the Immortals, they are just as flawed as mortals are and just as prone to making mistakes”, he told them. “Flawed beings tend to make flawed decisions, and the more powerful the being in question is, the more far-reaching the consequences tend to be”, he continued, speaking from experience, although it was unlikely that Sybil would be able to tell. There was no hint of the dislike that he felt for some of his Immortal kin. The tone of his voice remained largely neutral.

“Is that so?” he asked as Sybil mentioned the comments they had been getting. “What were you like before?” he wanted to know. Perhaps, he thought, they would at least be willing to answer that particular question. Combined with their confirmation that they were indeed not a mage it would provide another valuable clue as to what was really going on. He wondered if they knew what he was trying to do, that he was trying to get to the bottom of things – and if he should care, in case they suspected something.

Voices in the hallway outside his office briefly interrupted the Mortalborn's thoughts, and he momentarily turned his head towards the door before he focused on Sybil again. It seemed as if Professor Merriweather’s physics class would start soon. There was still ample time before he would have to teach a class of his own again though.

[Sybil Malach]

VIII

35th of Saun, 719

The smile that was held so thinly from Sybil's lips slowly began to recede. It wasn't really something brought on by any sort of real emotion surrounding joy or anything like that, but it wasn't a construct of deception either. A construct of a lack of awareness, or perhaps simply not caring if the expression is noticed, it was very clearly an unsuppressed tic of sorts.

Sybil was a great deal of things before. Innocent. Pragmatic rather than cynical. Boringly moderate in nearly all stances one could take. The free time to experiment with local Lotharen men, time to consider the future, a view of the future that was laced with mild annoyances and petty grievances rather than the likes of death, dying, and fates far worse. What Sybil was, in the end, was the same person writ wrong. As though an amateur painter had attempted to recreate their likeness and flubbed major facets.

There were many ways to respond to that particular question. Most of which seemed to err on the melancholic. Gave away too much information that would bring into question their studentship. There was a distinct reason why the Rangers spent so little time investigating the psychological effects of the change. Most of the character witnesses hardly knew them. For the longest time, they were unknown by the broader public. It was among the reason why they flew so far beneath the radar when they returned from a tragedy. Mangled and nearly crippled.

"I'm the same as same person as before." Came the easy response. It settled on a truth that didn't need to be buried by their poor attempts at misdirection and falsehoods. Rising to a stand from the chair, however, they brushed their hands down their cloak, "Though, if you'd like to ask more of me, perhaps a drink at the Devil's Advocate. I hear they're looser with the regulation of ale intake if it's a professor asking..."

The murmuring of students and faculty offered an audio backlight to the two's conversation. Sybil had already raised to a stand, as though their purpose here was concluded. Yet... By the look in their tired jade eyes, there was more to discuss. Factors at play that were never once really said. The pretense of this simply being an academic visit seemed to be a true one, at the very least. Something strange, considering what Doran just learned.

[Doran]

When Sybil told him that they were the same person as before, the Mortalborn looked at them appraisingly. The answer had been given readily, and Sybil didn’t appear to be lying, but at the same time his experiences with cases that had been similar to hers had been quite different. Traumatic events tended to affect most aspects of a person’s life as well as their mental health in some way, but then again, maybe Sybil was hardier than they looked. He pondered the matter for a few moments before he rose to his feet as well.

“Perhaps we should continue our conversation at a later date”, he agreed. It seemed as if they were willing to open up now which came as a pleasant surprise. He had thought that he would have to continue to carefully question them and study them. What had prompted their change of mind? He decided that it didn’t matter for the time being. “I have tomorrow afternoon off”, he informed them. He didn’t normally frequent the Devil’s Advocate. The pub was too loud and too rowdy for his taste, besides he preferred more upscale establishments, but for this purpose, he decided, it would be perfect.

“I’ll meet you at the pub”, he told them. Outside, in the hallway, the noise had largely died down again as the students had entered the classroom, and the class had begun. Only if they listened closely, would Sybil be able to hear Professor Merriweather’s voice, although they would be unable to make out what exactly he was talking about which was a good thing. The old man had a tendency to drone on and on and even make the most exciting subjects seem boring. Students had been known to fall asleep in his class.

[Werewere]

Review Is In!

Doran

Knowledge:
Chemistry: The state of your equipment can affect your products
Deception: Feigning indifference
Detection: Details of a person's appearance
Interrogation: Being direct is not always the best strategy
Intelligence: Drawing conclusions from observing someone
Intelligence: Sometimes it's best to take things slowly
Politics: Every political system is flawed to some extent
Psychology: Traumatic events can affect one's mental health
Psychology: Signs that someone is lying
Psychology: We feel emotions for a reason
Psychology: Denying your emotions can have harmful consequences
Teaching: In order to help a student, you need to find out what exactly they have trouble with first
Teaching: Providing helpful literature

Sybil Malach: University student
Sybil Malach: From Viden
Sybil Malach: Changed
Sybil Malach: My abilities don't work the way they should on them

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: 5 As this was a less private lesson request

Points: 15 May not be used for Magic

Sybil

Knowledge:
Chemistry: Equipment quality is important to finished products
Chemistry: Equipment material distributes heat differently
Chemistry: A brief lesson on anatomy by Doran
Discipline: Unknowingly resisting Doran's Mortalborn ability
Discipline: Resisting the urge to tell Doran the full truth
Discipline: Using the task at hand as a means of driving focus
Discipline: Dealing with emotions leaves less temptation
Discipline: Bottled emotions can erode at one's determination
Psychology: Emotions must eventually be handled no matter what
Psychology: Emotional growth is wholly logical, just chaotic
Psychology: Reading Doran's blank emotional slate
Psychology: Dossier: Eidisi and their tenuous relation with emotions
Psychology: Concept: Emotional maturity

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: 5 For asking around to find someone

Points: 15 May not be used for Magic

I was already reading this thread before I grabbed it. You both are really good writers, and it does show. Sybil seems to really distrust Doran, might be because they are asking prying questions, or something to do with a conflict in abilities. Doran seems to be slightly confused about this, but understanding that they want to help the student.

Overall, this was a amazing thread and I enjoyed reading both of you playing off each other.

Any injures are based on a 1d100 roll using applicable skills