03 - though shadows fall

[innercactus]

Who: Asteffiel
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Tourist
When: June 9th

Guess who hadn't noticed the planet had a hold on him? The plantman!

Guess who just figured out that his fascination with it wasn't just because they finally got to another planet.

Asteffiel's use of video is probably not good for anyone's stomach. He's shaking (like a leaf, hahahaha-), and appears to be hiding under a table, given that it's not night time, and he's glowing. It just has the side effect of making his eyes appear particularly bright off-white, which doesn't help his nervous rambling at the video. Which he managed to turn on after he started talking...

"-t just me, or was it others? I don't want it to be just me, I don't I don't! If something could talk to me, does that mean that other things could talk to me? I was fine against Mor... Mord... More Dead Moths, but is it because I am not home? Am I too far from Mother? Mother I am sorry I made bad friends, I don't want More Dead Moths to get me like Lilac!" Is more or less the gist of his rambling into the device. There are repeats, but it's pretty clear that he's rather terrified of something being able to mess with his head.

So he's hiding in one of the medical bay cabinets.

Comments

[thezerothlaw]

I see. There are no such creatures, where I am from.

[He sighs a little, troubled. He's not sure he's ready to confess this, but so far it's been... okay, and this might be important.]

Still, if a telepathic attack has been made on you, that is... troubling. I have some small mental ability, and though things of this nature are out of my experience, I would be willing to help you learn to resist, if that is at all possible.

[innercactus]

... That is probably a good thing. They are not nice.

[ Really.. not nice... ]

... That would be good. [ He rubs at his hair, and settles a little more calmly... still in his cupboard. ]

I live on the Tourist.

[thezerothlaw]

I am on the Wonderduck. I can perhaps arrange a visit shortly, if you wish it.

[Actually, he's more than a little curious what his new acquaintance's mind might feel like. Because he's obviously not human. He knows that much.]

My name is Daneel Olivaw.

[innercactus]

... That might be better.

[ Landing is the driver of this ship. ]

I am Asteffiel! I do not have a second name.

[thezerothlaw]

I am glad to make your acquaintance, Asteffiel. I will make the arrangements, and I will see you shortly.

[innercactus]

I am also in the medical bay.

[ That seems like an important thing to mention!

... And he'll actually leave his hide-a-cupboard to wait. ]

switching to action then!

[thezerothlaw]

[Daneel isn't too long, and he has more than enough experience with spaceships to find his way around a new one to find the medical bay. He's not entirely sure this will work, but it's at least worth a try.]

Asteffiel? I am here.

o/ Action

[innercactus]

Oh! Hello!

[ Asteffiel had remembered to take care of his plants, which... are pretty much on every surface in the medical bay. So he heads over with a mug of water that's mostly empty.

And he is most definitely made up of purple plants, weaving together to make him look more or less like a human, and wearing colored leaves that pretty clearly are sprouting from him. ]

[thezerothlaw]

[...Well. This is a surprise. He was aware he was dealing with someone who wasn't human -- which is, in itself, a difficult idea for him -- but, well. This person is a plant. A plant.]

I admit that you are... not what I expected.

[innercactus]

[ Asteffiel thinks on that for a moment. ]

I am a Sylvari. At the moment, I am the only one in the Fleet. [ Which is a little scary, and a little exciting. ]

... Sylvari are a lot like humans, but we don't have flesh-things like humans do. Like ... cardio vascular systems... [ He's this ships lab tech, he learned all sorts of interesting.... human things. ]

[thezerothlaw]

What of a central nervous system? Plants, to my knowledge, do not include such structures, and yet you are clearly sapient. That intelligence might arise in such circumstances is a surprise to me, but then I confess I know little of botany.

[He draws back suddenly, aware that he is dealing with an unknown. While he's learned something of how humans behave and react, he doesn't know how Sylvari might react.]

I apologise. I don't wish to offend, and perhaps you find my interest unpleasant. To be quite honest, I am not human either, nor am I made of flesh, despite how I might appear. I am a robot.

[innercactus]

... I don't think so? I get dizzy, but it doesn't always come with someone whacking me on the head?

[ He's confused twice now. He'd been thinking on those big words, and then there's drawing back. Why?

Oh! ]

It is okay. Curiosity is very okay! Just don't hurt me in your curiosity.

[ He perks up even more after. ]

Oh? Like a golem? You are metal or stone and something else made you? Although probably not an asura.

[thezerothlaw]

I have no desire to cause you any sort of distress or harm, Asteffiel. Still, a mind without a brain is quite an extraordinary thing.

[Which is quite true. Perhaps Sylvari aren't covered by a robot must not harm a human but there's no reason to want to hurt him, either.]

I am not familiar with the term "golem," nor "asura," but I am made of a combination of metals and plastic, designed in such a way to very closely mimic a human being. It was humans who made me, in fact.

[innercactus]

Okay. [ And so Asteffiel stays cheerful. If somewhat confused. ]

Most people have been more startled by Mother being a tree, than by me being able to speak.

[ Ah, but less confused again. He knows a bit about asuras and golems! ]

Asura are little people [ He indicates his knee or so. ] and they make golems to help them with things. They do lots of.. science things. Like making the asura gates so you step in at the Grove, and step out at Lion Arc! [ He hops from one spot to another. ]

[thezerothlaw]

A form of teleportation, then, or a sort of small-scale hyperspace jump. How fascinating.

[This is all... slightly off-topic. He came here to help?]

I would be be interested in what you can tell me of this Mother, and of the Sylvari in general. Perhaps it may help me understand how to help you.

[innercactus]

[ ... There's a blank blink because he understood most of that, but not all of it. what space? Space doesn't seem to be jumping?

Ah, but the more important part. This is the part he knows.

... maybe. ]

Mother is the Pale Tree! Uhhhm.. There was a human who found a seed, and he went and planted it, and gave up fighting and became friends with a centaur! The centaur lived longer than the human, because that is what happens, and he carved a bunch of phrases in a tablet, and left it by the little tree when he died. And then the tree grew and grew. Until she was very tall! So you could see the top of her for miles!

And then the Firstborn woke up about Mother. And Mother made a shape like ours so she could talk to us more easily, because after the Firstborn came lots and lots of Secondborn, which are just the rest of the Sylvari.

[ He stops and thinks. ]

... Is that too "in general"?

[thezerothlaw]

Not at all. That is wonderfully informative.

[It's a fantastic story -- a sentient tree, and her human-shaped plant 'children.' Daneel can hardly be accused of being overly imaginative, but he's certainly trying.]

There are only humans and the robots they have made, where I am from. It is very different.

[innercactus]

And robots aren't the same as golems! [ He remembers that part.

... Although he seems to struggle with the idea of just humans and not-human not-golems running around. ]

... That seems like there would be a lot of cities looking the same. We have Sylvari, humans, asura, norn, and charr! Or those are just the ones that have big cities to themselves and work together most.

[thezerothlaw]

Does it seem this way to you?

[Interesting. He can... see why.]

I have been to several planets, and there have been great differences between the human societies on different worlds. Earth builds partly underground in domed Cities, in densely populated metropolises. On Solaria, however, there were no cities at all, as everyone was spread out as far as possible from each other over the entire world. Still, they are all human. I am forced to imagine that a Sylvari city would be very different from either of these two societies.

[innercactus]

You have a very different shape from golems I know. They are usually round and rectangle, or maybe a bit pointy.

[ He sketches a rectangle with a half circle capping the end. Sort of like an arched doorway shape. ]

... and sometimes they don't have their hands all attached.

[ ... He's from a world with dragons, obviously there's magic to go with it-

Oh, he brightens a bit. ]

We have a big city! It's the Grove! I can talk about it?

[thezerothlaw]

I would be interested to hear anything you care to share.

[He's very earnest. Daneel is good at earnest.]

Also, I am willing to answer any questions you may have for me.

I COULDN'T WORDS, sorry for late

[innercactus]

[ Anything is a huge amount of things. It's hard for him to pick things to talk about. ]

We grew the Grove about Mother! So it's a little bit in her branches, but mostly about her roots, and she has a room where we can talk to her! ... Talk to her more easily. .. If she's awake.

[ Temporarily saddened, bouncing back now! ]

It's layers! And all plants, but it isn't big round branches you can slip off of, but big flat ones with fences. And the seats are like little fat sturdy flowers, but there's no pollen to stick to you.

[thezerothlaw]

Your city is grown, rather than built, then?

[It's a fascinating idea: an entire city, organic and growing. He'd rather like to see it for himself.]

Are outsiders ever permitted to speak to your Mother?

[innercactus]

Yes. The Gardeners take care of the city! [ pretty clear where they got the name for that job.

... And he thinks, and then gets a bit sad again. ]

Mother is hurt. Not many Sylvari get to talk to her, because she is still healing. Until she is better, I don't know? I think maybe a couple did, but I don't live near where you go up to Mother's room.

[thezerothlaw]

Ah. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to speak to such an entity as your Mother, though of course, that is impossible in any event so long as we are here.