driftfleet | the white noise is deafening silence

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the white noise is deafening silence

[In the very early hours of January 20th, as the Marsiva and her captives drift nonchalantly through the depths of the universe, there is a call. Every single personal communicator and console springs to life, spitting out a stream of indecipherable static and showing only gray snow on screen. It continues like this for a few seconds longer, going black and then going staticky, and then the signal switches to the encrypted channel generally used for speaking to the Interceptors when something big goes down.

This is a little more successful. The voice may be familiar to some, at least through the static.]

Zhade here! I trust I ███ your attention? I'm having some ██▓▓ble ██tting through. Some of the ░▓██▓█ are missing. I can't ░▓▓▓ read on their loc█████ns. [A particularly long burst of static.] ███stening. I'll s█▓▓█ more inf██▓▓▓▓▓█ I get it.

Stay sharp! [There's the sound of someone actually doing the fingerguns wink noise, and then static.

Any messages sent back won't get through, and Zhade isn't there to answer.]

[ A blip of lost time passes right after those words, before every passenger mysteriously wakes alone in their own unfamiliar room. The style of decor resembles that of the Marsiva's Hospitality Deck, if any passengers should remember what that's like. It sounds and smells the same as the host ship as well, all clean and chrome.

Welcome back to the Marsiva, dear passengers. It's time for round three of calibrations. ]

[ This mingle will cover all non-calibration room interactions. Please continue to come back to it for the duration of the plot! You are, of course, free to post any other mingles/posts/etc. that you'd like. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Haggar is patient, and used to silence. Perhaps not used to so much silence from Lup, which only adds to the peculiarity of the... concern she feels, but she waits.

It's not the first time she'd sensed such a rawness of energy emanating from Lup, and those were not under the best of circumstances, either. It's not too difficult to add up at least part of what must have happened; Lup must have encountered Taako in her mind, in some way. That would leave her out of sorts in more than one way.]

... I can add stronger wardings, if you... prefer to keep others at bay.

[At least here in the physical world, they had more control over such aspects, limited as they were.]

[Another pause, as those words are considered very carefully. She hadn't accounted for this, and she doesn't know if Haggar is alone, nor does she have any way to tell. What to do, what to do...

When a reply at last comes to Haggar this time, it's a whisper directly in her ear rather than through the door, and there's something eerie, something distinctly abnormal about the voice despite it still being Lup's, and it's more than just the magic that carried her words.]

It's not that I don't appreciate the generosity, but wouldn't that be kinda suspicious? A big ol' magic sign on my door that screams, "hey! I'm hiding shit!"

[Which- okay, she is. But she's trying not to broadcast it.]

[The shift in communication all but confirms that something is amiss. On her side, at least, she knows the area is clear, and she's not precisely lingering at the door.

She gives Lup's words some thought, before she responds, in a similar manner.]

You already have a sign on your door that indicates as such. At most, it could deter anyone from blundering in, if you require security. Or... privacy.

I have measures for that already. This is... look, keeping people out isn't the biggest priority right now.

[Keeping her in, on the other hand...]

Then what is your priority?

[Something to do with that obvious raw energy, she figures, but she doesn't have every piece of this puzzle.]

There's another long, uncomfortable pause… and then finally, a sigh.]

This is stupid. I'm being stupid. Just... come in. It's easier if I show you.

[And again, after a shorter pause this time-]

Be careful. It isn't safe.

... very well.

[Stupid or not, it was still Lup's choice to make, even if there was little of one. She listens to the added warning, before slipping in through the door.]

[Inside the room is dim, and even when the light is turned on, if darkness has a feeling this place carries it from one end to the other, emanating from the back wall. Nothing is immediately visible there, just the usual trappings of any of the Marsiva rooms, small and cramped and undecorated. A sickly Lup is lying in the bed, wrapped up tight in a blanket- at least, something that looks like Lup. The construct is wreathed in arcane energy, and it's blank-faced and empty, like a doll waiting to be played with. It appears to blink and breathe, but is otherwise lifeless.

Beneath the illusion woven around the whole room is a very different scene. Rather than bound up in a blanket, Lup's body is stretched out on the bed, arms at her sides, eyes closed, her skin pale and bloodless. She's not sleeping. She's not breathing. It looks, essentially, like a preserved corpse.

The darkness in the back of the room is also visible now as it drops an invisibility spell, with tendrils of living shadows creeping forward and sneaking backwards again, and in the center of it all is a spectral figure, floating a foot or so off the ground, the hooded red robe rippling as the shadows roll off its form, and skeletal hands peek out from below the sleeves. Thick, heavy silver chains are wrapped around it, one at each wrist and another at the waist, rooted firmly into the floor to hold the specter in place. Every inch of the area is steeped in magic, both figure and chains, little crackles of lightning sparking like heartbeats around it.

Chains rattle as the figure raises a single boney hand… and waves.]

Surpriiiiise.

[It is the sensations of the room that hit her first, even before she takes full stock of the illusion. The sensation alone is powerful enough, and she already knew that Lup possessed... an extraordinary amount of power, as she had witnessed at the tree. But even here, it felt different, less contained, or barely so. The illusion itself, at least, had been expected; that something would be in place to keep up the ruse of the sign outdoors.

As the false visual ebbs away and her eyes adjust to the reality in front of her, she takes in more of the scene, patiently, more pieces weaving into place. There was certainly an eeriness, to see Lup's form in such a way, something odd about that sensation of darkness that permeated the room, familiar in an uneasy sort of way and yet not at all.

And then, the specter itself makes her appearance. Suddenly, all of that gallows humor that Lup would occasionally allow really does fit into place.]

It... is a surprise, to see you in such a state.

[Not that she sounds too surprised or even put off by it, by normal people standards--her tone has more concern in it than anything else, as she considers everything in front of her. She had been -- allowed in, so this was again... personal.]

Your body... is unable to contain your soul?

[Nevermind what any of it feels like or looks like--better to allow Lup to say what's what about herself.]

[There's a soft sound of oddly ethereal laughter- not in Haggar's head this time, but in person and the voice follows in much the same manner. There's a strange echo carried by that sound, like she's speaking from further away than the distance between them would indicate, but it more or less still sounds like her.]

We can talk normally now, it's okay. And that's... not quite it, but it's close.

[She gestures down at the "body" she's in right now. Within the shadow of her robe's hood, there's something of a skull shape, partially visible, with a ghostly outline of her features.]

This is... I'm a lich. Walking, talking arcane energy manifesting into what you see. I can normally still inhabit my body without issue, but... this is what I really am.

[Hard to deny that this wasn't--well, fascinating. All that energy, and certainly far more than what was being contained here. Given the story she'd heard, it must have fit in somewhere. Perhaps in that room in Lup's mind that she had not touched, for -- sentimentality?]

... You are Lup. That has not changed.

[If there was anything that seemed to hold through all of Lup's changes, it seemed to be that she always knew who she was no matter what.]

However, I am at a disadvantage when it comes to... fully understanding why you are now in this predicament of having yourself revealed.

Yeah, I kinda figured I'd have to explain. You might wanna sit down, this one's a doozy.

[Though there's kind of only the bed to sit on, and her body's there, so that might be weird. She'll leave it up to Haggar, and just forge on ahead.]

People aren't meant to be made of arcane energy, so shit like this is deep, deep necromancy, taboo, mostly forbidden, all that fun rulebreaking stuff. The reason it's forbidden is half because we're undead, and half because most liches completely lose their minds when they change. A lich is dangerous. An insane lich is really dangerous.

[She gives the chains a little jiggle, the shackles grinding uncomfortably against her bones.]

We found a method of combating that, beforehand. Form strong bonds between myself and something that would keep me tethered to my mortality, help me remember who I am. It can be anything- a mission, a goal, an object, a person, a memory. As long as we have that to hold on to, we won't lose control.

[Barry had been smart about it- he'd focused on not just her but also the mission, his goals and dreams for a better future for all of them. He'd always been pragmatic like that. Her, on the other hand...]

I chose memories. People. I chose Taako- our history, our memories together. He's... the closest person to me in the whole universe, half of my heart. If anyone would know that I'm still me, it's Taako. That's... what I believed at the time.

[Words that carry with them a few obvious implications, most notably: her current state, and his.]

[Haggar can surmise from the phrase--the suggestion to "sit"--that some bracing of herself is in order. Perhaps it was from habit that she could not physically adjust to that suggestion; she was used to remaining still and absorbing whatever sort of news was to come, shocking or not, even if she could still be surprised, for all of her knowledge. She was wary, but didn't necessarily feel... endangered.

She loosely laces her fingers together in front of her, though remains standing in her usual half-slouched way while listening, turning the words over in her mind and allowing them to sink in. The descriptions were new but the concepts were not... unfamiliar. Pushing limits, going into dangerous territory in pursuit of knowledge regardless of the cost... it was not exactly the same, but it was relatable enough.

Her fingers tighten as the explanation reaches particular beats, the only sign of her tenseness, as the words continue.

The concept of having that strong bond, to keep tethered to herself, to sanity--there's a cord that strikes deep here as she listens to those words, even if Lup was unaware of that. Memories. Not that it was the first time in any of their talks that something like that had... struck her, even if it wasn't the same. Perhaps that was why Lup had warned her, that this was quite a lot to take in. It -- was, for layered reasons. Importantly -- she has to hear everything. To listen. To understand, even as it resonates.

And... that focus. Easy enough to know why she had chose it, for all that it had gone wrong for them; founded on an ideal, on something that should have been a certainty for her. Hindsight was everything, obviously. If it was a secret research, how much council could she truly have had for that choice? But Lup seemed to know her predicament, so there was no use in scolding her for it now.

And yet she remains silent for a long moment as she absorbs this.]

... And yet, you had... held on until now. [Even if barely. Though this too, seemed to be holding on in a way, in the loosest sense. She recalled the visceral reaction to the umbrella staff quite well. Let alone Lup's reaction back to her argument with Taako back then. The smaller pieces to all of that.] You... had a visit from him, did you not.

...Got it in one.

[There's a moment of reluctant hesitation, but there's no real point in dancing around it- she remembers, somewhat vaguely, that this had come up in the dream, too. Before it had happened.

Either the Atroma were listening in on that, or they were planning to be assholes all along. Or both. It's equally likely.]

When he came into my dream and started poking around, he... remembered. He remembered everything. I got what I wanted, and so did he, and we were... we were happy. For one night, we...

[Her arms shift, instinctively trying to hug herself, but the chains are too short and catch her before she can manage it. She hisses in annoyance and lets her arms drop back to her sides.]

Fuckin'... geez. Anyway, I checked on him the next morning and he forgot, because of course he did. But he knew he forgot, too, which is, like... fucked up? And now it's fucked me up? I was freaking out and shooting sparks and... I'm a timebomb, basically. Without any tethers on my soul it's a pretty short fuse, and all this BS up and lit it.

... You had that moment, and it was stolen from both of you.

[So of course this would be the result. How could it not, with it being something so emotionally raw and powerful? Haggar was only just remembering how such things could feel. What that sort of loss could do to a soul.

And Lup had dug her way in, made those feelings resonate in a way she could not fully comprehend but they were there.]

... you do still have a tether. Your brother's memories may be compromised, as you may be, but he is still Taako. He is present and a part of you.

[That is why, she thinks, that Lup has not completely lost herself. That knowledge, even if it was hard. Even if it was barely enough now to keep her--herself. But she still was. There was strength in her, even for all of this. The heart behind her choices even if they were not wholly wise ones.]

Teach me more about this so that I may aid you. You may be a ... "time bomb", but there is still... time.

[Not that she knows if she could or not, but she had been allowed into this confidence. The least she could do would be to see what support she could provide to... her own anchor, in a real and almost scary sense.]

Well... yeah. That's kind of what this is for.

[She raises her arms a little, indicating the chains.]

This spell is meant to keep me bound here- I can't break myself free, and I'm stuck until it's dispelled. Or... until the Atroma see fit to move us. Once that happens, it'll be... easier. Hopefully.

[Not that there's any sort of guarantee on that, either. She sets free a frustrated huff, sparks dancing once again up and down her form. It's a subconscious, uncontrolled display of power, and once it passes she shakes as if to try and dispel it.]

If there's a place to use up all this arcane energy, like a planet or a waystation or even just some rock in the middle of space, an isolated spot where I can burn off steam, then I should be okay. I've been doing that on the reg since I got here, since this whole mess with Taako started. Being stuck on this stupid ship with no way to do that? On top of these dreams making everything so much worse? It's... bad. It backed me into a corner. I had no outlet and this was the only way to keep everyone else safe, so I hid.

[It's hard to see, but within the cowl of the hood there's a trace of a smile, small and rueful.]

Not that it worked on everyone. So if you've got any suggestions, I'm all ears.

... So it is... something of a case of maintaining a certain amount of energy?

[She frowns, quiet for a moment as she considers Lup's words, weighing what to suggest. She does have -- some ideas. Whether any were applicable at this moment in time, however...

Well. That also depended on Lup. Her considerations had risks, but it wasn't as if Lup wasn't already in a risky situation.]

Are you able to... use that magic in any lesser way while being bound? Or can some of it... be drawn from you.

[Neutralizing. Absorbing. It was sort of her thing.]

It's only one part of it, but it's the only part I can fix, so yeah.

[She gives Haggar's suggestions a bit of thought, making a gesture as if tapping one bony finger to her chin.]

So, here's the main problem... most of my spells, especially the big ones, are destructive in nature. I've used up some of my slots with illusions-

[And she gestures towards the other end of the bed, where the programmed illusion of her regular (albeit sickly) self is still chilling.]

But I can't just keep recasting that over and over because it's really intricate, and it only takes up so much power. Illusions and harmless stuff was never really my speciality, so my options are more limited there. Do you... can you absorb arcane energy? Do you know how to drain it from something, or someone?

[She listens. That's about as much as she had figured, but it was better to be certain. Even a smaller destructive spell to burn off more consistently, kept contained... likely the less efficient of the options. Safer, maybe. Tedious. Not really them.

But then Lup asks that more direct question, instead.]

... Yes.

[Even if she had never encountered a Lich like Lup before, space was vast and she certainly had... years of study of other creatures. Other situations.]

I am used to handling energy in that manner. It should not be difficult to help you... maintain a balance while we are trapped like this.

[....Huh. That's... a fix that she hadn't actually considered before. Not a perfect solution, obviously, and one that would require a lot of trust on both sides, but it's a new possibility.

Speaking of trust, though-]

Balance would be... important, if we're gonna do it. I'm pure arcane energy when I'm like this, which means that what you'd be draining away is like... me. Literally, me. Do you think you can differentiate between my magic and my soul?

[Because she has no idea how this even works - she's not familiar with that sort of spell - but the thought of someone siphoning away her soul is the most terrifying thing she's ever heard. She's a lich, the whole point of the ritual was to fuse her soul into her own arcane energy so that nothing could get in the way of her drawing upon it. So where does the magic end and she begin?]

Your soul...

[That was a very important distinction to make, and only highlighted the risks. Extra precautions to take. Separation of soul and energy... out here, certainly, it all blended together, but once they were connected...

In any case, she certainly had experience dealing with souls as well as energy, as much as she takes a measured thought on how to actively recognize the differences, what might need to be done to assure them. Importantly, she -- cared about Lup. That informed so much of how to approach this. There were rare things that she would handle in such a careful way, at least... before arriving here.]

... during the process, yes. It does complicate what I had initially considered, but it will not make it impossible.

[Finding a way to balance someone was far different than... any other uses for such magic, really. It would have to be done very delicately, more of a push and pull...]

I believe it is the best I can offer you... but it is your decision. You have already suffered much.

[And this would no doubt be stressful at first no matter how well the intent.]

[Fair warning, that, and Lup takes a few moments to give it the consideration it deserves. Complicated does not mean dangerous, but she can still smell the danger- her instincts are screaming at her to be cautious. The possible is the part she's focusing on. It's possible that Haggar could drain her power. It's possible that she could separate one from the other and leave Lup's soul intact. It's possible that this could work- that it could help. It's a huge offer.

Possible doesn't mean guaranteed, either, though. This could work. Or it could go very badly. If that happens, she has no idea how it could be fixed. People can return to life here when they die, but what about those who are already dead?

It's… daunting. A big scary question mark that gives her cause to hesitate. She can't resolve things with Taako if she's incapable of holding her life essence together anymore.

But she can't resolve things like this, either, and if she loses it completely then they're all boned. Fuuuuck, she hates this.

Eventually, though... she spreads her arms in a slight, uneasy shrug. There's danger in her just existing like this, untethered and uncontrolled. If she can lower the risk to others by increasing the risk to herself? She's not especially self-sacrificing, but it feels like a fair trade. More importantly, it'll mean that Taako is safe.

She chooses trust.]

Can't get much worse than this, right? So… sure, I'll try it. Do your worst.

[Or, uh. Best. Preferably.]

[Haggar remains quiet, patient, while Lup weighs the options. Certainly, a lot more seemed far more frightening in Lup's court here, and she knew that a considerable amount of time was needed, for her to think about it, the risks she faced in her current state, and any, going forward like this. And while Lup contemplates, Haggar also, thinks to herself, about the methods and... just the level of investment required. Trust.

Lup could very well say no thank you, and let it be, which would have been understandable. All sorts of layers of vulnerability were involved here, mental and physical. Emotional. And here they were.

Lup finally speaks, and Haggar raises her head to look back up at her.]

... Indeed.

[Her best, of course. Even if it was among the "worst" sorts of talents to have.]

This location is not ideal, but that is one of many things in these circumstances that are not.

[It just added another layer of caution. That could be dealt with.]

I will have to slow down the process for our precautions. It may take us several sessions to adjust, especially with the way night occurs in this place.

[Depending on how soon Lup wants to begin; that also is up to her, as much as Haggar thinks it's better for her to assess sooner than later. Though Lup's tone does seem to imply sooner. What else can she do, in that state?]

Yeah, sorry, there's jack I can do about the location.

[She gives her chains another meaningful shake.]

This shit's permanent until the caster dispels it, and I said not to let me go until we're off this boat. It's here for you guys, not me.

[She bobs her head as Haggar offers up more details. Makes sense- she doesn't want to rush it. Lup's more than happy to let her take her time, if it minimizes the risk of her losing herself in the middle of it. The worst case scenario would be for whatever this spell is to draw out her soul and leave just the magic... oh gods, now she's got a nightmare scenario in mind. Maybe she should send a message to Kravitz or something, in case this goes horribly wrong. The Imprisonment spell should still hold her in place, but after that...?

Good thing she doesn't need to breathe, or she might be having trouble with it, now. Ugh.]

Okay, um... take all the time you need to prep for it, I guess? You're the expert. Not like I'm going anywhere.

... Understood.

[She did not think that particular spell should interfere with what she was going to do, but she hadn't realized it was being held by someone else on Lup. Good to know. Something more to factor away.

That said, Haggar takes another measured pause for her considerations. Certainly she can think of several highly unpleasant scenarios that they might have to deal with no matter what the precautions, but not--unrecoverable from. Greater chance of success than not, or she would not have offered it.]

The initial assessments will assist me to determine the needed calculations for us. When I have them ready, we will begin at the start of the next day.

[And since she had some ideas in mind, she did not think that part would really take her that long to sort out, either, precautions or not. Energy weaves were usually at the forefront of her thoughts.]

... How often do people come in see you? The less chance for a disturbance of my concentration... unless you call for it, the smoother it all will go, of course.

[Even with that sign up, which she hadn't found a very good deterrent to begin with, all things considered, but there was the chance that most people weren't like her and would let it be.]

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