einselective | Hadriel IC Contact.

[ She had certainly not been answering her phone the few times Malkus had tried to contact her, but he attributed that to his misunderstanding of the device. Maybe he wasn't using it right? He thought he'd broken it a few times, but here and there he figured he'd try and send a call out. ]

What an odd noise it makes. I've opened windows. Doors. Whatever this network is should surely be able to flow unimpeded.

[ If she did answer, she'd find he was already talking to himself like an idiot. ]

[Marian is in fact in the Colloseum, sitting around next to a pile of faintly humming electronics and feeling vaguely uneasy while waiting for the next arrivals. She jumps a little at the sound of the phone ringing, but when answered and the strange voice on the other end of the line babbling away...]

Malkus?

M-Miss Tenebris!

[ Malkus choked mid-sentence. That was so abrupt! Well, he did call, but he'd figured the phone would have done something unusual! But instead, the feed simply opened and there was her voice on the other end.

Why'd he call? He didn't have time to ponder! The conversation was flatlining! ]

Can you hear me? I-I'm in my living space!

Yes? What do you want?

[Marian's voice is mildly irritable. Only two days into this effort, and sitting around waiting is interminable, even without the creeping dread the Colloseum inspires.]

Oh! Well. How are you doing?

[ That's not what he was going to talk about. Dumb! What was it? Oh hell how could he forget about that Null chat?! ]

Also I could use a bit of advice from someone who has been here longer than I have. I may-... Aaah. I may have. Been a bit hasty about something. But- first- really I would like to know how things are!

Abysmal. [Marian says flatly. Mind, she's been through much worse, but patience has never really been her strong suit.] Get to the point. What did you do?

Good heavens. Are you quite alright? Sick? Injured? Er- well as for my problem.

[ A deep inhale. He was quiet. How to phrase this? The doctor's voice came over the phone in a high, trying-to-be-casual-and-failing tone. ]

I may have entered an agreement to aid in the- wait wait wait. Do you think... Do you think they can hear me? The whatsit- the parasites? Over this, I mean. This network thing.

[Frankly, that's one of Marian's concerns as well, although if they can, they don't seem very responsive or concerned about the average communication.]

...possibly.

Maybe we should talk in person. I'm in the Colloseum right now.

[ Honestly, the last thing Malkus wanted to do was implicate Marian in a crime as serious as treachery against the Gods of this place. If he could avoid accidentally spilling the beans over the network, he would. Sadly that meant going back to the horrid place he arrived.

There was a muffled groan away from the phone. ]

Biscuits. O-Okay. I'll be there. Not much else going on over here. I guess your earlier answer makes sense now.

[ He bid a goodbye and skittered out of the apartments. Thankfully the city wasn't so complex that he wasn't painfully aware of where that wretched coliseum was.

After what felt like a bit too long, Marian might be able to see a distant Malkus appear at the edge of the arena. ]

[She's not exactly the waving type, but she does stand up from her seat on a couple bits of rubble further the arena's edge, Where she's next to a cart full of ugly but functional electronic equipment, humming quietly. When he gets close enough, she starts in right away. She spent a long time reading and rereading the last post from the Null as new rplies filtered in.]

You shouldn't trust the Null either.

[ Malkus was planning to tell her of his potential mess up with an awkward smile on his lips. Oddly enough it seemed she already knew! So instead, the plague doctor threw his long arms into the air and let them flop back at his sides. ]

Well I wish I had known! It seems- Haha, oh goodness.

[ He anxiously grabbed his hat and squeezed the brim as his voice rose into a wobbly uneasy pitch. ]

The Null think I'm just marvelous, after expressing my desire to... Well, I assume you know what they wanted. I wanted to know where you stood on the matter.

[Whoa, hey now, yikes. Marian looks, frankly, guilty as hell when her gaze shifts sideways and she is suddenly very busy checking a few wires and readouts instead of looking directly at Malkus. Considering she keeps waffling back and forth on the idea of trying to build a beacon, trying to send out an actual call...]

Do you think they'll actually send you a weapon?

[She asks, not answering the question.]

Edited 2017-08-05 22:16 (UTC)

I... [ He rubbed his arms, folding them close to his body as a chill ran through him. Why was this arena so eerie? He thought on it, and tried to focus on Marian's face. He wanted to see if she were scolding him or genuinely asking. ]

I am afraid that they might. I fear that if they do, it will seal this path that I am on.

[ Malkus approached the strange equipment, keeping his arms folded and close to himself. ]

Look at me. No one would strike me as the warrior type, would they? But, because of an impulsive correspondence, I've painted myself as a god-killer to those beings.

Keep your hands to yourself.

[Marian warns anyway, keeping an eye on Malkus. There's few people that she'd trust touching the equipment to begin with, but individuals with Malkus' level of technological expertise... even more definitely not.]

There isn't any good path. The parasites have to be stopped but...

[For all her blustering, she doesn't really want anyone else to get killed. And from what she's read, it sounds unlikely that people here will escape an encounter with the Null completely unscathed.

She shakes her head.]

All we can do is try to help ourselves... or stay out of the Null's way.

Honestly, cruel as it may sound I wouldn't mind if the opportunity to cause both downfalls were to arise.

[ In response to her warning, Malkus nodded and made no further effort to get closer to her stuff. ]

I would have hoped to side with the Null, but you sound as if you have you have more experience with them so... I suppose I ought to defer to you on that judgement. I must ask, though.

What is your motive with this? What drives this study out here, with this... technology?

[ He made a small swirling motion towards the electronics. ]

Under other circumstances, the discovery of interdimensional travel would have been a breakthrough prompting numerous research projects of unprecedented scope...

[Marian half-mutters sourly.]

As it is now, however... if the parasites won't tell us anything about it, we'll have to make our own attempt to locate the Door with the limited resources available to us.

[ Any tiny shred of sass caused by a feeling of hopeless desperation vanished from the doctor as he listened to her idea. That cool demeanor he was trying to show, having his arms folded all contemplatively, completely fell apart. ]

Really! That’s amazing, an amazing idea! That sounds… difficult, though. You know, they may have buried it.

[ It’s what Malkus would have done, if he had anything he needed to hide. Consequently, there are a growing number of dirt piles hiding cans of food in Hadriel. ]

You’ve got my support, at least. For what it’s worth. Even if my role is to keep the silence at bay.

[ If there was one thing Malkus was good at, it was filling a space with mindless chatter. ]

Marian sighs, deeply. Although the ominous atmosphere of the arena does get nerve-wracking over time, silence is perfectly fine. And while on some level she appreciates that Malkus agrees with her... she's not exactly sure that's helpful in any way.

"The parasites have continued experimenting with it one their own, according to all accounts, as well as discussed one or another hiding it. While I wouldn't say with any certainty that the Door isn't buried here, it seems more likely that it is hidden within the city proper in some other way. The arena is likely just a spatial weak point that facilitates the actual connection between this world and others," she clarifies.

[ That sigh was all Malkus needed to know that Marian appreciated his presence here. He puffed up with satisfaction and dense obliviousness. ]

Could it be hidden in quite the literal sense, I wonder? Or obfuscated- obfus- Is that the word? Made invisible to mortal eyes. Hope it can be destroyed, at any rate. After we... er you figure it out, anyway.

[ Malkus pulled up a piece of disturbed rubble and took a dainty seat. It was hard not to look like someone just tossed a marionette on the ground, with how his gangly arms and legs lacked any dignified grace. ]

Do the people of your world all tackle things this technologically complicated often? It's quite exhausting to think about.

[Marian shoots him a sudden wide-eyed look at the mention of destroying it. Admittedly, it was the first thing that came to her mind, and while she's not entirely sure what the plan is once they find it, well...

She coughs slightly, trying to act like she didn't just totally give away her big thought on the issue.]

Only a few. Most live very average, mediocre lives, at least in my country. I will say, however, that the technological level is considerably higher. It's simply that the average person doesn't have to consider the complications much...

[She trails off, clearly reconsidering her words. Still talking like everything was still fine. Like nothing had happened at all. But it had been so fast, and in comparison, she'd been here for months now...]

[ Malkus caught that look, and returned... a shrug. To be honest, he was just spinning the gears. Brainstorming. Her reaction made him feel like the notion had some substance to it, though. Come to think of it, making sure the parasites couldn't use such a device again was extremely important.

Maybe Malkus would have to bash this door against a rock or something. ]

It sounds nice. Mediocre as it may look to the elite like you, I've had the privilege of living such an existence once. [ He straightened up, running a hand across his mask as he continued. Maybe it was some attempt at looking prestigious? ] Hard as it may be to believe now, I came from a modest upbringing! There is a peace in simplicity.

I hope I can help return you to your home. I will return to my work restoring humanity, and you can return to your work... doing... science 'n whatnot I assume.

Restoring humanity...

[Marin has a bit of a sour look at that, although a bit different than usual, downcast. There's still the question of whether or not anyone is even left alive on her world. She doubts it, not with the way things were when she left...]

What happened in your universe?

Mm. Well. Story is kind of long. Please feel free to work while I tell it if you please.

[ He pressed his hands together, idly feeling the edges of his talons under all of that leather that made up his gloves. ]

Something had awoken from the west. Presumably from the sea. And it carried a blight that spread so quickly, folk did not even have the time to die properly. It's...

[ Malkus initially started with a matter-of-fact tone, as he had before, but speaking about it always put the man in a mood. A confusing mood. ]

It manifested in a web, gossamer like cobweb, that blanketed everything. Field of white everywhere you'd look. It drank the life from every little thing. Like salt. Just dried it all up. My flocks were formed from what was left, after the actual doctors and whatnot died or fled further inland. But eventually...

[ He lowered his head, hiding the upper half of his mask underneath the brim of his hat. ]

So those that are left are settling beneath, in caves and a network of tunnels. Kind of like this. Cept me. And those like me. We're not allowed. Yet.

[Marian does listen, solemnly, without interjecting. Although it's hardly proof on its own, she recalls hearing the idea that the Door attempts to bring in chaos, disorder... and can't help but feel a chill at the tale of another world ruined by some unknown thing devouring all life in its path.]

But you'd still go back, too.

[It's less a question, and more a confirmation. Even though she's not sure what's left of her own world... that's where she belongs, after all.]

[ Malkus sat with his hands in his lap. He quietly stared ahead, occasionally looking at Marian's electronics from his spot on the ground. When he spoke, he had a strangely optimistic tone. But far too noticeable was the pained tremble in his throat. The sound of a man trying not to break. ]

Of course. It is my home, is it not? I toil in the plagued lands for those who are still alive. Though they can no longer stand to look at me, I'll bring them the resources to start again.

[ There were times Malkus wanted to lay down in a field and let the blight overcome him, but he would always get up and trudge on. He couldn't quite explain why, and certainly he wasn't always so hopeful, but words were easier said than done. ]

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