[voice]

[blastiafreak]

So Estelle's really...gone for good.

::private to Tyr::

Hey, tell me what happened. You did it, right?

Comments

[stargathering]

[ He's so impressed and proud! He won't let anything stop her./// Oooh, that could be fun >:3 And cute.;;

That question is unexpected and makes Tyr stiffen in his place. He doesn't know what brought that question on, but it takes him a moment to turn around and face her, a cup in each hand. ]

What about it?

[blastiafreak]

[All those enemies will be blasted away for him! /// Aah, wouldn't it? Now I'm tempted to have it happen someday. :3]

[She doesn't notice his discomfort, her eyes only vaguely focused on the table while she tries to organize her thoughts.]

...I can't figure out exactly how it works from the data. [Almost embarrassing to admit, but she doesn't care so much right now.] But I came up with an idea to try.

[stargathering]

[ Eeee, she's so amazing! >///< Hehe! Maybe next month there will be something like that~♥ ]

[ He sets down the tea and sits adjacent to her as she explains. It's not entirely disappointing that she can't figure it out from the data alone - that sort of thing is probably better left a mystery - her idea is what breaks him out of his awkward discomfort. ]

What do you want to do?

[ Also, the apartment is thankfully nice and private now. Not that he cares if the others here overhear them anyway. ]

[blastiafreak]

[Sh-she likes to be praised.../// Aww, I hope so~]

[She's too focused on her idea to pay attention to the tea now, and looks over at Tyr.]

When you said that it absorbs souls...you probably mean life energy, right? I could probably build a blastia that would block the absorption.

[Private apartment is still good. She wouldn't bring it up if his apartmentmates were all around, but since it's just them...]

[stargathering]

[ Tyr gives out praise when it's deserved~♥/// ]

[ Tyr isn't sure how to answer that. Beneath the surface of the table, his hands clench around the fabric of his trousers. ] ...In a way. There wouldn't be much "life energy" to take, though, if that was the case...

[ And he wouldn't want to bring that up around Gremio or Ted if he could help it. ]

[blastiafreak]

[Aww, so proud! ///]

[If his discomfort's obvious at all, Rita still doesn't notice it. This seemed like the best idea she could come up with so far.]

Why's that? That type of energy is pretty abundant in people...Or it is in my world.

[stargathering]

[ He doesn't want to shoot it down, but he wonders what taking the souls would mean when the curse could still cause their deaths. ...Not that preventing them from losing their souls forever is something to sneeze at. ]

I...don't know about that... What I mean to say is... If someone is on the brink of death anyway, then...there's not much left, is there?

[blastiafreak]

That's...something that depends on the cause of death.

[She looks at Tyr for a moment, then back down at her untouched tea. It's probably an uncomfortable topic, but...]

When someone dies really suddenly, from an attack or an accident, there's a lot of that life energy in their bodies at the time of death. But if it's a slow death...like sickness, or old age, then...you're right. There's not much.

[stargathering]

[ It really wasn't something Tyr wanted to think about, but... The rune definitely wasn't nice enough to allow for a slow and peaceful death. ]

I see.

[ He goes silent after that, and doesn't look at Rita. The surface of his tea is still and light brown and unmoving save for the twists of steam that are holding his attention right now.

Finally: ] ...How difficult would it be to make a blastia like that?

[blastiafreak]

[Rita knows it won't be easy. What with mana-powered blastia still an experimental field and the power and dangers of the rune. Her own cup seems just as fascinating but after a moment to think, she looks right at him.]

Like I said...I could build one. It'll probably be pretty complex, but when it comes to blastia, I won't give up until it's done.

[Talking about blastia, with a goal in mind, seems to have woken her out of her daze, at least.]

[stargathering]

[ Tyr still looks at his. He doesn't assume the troubles that actually exist, "blastia" and "aer" and "mana" still being just vague terms meaning "things Rita and Klarth work with".

He does know that she won't give up on him when it comes to the blastia, though. He looks back at her and nods. ] I know... Is there anything else I can do to help you build it?

[blastiafreak]

[To say nothing of the problem with testing it to ensure it works...Which Rita decides they'll cover some other time. For now, she shakes her head.]

No, nothing. [Wait, she realizes that was a little harsh, and amends it:] Not at the moment. If something comes up...

[Suddenly, she remembers something she intended to do--it must have been days ago--and digs through her pockets until she comes up with a small blastia: a golden bracelet inlaid with a red gem. Rita brings up its control panel, types away to activate the formula, and--the gem flickers to life with a steady, faint glow.] Actually, you can do something with this little guy.

[stargathering]

[ Tyr isn't sure he wants to... Though if the blastia worked, the rune shouldn't work at all save for keeping Tyr from aging and getting sick.

He was going to settle for just continuing to sit and wait, but with the bracelet, he can't help but stare at it. It's so...new and interesting and foreign. At her words, though, he looks back to her face. ] What would I do with it?

[blastiafreak]

[She taps away, looking over the adjustments she made one more time, then abruptly stands up and walks over to Tyr.] You're just going to wear him. I've modified his formula based on our data so that he can monitor any fluctuations in the rune's activity.

[Even though she'd taken an initial measurement for the baseline when they originally collected the data, Rita had remembered something he said--about the rune causing people to die. So she had come up with something to observe the changes that happened without Tyr's knowledge.]

[stargathering]

[ He nods, understanding what she meant without complaint. Looking up at her he just... holds out his hand. It's a bit fancy for his tastes, but he's not going to complain about that.

...But. ] ...It's sentient?

[blastiafreak]

[She takes the offered hand, holding it unusually gently while she attaches the blastia around his wrist.

But she pauses and...isn't actually sure how to answer his question all of a sudden. There's the part of her that knows better, that blastia aren't sentient or thinking, and the part of her that's still so accustomed to treating them like they are.] It's...he's...

--Just treat him properly, okay?

[stargathering]

[ He was only expecting her to put it in his hand so he could put it on
himself, but having her hold his hand is...probably something like when he held hers before.

With her response, though, he isn't sure how to take it. He just nods. ] ...All right. I'll be careful with him... [ She calls it a him, so it's a him. Somehow. ]

[blastiafreak]

[Since she's busy attaching it, she doesn't really register the fact that she's holding Tyr's hand. She's more focused on setting it in place and making sure it's recording the measurements properly.]

[Still a little awkward after that question, though, she tries to brush off how uncertain she feels.] Y-you'd better. I spent a lot of time reconfiguring him for mana use, so... [Once she's finished, she nods with satisfaction.]

There. He's working.

[stargathering]

[ He nods, too, and looks down at the blastia. ...It's pretty. It shines in the light that comes in through the window. It doesn't look alive, though, and he doesn't know how it works, but leaves that part to faith and Rita. ]

Okay. ...How should I take care of it, though? This sort of thing...

[blastiafreak]

[She keeps a hold of his hand for several seconds before she finally lets go...and gives him a look of slight disbelief like the answer should be obvious.]

What do you mean, "how"? Just don't be rough with him or anything.

[stargathering]

[ He pulls his hand back and looks the blastia over more, though not touching it. ] How rough is "rough"? Is he like glass or actual metal?

[blastiafreak]

[Which Rita apparently takes as a cue to go into more detail than he wants.] Well, the body's mostly composed of nonreactive metal alloy and the core is a high-density inert solid mana crystal-

I mean, he won't break if you just drop him on the floor...But that doesn't mean you should do it!

[stargathering]

[ Yes. Rita's explanation, Tyr's head, whoosh. That sounds pretty durable to him, but... Whatever. ]

Okay, okay. I'll keep it on and try to keep it from being hit by anything...

[blastiafreak]

[Alas, several unfortunate NPCs have been terrified victims of her tl;dr tendency on blastia...]

Good. He's working hard for you, so you have to respect him.

[And she is completely serious as she says that.]

and last one for the night! o/ have a great night!!

[stargathering]

[ Tyr could have been the first PC to be a victim... ]

Right. [ He had no idea Rita had a dry sense of humour. ] I'll call him "sir", too.