The Keepers
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Post by Azoth on Jul 23, 2016 20:00:39 GMT -7
It was 6:28pm and Azoth was two minutes early. Planning her arrival at Unhallow’s place had been a challenge to say the least. Had this been a business meeting, it wouldn’t have posed a problem. She would’ve done what she always did; send out a message perhaps a day or so in advance and arrive at the listed time. This was not, however, a business meeting. It was a casual dinner and chess game. And she’d hadn’t the slightest clue how to handle that. She’d considered seeking the internet’s advice, but she didn’t dare trust what lurked there after she’d attempted to learn proper etiquette from a website, and her first fancy dinner with a wealthy business owner had gone… less than perfect. This information was best gathered from actual people. The problem was, there weren’t many people she could ask for a random query; indeed, she only knew of one. And so, Azoth had called Toko. She didn’t know who else to ask. Her search was fruitful; he’d said it was for the best that she call ahead, and Azoth had hung up. She’d called him back a couple minutes later when she realized Unhallow probably didn’t have a phone. One thing led to another, and Toko told her to send a messenger she trusted. While she did have a couple of particularly good messengers who could all but guarantee the arrival of the letter, that still seemed too formal for Azoth. The answer was obvious: she asked Toko to deliver the message for her. She figured Unhallow wouldn’t mind. That was around noon. Azoth wasn’t sure exactly when Toko would get around to delivering the message stating simply “I’d like to come over for dinner and a chess match at 6:30 this evening, Azoth”, but she figured it would be sometime before 6:30 and thus all would be well. Presently, 6:29 according to the clock, the Keeper stepped from the small car with the tinted windows with a large box in her arms and two people coming behind her. The first was, as she had promised, a hired chef. The woman in her mid-forties and polka dots was Azoth’s go-to contact if she needed a more elaborate meal prepared than what her bulters normally made. She was the only person Azoth could call for day-of help who was willing to take money from a super, and who also made good food. ‘Modern style’, she called it, and she prefered to use the ingredients already present at the place she was cooking for simplicity’s sake. The amount she received each time Azoth called her in reflected her appreciation for the woman. The second was an older woman of tall and bone-thin build, who dressed simply but painted her nails brightly. She was Azoth’s personal doctor and was here for reasons and safety, in case the harm caused by Unhallow’s power was at the high ends of her preliminary estimates. She was the reason Azoth could feel secure in what she was going to consider an experiment and her secondary reason for coming tonight. Azoth was wearing her spectacles in place of her goggles, but was otherwise in her standard super outfit save for her shoes. She’d swapped out her usual tall boots for tennis shoes. That meant she was going casual. Once she’d reached the front door, Azoth gave it a couple of raps. She doubted Unhallow would need anything else. Unhallow |
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Jul 24, 2016 15:28:37 GMT -7
It didn't occur to them to ask Azoth for directions when they were first given the key, and mentally cursed themselves for it. It took a couple of hours for them to find it, since they didn't actually have to walk up to every house to see it. Even so, they still had to look at every address plate to make sure they got the right one. It wasn't the one Unhallow was expecting, which they supposed made sense given Azoth said she didn't look at the house herself. It just didn't look like something she'd be willing to buy. It certainly fit the bill for sturdy though. The people that lived there before must have been incredibly paranoid given some of the modifications. Not only that, but on the way up she saw no less than four dozen sharp objects up the driveway ranging from broken glass to caltrops. At first they thought it might have been unintentional, but the caltrops confirmed that probably wasn't the case. The driveway was really long, unsurprising given how secluded the house was, but it wasn't exactly that long. There was another sharp object every few feet. Unhallow carefully removed all of the sharp objects on their way up to make sure any visitors they got wouldn't have to deal with it. From there, she put the mattress into the promised backyard bunker and went to sleep.
By the time Azoth arrived at the house, Unhallow had some time to explore it and learn its ins and outs. The front yard was completely overgrown, with weeds and the like everywhere. There were even a few thorny rose bushes that they trimmed back by leaning near them covering much of the way to the front door. There were bits of ivy climbing the walls that were already starting to wilt thanks to the influence of Unhallow's power. The grass was starting to turn yellow, not that there was that much of it in the sea of weeds and wildflowers. Unhallow gave it a week before it looked about as lively as HappyWorld. The path up to the house was completely safe as long as everyone stayed on that curvy stone path (that was half broken because of all the weeds) leading up to the house. Much too Unhallow's surprise, much of the rest of the property had strategically placed landmines throughout it. They already diffused the ones closest to that path so that if Azoth were to stray from it slightly she wouldn't explode. Though, she did opt to keep the sign near the front door that read 'NO SOLICITORS' with the subtitle of 'all solicitors will be shot on sight' in hopes of keeping people away from here.
By the time Toko arrived, Unhallow already rigged something together using spider web, old posts from the deck, and a few nails they collected from the driveway in order to make something to let them open the front door from about six feet away. Granted, this door was less a door and more a a vault. It looked normal for the front, save for the fact that the decorative window was blocked by a heavy sheet of metal with only a small hole in it, likely meant for the barrel of a rifle. It took them a second to get the door open given how oddly complicated it was, but what they saw on the other side only confused them. They figured it'd be another Keeper all things considered, so they at least opened the door in costume, but they weren't expecting a messenger like this. Didn't Azoth say she'd just come over when she felt like it? Unhallow didn't exactly mind sending someone else first, they were just surprised, and it showed in their voice. At least they had a time now? Not that they actually had a clock. Or power. Now they supposed they should figure out how to get phone service here too. Owning a house was really complicated, they were starting to wonder how their parents handled it.
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Unhallow was wandering around outside when Azoth arrivedWhen Unhallow opened the door for Azoth, they were once again six feet back to avoid hurting her. The inside of the house was just as bad as the outside. It was pitch black inside, save for the little bit of light coming through the front door. The windows, and most of the walls inside, were covered by metal, so no other light went in. There were no lights on, since there was no power and Unhallow didn't exactly need light to see anyway. At this point, Unhallow didn't know how dark it was outside given they were keeping the helmet on for now. They weren't sure if there was any point anymore, given her civilian life was pretty much gone, but they supposed it was better to be safe. Hopefully it was light enough to see. There was a thick layer of dust on the floor, thick enough that Unhallow left visible footprints when they walked.
"Good evening Azoth and...everyone. Sorry, there's no power. I don't know how to get it on. So, maybe we should play outside instead? There's a nice deck out back. It's actually fairly normal from what I can tell. The kitchen's over there," she motioned towards one of the openings in the wall, "but I don't have any food. Sorry. Um...be careful when opening the cabinets too, they're shut really tight and the first time I tried to open it it nearly fell on me. Um...Oh, and don't wander around too much. I haven't gotten around to diffusing all the landmines. You can come inside if you want, or we can go around the back if it's easier for you to see like that. I made sure that way's clear, so nothing should explode."
Given the construction of the house, Unhallow suspected that there used to be a clear shot from the front door to the back door. Instead, there was an almost maze-like construction between the two areas that didn't appear to serve much purpose. Unhallow wasn't sure how successful they'd be in showing everyone how to get through it given how far away from everyone they needed to stand. Unhallow wasn't particularly bothered by this or any of the other things they encountered while searching this house. When Azoth said it was previously owned by people preparing for the apocalypse they expected the worst, so this was actually pretty tame compared to their imagination. In the past few weeks, they had dealt with so many things worse than some explosives or threatening signs outside the door, so it just didn't bother them anymore.
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The Keepers
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Post by Azoth on Jul 28, 2016 1:01:25 GMT -7
Azoth peered past the doorway and distant Unhallow into the house, making a mental note of their assessment of the place. A thick layer of dust on the ground meant no one had thought to clean. No lights meant no one had bothered to check for basic appliances. This was ignoring the yard; she knew very little about gardening besides that it was akin to exterior interior decorating, she did know there was a difference between a ‘wild garden’ and ‘unkempt overgrown forest that’s taken to looking deathly recently’. She wondered how much of that was means of backing up the intimidating signs in front, or the result of the house being left to sit. With how the interior appeared, she was inclined to assume blame rested mostly the later. She wondered if the realtors were aware of the land mines in the yard when they’d sold the house. Probably, given the amount of relief in the lady’s voice when Azoth had agreed to buy it.
Azoth was taking these as marks as why not to ever deal with this realtor again as well as where not to step and what not to poke. The face of the chef, on the other hand, dropped when she said there was no food. Her face dropped further when she (mistakenly) heard of exploding cabinets and landmines in the grounds. It was of little surprise that she then quietly excused herself with the reason of grocery shopping, and contrasting orange and blue polka dots vanished down the path like the last receding bits of a child’s innocence in a world of darkness. It would be of little surprise later when she requested a higher paycheck than usual.
“Good evening.” Azoth replied. “I agree, outside sounds more pleasant.” If initial appearances were anything to go by, Azoth feared the entire house was covered in a blanket of dust. There was a reason she kept her own estates meticulously free of the indoor snow and of the mold that liked to follow. Neither mixed well with her lungs, and she’d prefer to keep the negative effects placed on her body this evening to a controlled one.
“Perhaps going around back would be simpler.” She said after some consideration. Though she had means of combating the darkness, finding her way around the house would likely be easier than trying to brave her way through whatever the architect had dreamed up.
On the back porch, Azoth had expected at least a table, or a chair, or something to set up on. She was greeted with no such furniture.
The floor would have to do. Locating a wider area, she came to stand in the center. All around her, dirt, dust, and any other litter covering the deck in about a four foot radius around her began to vanish. Before her formed a small plastic table - simple, light, about a foot high and twice that in width and height, and terribly informal and unprofessional. But it would have to do.
Once a circle of cleanliness and the table had been created, two small cushions formed on the ground on either side of the short plastic cube. Azoth knelt atop one of them and placed the box she’d brought with her beside her. Sliding off the top, she began to unload the contents onto the table.
This was not her usual chess set. The board was made of an inch-thick slab of carved granite. Each of the pieces, though made to be of average size, weighed differently in one’s hand. Though they looked to be a united set, all shaped in the same style and outwardly colored likewise, every piece was made out of a different material; varying types of stones or common materials. Some were as light as the plastic table while a couple of the pieces felt more like they were crafted out of gold. Indeed, one was. Azoth had created this set herself earlier in the day purposefully and solely for this match with Unhallow with the goal of seeing the effects her powers had on different materials.
The doctor she’d brought along with her settled into the background and Azoth settled into her seat. The board was set. The black pieces sat before her. Hands in her lap, she had only wait for Unhallow to give their ready.
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Jul 29, 2016 7:05:28 GMT -7
Unhallow nodded, trying really hard not to shift uncomfortably when the chef ran off. When they made the agreement with Azoth, it didn't even occur to them that there wouldn't be any power, or that there wouldn't be any food in the cupboards. They were used to the lights just always being on without having to think about it, and while she took care of some of the grocery shopping sometimes, it wasn't a common thing. The fact that a house could be this empty, this devoid of furniture or anything else, this dusty, not have running water, not have any electricity, or not have any windows was just completely foreign to them. They didn't even think such a thing could happen until the house entered their sensory range.
"If you could just step back a little...Um...A lot so I can get around you, I'll show you the way then."
The path the the backyard was obvious because Unhallow walked through one particular path several times while exploring the house. There was a clear line of dead plants, and even though several of them were likely taller than Unhallow themselves while they were alive, the way they withered made them look small. They intentionally picked a path with no mines, so it was a little bit snaky, but it would at least make the path safe if Unhallow didn't defuse them properly. The trip was almost eerily quiet, with the only sound being the occasional bit of wind running through the overgrown garden. There weren't any signs of animals, or even bugs. A careful glance at the ground would reveal a few dead bugs and the occasional dead rabbit, but nothing living.
The back deck was in surprisingly good shape compared to the rest of the house. It looked like it was mostly untouched by the original owners, with the only obvious modification in the area being the massive steel hatch that lead to the underground bunker, but that was on the ground a few feet away from the deck. The deck itself was made out of an aging teak that, while it looked like it could use some staining, was actually in fairly good condition. The areas they walked on while exploring were as obvious as they were in the garden. The wood looked like it was at least 10-20 years older in those spots. The deck itself was large with lots of open space, as well as some stairs leading to one of the rooms on the upper floors. Part of it was closed off and connected to the dining room to act as a little outdoor breakfast room. Like all the other windows in the house, this area was also encased in steel, making it considerably less desirable to use. Unhallow was fine with just staying outside.
Unhallow always found Azoth's power interesting. Everything quite literally just disappeared, not even their senses could track it, and when things appeared it was always so weird in a way they couldn't describe. Once everything formed, Unhallow blinked in concern. They had no problem sitting on the ground, but they figured they'd be on the other side of the deck or something calling out their moves. They shifted uncomfortably as Azoth took out the chess set and all the pieces. They didn't know anything about chess, but they still didn't expect this many pieces or for there to be this many differences between them. Did the material matter? Chess sure was complicated.
"A-Are you sure you want me to sit that close? I mean, I can be on the other side of the house and see just as clearly as I could sitting across the table from you."
Unhallow didn't know enough about how the world worked to know exactly how their power would work on different things. People were what they were most familiar with just because that was what they payed the most attention to. Their power wasn't affected by any kind of wall or barrier, so a human's skin and bones would do nothing to protect them. That's why the smaller, weaker cells, like blood cells, tended to die first. From there, it was more fragile organs, like the lungs, that typically went next. However, that entire time every part of a person's body would be dying, it just wasn't always immediately noticeable. Inanimate objects worked the same way, but Unhallow found them a lot less predictable. Their power made them age, and thus they'd slowly be destroyed as it was like they were several decades older than they were. The rate this happened depended strictly on how well the material could handle aging. Given enough time they could turn most everything to dust, but that rarely happened.
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The Keepers
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Post by Azoth on Aug 1, 2016 15:34:36 GMT -7
“I am certain. You might be able to hear me, but you’ll have to shout. The purpose of this is conversation and such an arrangement will not lend itself well to that goal. This is also why I’ve, ah-” Azoth paused, realizing her mistake. “I forgot to introduce you.” She guested to the older woman, who had sat down some distance away and was listening only with mild interest, with her palm. “This is Doctor Abramson. She is my personal doctor and will be able to help me should anything go too wrong. The other woman was Jenny Louna. She is the chef I have hired for the evening.”
Azoth shifted to get comfortable and cleared her throat for yet another long explanation. “Unhallow, as well as a game of chess, I would like to play twenty questions, as some might call it. You will get ten questions of me, and I will get ten questions of you. We ask our question when we make our move in chess, after answering the previous one, of course. These questions can be of anything; as such, we both get two passes in the case of a question we do not wish to answer. The only rules pertaining to the questions are we cannot ask each other our true identities and if one of us chooses to pass on a question, the other can’t ask the same or a rephrased version of the question again. If we chose to answer a question, we must do so truthfully. The extent to which you do so is up to you, however I will respond in kind. Half answers from you will return half answers from me.”
She paused for breath. The scenery might not be the most welcoming, but it wasn’t too much worse than some of the places she met her clients. It certainly smelled better than some of them. Undoubtedly Azoth had been cheated of her money, but given the circumstances, she could let the relators off with a single pass. It was on their luck that he air was clean today and the deck did not smell too poorly of grime. She would not buy through them again, but she would not demand retribution either.
This was normally the part where she got into the payment of the match, but she believed that was already covered. It was time to begin the game. “White goes first.” She said, casting a glance down at the black pieces set up in front of her. “Therefore, the move is yours.”
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Aug 2, 2016 18:00:09 GMT -7
Unhallow nodded and started to sit down slowly and stiffly, clearly not entirely comfortable with this situation. They had seen the person, but knowing their purpose didn't make them anymore comfortable. If anything they started fidgeting more. After taking a moment of trying, and failing, to get comfortable they leaned slightly closer to Azoth and whispered in a hushed tone.
"Um...both of you know I'll be hitting her with my power too r-right?"
Being able to get medical help quickly was a good idea, but it didn't seem like it'd be that useful if the doctor was also under the influence of their power, or if she had to get close in order to help Azoth if something bad happened. Once they were done talking, they quickly leaned back to put as much distance between themselves and the chess set as possible. They didn't want to destroy any of Azoth's property more than they had to. Even though their head wasn't pointed towards the set, they were looking over every piece very closely while Azoth explained what she wanted to do. It seemed simple enough, but the explanation stopped there. Unhallow blinked expecting Azoth to continue, but instead she just told them to make their move. Unhallow squirmed in their seat again for a moment while they thought of the right thing to say.
"Okay, I understand all of that, but um...I don't know how to play chess. I-I thought I told you, did I forget?" Unhallow furrowed their brow, they could have sworn they did, but maybe they misremembered. "S-So can I just move something somewhere then? Like this?"
Unhallow picked up the king, and placed it into the center of the board. Since it was one of the tall pieces in the middle of the board it must be good right? Once they set it down, they quickly put their hands back into their lap and started tugging on their fingers. They didn't know anything about chess, and had never even seen it played. They had no idea what they were doing. They paused for a moment to think of a question, only to realize that technically they had already asked two.
"Oh, does that count as my question, or should I think of something else?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Azoth on Aug 3, 2016 14:32:29 GMT -7
Azoth stared at the king placed center in the board. She couldn’t even begin to explain how many rules that broke and how painfully clear it was Unhallow didn’t know what they were doing in the slightest. She appreciated the Keeper’s… attempt at the very least.
Had Unhallow stated they didn’t know how to play chess? Azoth thought back through their past conversations. “Ah, it seems you did inform me. My apologies.” Azoth had come to expect everyone she interacted with already knew the rules, and in forgetting Unhallow’s statement, and assumed it of them. She wondered to Unhallow’s age if they had not yet played a game of chess.
Azoth went through and explained the rules of chess; the winstate of the game, as well as how each piece was to be moved. When she got to the king, she picked up the piece in the center of the board and placed it back at its starting location. All was well.
“The question you asked doesn’t need to count as it was necessary to play the game, and it was my fault you had to ask it in the first place.” She stated once her explanation had concluded. While technically a question, it also wasn’t the sort of question intended by the game. It was akin to using a genie's wish on a club sandwich, and Azoth felt it unfair to penalize Unhallow for it. “Perhaps I should begin.” She settled back on her cushion, adjusting her weight so it rested more evenly on both of her knees. Picking up a pawn, she placed it forward towards the center of the board.
“How long have you had your powers, Unhallow?” The question reminded her of another matter which had been glossed over in face of the erratic king’s movements. “Also, I am aware of your power’s non-singular nature and I have notified her accordingly.”
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Aug 3, 2016 16:57:09 GMT -7
This was the second time Unhallow was grateful to have this ridiculous helmet in Azoth's presence. They just stared at the board like a deer in headlights as she explained the rules of the game. There was no way they were going to remember all that, it was completely impossible. Trying to ignore the knot forming in their stomach they nodded and agreed to start the game.
Looking at each piece to try to think of a move, Unhallow realized that only a little more than half of them could even move, and two of them were some of the ones they hadn't completely wrapped their heads around the way they moved. That seemed like a really weird way to setup a board. What was the point in having all these pieces if so few of them could even do anything? They realized the rest would probably be able to do more later, but still, this just seemed weird. It was at this point that they were glad Azoth went first because they had no idea what to do and would probably have spent quite a bit of time staring at the board trying to figure that out. However, if Azoth made that move, then it was probably a good one right? Even if they didn't understand why she made that move, they at least understood that Azoth was probably good at this and could be trusted as a reliable source for what was good here. Unhallow made the same move she did, putting her pawn directly in front of Azoth's. It was at this point that they realized they didn't actually answer the question.
"O-Oh! Um...right. Um, it's been almost a year I think. It showed up shortly after school started, sooooooo...that was probably end of this month beginning of next month, but last year? It put me in the hospital for about a week because I couldn't handle all the new sensory information I was getting, so I could probably find the exact date if you really wanted it."
There was another long pause before Unhallow realized that they were supposed to ask a question too. Sure, they knew, but there were so many things to keep track of that it was easy to forget about one or two things. They went to open their mouth, but they weren't actually sure what to ask and looked down again. Unhallow was a little curious about Azoth's powers too, but given how uncomfortable it was to talk about their own it felt weird to put Azoth in that same situation. Maybe once they knew each other better. In the mean time, rather than keep her waiting, they went for the first question they could think of.
"What type of music do you like?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Azoth on Aug 4, 2016 2:40:04 GMT -7
This was the closest Azoth had ever purposefully been to Unhallow. She’d felt the effects of their powers before, but this was the quickest onset she’d experienced. It was something she was going to have to keep an eye on - not that she could ignore it.
“There’s no need for an exact date.” Her own power gave her a large amount of information very quickly, and that had certainly been disorienting when she had first obtained it. To her, it had been akin to attempting to shove too many people through a door at once; it went through, but the process was painful, confusing and, though she loathed her younger self for thinking it, felt unnatural. Hers, however, could be done on command. From what she understood, Unhallow was unable to ‘turn off’ her abilities. She could see how that would put her in the hospital.
Wasn’t that one of those thoughts people appreciated to be spoken aloud? “That sounds difficult.” She said simply. Then it was her turn.
Unhallow’s question gave Azoth a moment of pause, not because it was difficult or she didn’t know the answer, but because it was unlike any of the questions she’d been asked previously in one of these games. It was oddly... normal. Yet not unfitting for Unhallow, Azoth figured.
“I prefer classical. String solos and duets are my overall preference, such as those from Bach and Giuseppe Tartini, but I also enjoy anything by Chopin. If I was pressed for a favorite piece, I would say Tartini’s Sonata in A Minor.”
Azoth picked up and placed her knight again towards the center of the board. “What kinds of sensory information does your power give you?”
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Post by Unhallow on Aug 4, 2016 18:23:47 GMT -7
Unhallow had to make a conscious effort not to tug on their fingers or otherwise fidget. Their powers were not a very comfortable subject for them and they wish they didn't have to talk about it so much. This was why it was so annoying when people tried to fight them in melee or get close or even ask why they were so irritated when people went to HappyWorld, all of those things forced them to explain, forced them to confront the nature of their power again. Unhallow was very happy for the subject change.
"You seemed the type, but I wasn't sure," she let out a nervous chuckle. "I think it's a shame more people don't listen to the classics. They're more complex and diverse than people give them credit."
Azoth moved the horse thing, but this move left Unhallow a little confused. Pieces took other pieces by moving onto the square they were on right? Then wasn't that pawn undefended? For that matter, wasn't theirs too? They didn't even think about it when making their last move, which embarrassed them a little. Was there a reason not to take the pawn? Unhallow couldn't see any. The reached for their own pawn before remembering that they needed to answer the question first. They deflated a little, sad that the conversation was once again focused on their power.
"I don't really know. I thought I was seeing like...atoms, but recently the things I see got smaller, so I guess not? I'm just able to put all those particles together now to mostly make sense of what I'm seeing. So...I see the really small things, and I put them together and I can see something a little bigger, so it'd be like putting the particles together and then I can see a blood cell. I put all the cells together and then I can see an organ. I put all the organs together and then I can see a person. Like that I guess. I can also see all the particles kind of...shake? That's kind of what sound looks like anyway. Because I see it like that, I can make out sounds from really far away as you've seen. There's some other things too, but I don't know what they mean, so I just ignore it."
With that, they picked up the pawn and captured the pawn directly in front of it. For a moment, they were actually feeling a little satisfied with themselves, but they couldn't dwell on it too much. They had to think of a question. They paused for a moment to think, but this question came more quickly.
"What do you like to do for fun?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Azoth on Aug 8, 2016 15:44:58 GMT -7
Azoth put a hand on her chin and nodded again to Unhallow’s explanation. It was again sounding familiar, enough so that Azoth had a pretty decent - albeit likely different looking - picture of what she described in her head, but even hers didn’t go as deep as Unhallow made theirs sound. How did they handle so much information, constantly?
“If you can see biological makeups like that,” she began slowly, “have you considered learning to read electrical signals in peoples’ bodies? For instance, you may be able to tell muscle motions before they happen, giving you more time to react to the other’s movements. Or, people’s thoughts are simply neurons firing in the brain. Perhaps, by learning what they mean, you could become able to read thoughts?” Azoth paused, wondering to further applications. It was a little slow, coming back to the conversation, as her mind was beginning to feel somewhat dulled along with the rest of her body. She set the effects of Unhallow’s powers in the back of her mind like an alarm clock with a snooze button.
“For fun?” She considered the question and the board. “If you mean my hobbies, I collect things. Old alchemical books are perhaps my favorite to acquire, and recently I’ve been collecting large paintings. There is a certain… thrill to finally obtaining a book I have been trying to find for months, by auction, negotiation, or, I think my favorite method is intimidation. It’s fun to scare rich aristocrats who think they own the world into selling me what I want for a lower price than they would ever consider otherwise.” Azoth was beaming at the thought. She picked up another pawn. “I have also enjoyed myself here thus far. I would consider this ‘fun’.”
As she was about to place her piece, however, she hesitated. Her brow furrowed at the board. “Unhallow, that move is illegal. Pawns capture diagonally.” She placed the pawn in her hand back, unmoved, and pushed Unhallow’s pawn back a space. How had she not seen that immediately?
“You’ll have to make a different move.” Azoth stated. “But,” she figured, “I will ask my question anyway. Do you like your powers?”
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Post by Unhallow on Aug 8, 2016 22:57:53 GMT -7
As Azoth talked, Unhallow could practically feel the sparks flying in their brain. They didn't understand a word she just said. There were parts they could follow, but most of it just sounded like non-sequitur. Unhallow paused for awhile, trying to make sense of all the ideas there, and once they failed at that, trying to come up with something that sounded at least a little intelligent while making some amount of sense. In the end, the only thing that came out of their mouth was a single, somewhat airy, word.
"What?"
Their face flushed at how stupid that must have sounded, but they really had no idea what she was talking about. Maybe what she was talking about was some of that random stuff they didn't understand and ignored? Unhallow really had no idea. They were just glad to have a change in subject, but even this subject change was unsettling. It was such an innocent question, but now they were wishing they didn't ask. Collecting was fine, but the method brought flashbacks from that time at the lake and started making them feel nervous. The worst part about situations like this was that all this awkwardness, all this nervousness, all this fear, would only make their power stronger. Unhallow could already feel the difference and tried to take a few deep breaths to try to calm down. All they could think was that they were glad they were on Azoth's side, she was kind of scary. They tried to think of something to say, something that wasn't mean or awkward, but it took long enough that Azoth started talking again.
"Oh..."
Unhallow's shoulders slumped a bit when they were told the move was illegal. It made sense, there's no way Azoth would make a mistake like that right? It was stupid to think that they could catch her off guard like that. Defeated, Unhallow quickly made the same move Azoth did again without thinking about it too hard. The question was enough to put them back on edge. They frowned, a little bit of the frustration coming through in their voice despite their best efforts to hide it.
"Of course not, how could I? I can't do most of the things I like anymore, I can't be around people anymore, I've even had to find weird places to sleep so that I didn't kill everyone in my neighborhood overnight. There's nothing to like." Unhallow paused for a moment to think of another question, but in the end there was only one thing that came to mind. "Why do you keep asking me about my powers?"
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The Keepers
Posts 234
Power Level 31
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Post by Azoth on Aug 9, 2016 0:17:04 GMT -7
Normally, an answer like that would get a disapproving look from Azoth. However, she was too occupied with double checking that this move was legal (which is was, thankfully. At least, she was pretty sure), and by the time she got around to processing Unhallow’s reply, she was taking it at the face value of the words and accompanying inflection. Azoth tilted her head to the side. “You appear to be upset.” She stated. “My apologies, that was not my intention.”
It was kind of sad, she was coming to find; what they said now and the bit about the hospital earlier. Still, having powers was a gift, wasn’t it? Difficult or not, it make Unhallow stronger, greater. More than human. Having powers always had downsides; for one, present society hated those who dared to show their gifts, use them for the potential they were meant for, and for the good of the race as a whole. And so what if Unhallow killed a large group of unpowereds overnight with their powers? Powers killed people. It was a fact of them and of having them. Azoth could see the problem if those people were also supers, but there were healing powers that could aid to some degree, and people who knew of their power could simply avoid them during times it was necessary.
Her mind was meandering. Azoth brought herself back to the question Unhallow had asked and to the board. “I wish to gain a better understanding and control over my own powers, and thus I am attempting to learn as much about the workings of other supers’ as well. Since yours have some mild similarities, in the information we can obtain from it primarily, they are of particular interest to me.” She paused, wondering where she was going with that. “So… the more I can learn, the better? Perhaps in learning how yours work, I can better learn how mine work.” Azoth nodded to herself, figuring that a good conclusion. Even if she couldn’t shake the feeling that she may have just repeated herself.
Unhallow’s powers were certainly getting to her. The whole of her body felt heavy and her voice had become strained and even more quiet than usual. It was probably about time she did something about it.
Azoth got to her feet slowly. Even with her best efforts, she had to fight to keep her balance in standing. But, she managed, to only a small head rush, and deemed the endeavor a success. “Um, what is the quickest way you know of to mitigate the effects of your powers?”
Almost forgetting, she leaned over to move another one of her pawns forward.
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The Keepers
Posts 206
Power Level 30
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Post by Unhallow on Aug 9, 2016 0:53:00 GMT -7
Unhallow's power controlled every aspect of their life at this point. They had to be careful when they went into public places and where they walked in those public places. They had to be very aware of their clothing and whether it was falling apart in bad ways, along with anything they were carrying. They had to be careful every time they used a computer and had to make sure it was really worth it given they likely only had limited uses with it without having to get it repaired. They couldn't come into contact with other people under most circumstances, and had to be very aware of how they were feeling if they got too close. They had to be aware of the ages of the buildings they were coming close to or be okay with having parts of them collapse. It informed everything they did at this point from movement, to social interaction, to hobbies. Most of the things they liked to do they had to give up because it just wasn't possible with their power as it was. It was bad enough to have to deal with it, but talking about it was always annoying. They wouldn't give it up at this point, but sometimes they did wish it would just go away. It was frustrating, but they didn't want to take that frustration out on other people.
"No, it's okay," Unhallow frowned. "Sorry."
The explanation didn't make much of the frustration go away, in fact it just made them more confused. They were similar somehow? Unhallow always thought that Azoth just made stuff appear and that's all it did. It did other stuff too? She had a weird sensory thing too? Unhallow just hoped that the similarities stopped there, especially since Azoth said she wanted better control over her powers.
"How are they similar?"
Unhallow didn't ask the question with the intent of that being their question, but the more they thought about it, the more they were okay with it. However, first they needed to make a move and answer the question. Unhallow stared at the board, not that they could look away if they wanted, with growing concern for Azoth. She did know what would happen if she sat this close right? Was she just underestimating the effects of their power. They were distracted from the board for a moment, still staring at it because they were always staring at everything around them, but not thinking about the move.
"Well...it's connected to my heartbeat, so if you keep my heartbeat speed low it doesn't send out as much energy and thus doesn't do as much damage. I-I think it might be a little late for that though. The only other way I know of is to get out of my range, but it's really big now. I'm not even sure how big anymore. Once you're out of it, you should recover quickly. Most wounds my power inflicts heal fast if...well if the living thing survives. That's why I didn't think I should get so close..."
Unhallow stood up and walked to the far side of the deck while trying to think of a move. It wasn't nearly far enough, but it should help for the time being. There didn't seem to be a lot happening in the game itself. Wasn't the point to attack the king? So why was nothing like that happening? That seemed silly. Unhallow looked at all her pieces and found one that could go on the attack right now.
"Um...question I asked before is fine, and move my..." Unhallow thought for a moment, realizing she forgot what the piece was called. "Shorter...pointy topped one so it's attacking your king."
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The Keepers
Posts 234
Power Level 31
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Post by Azoth on Aug 9, 2016 14:32:28 GMT -7
Azoth moved the piece as requested. After looking over the board, she elected that her probable best move and placed her knight to block the incoming attack. She was feeling better since Unhallow moved away, in the sense that it wasn’t getting worse as quickly. Getting out of Unhallow’s range was not particularly viable at the moment - she would, as far as she could gather, be able to with a car, but that would require leaving and not returning for who knows how long. Azoth made a mental note to ask Toko later if it was rude to leave mid-way through a meeting like this and return possibly several hours later. Perhaps she should’ve heeded Unhallow’s advice when they began… But, it was a little late for that, and this would be a good data point. She would be interested to hear what her doctor (who had, upon hearing Unhallow’s explanation, gotten up and walked several more yards away) found from her exposure.
Settling back down into her seat, Azoth considered using one of her passes on Unhallow’s question. Then again, of all the supers she knew, she had identified Unhallow as the most likely to figure out how her power worked the soonest. Besides, this was something small.
“When I use my powers on something already formed,” She began, speaking slowly and taking care with word choice, “I learn almost everything you described about what I take. I can, ah, ‘see’ down to the atoms. Not any deeper, as you report, but I obtain everything about them. The way they’re moving, how much energy they have, where they are; when I put it all together, I can gather a full picture. This has different applications depending on what I use it on. For instance, I can use it on a bit of air and discern its makeup, temperature, sound waves traveling through it as you mention, and direction of airflow. It’s useful for remote sensing. As you’ve likely seen, I can also use it to quickly read documents. When I use it on paper, I can see where the ink is on the page and by putting that together make letters and then words.
“As I said, it’s a minor similarity, but with the vast nature of supers’ powers, that is no small matter. I hope that’s satisfactory for you; I would prefer not to go into any further detail.”
Azoth looked down at the board to make her next move, but remembered she already had. Unhallow’s mention of not being around other people, along with the lack of electricity - and food - brought to mind a bit of a concern. “Do you have means of income, and of otherwise supporting yourself?”
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