eachdraidh | 3rd Circuit, Video [UNSEELIE LOCKED]

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3rd Circuit, Video [UNSEELIE LOCKED]

[Loki and Hiro have taken a small room in Diasbaile, mostly barren save for the wooden cabinets that seem to blend into the background. Loki would have done this himself, but there was insistence on Hiro's part of aiding in the delivery of the very, very bad news. The focus is on the two of them, and Loki speaks first.]

Hello.

This is a message of the emergency broadcast system. As you can see, our sirens are down for the moment, but I assure you that the news is none less dire.

[Loki's voice drops to something uncharacteristically serious.]

Ah, yes. So—listen up, Unseelie.

[Hiro's sitting almost a little too close to Loki, face more ashen than anyone in their court has ever seen. It's a reality they have to face and while he'd been hoping Loki would find some more information in his research, they're running out of time.]

Some of you had a vision at the beginning of August. A dream about fire and machines with shards for eyes. I didn't have the vision myself, Loki did…but we can both confirm these are real. These things are being created now and they are coming. Monsters that run on shards and blood. But there are some things you guys don't know yet.

[When Hiro stops, Loki barely glances down before he picks up without missing a beat, as if he's giving him a moment to collect himself. Loki looks perturbed at the recollection of the golems, but not nearly as pale as Hiro.]

Our dear friends the dwarves have crafted mechanical monsters, forged from melted metal and living shards. These mecha-beasts are brought to live with blood magic and runes. Not your basic run-of-the-mill runes, not even my fancy-smancy "stay out of my room" runes, but hundreds of them in intricate designs—sorcery that's very possibly lost to antiquity—all working together to bring them to life.

And if that isn't nightmare material, these large, metal machinations have keen senses when it comes to shardbearers, even those that find means of hiding themselves, if you get my drift.

There are hundreds, even thousands of them, with no exaggeration.

[The longer they stay on camera, the more Hiro finds himself shrinking into his sweater. Loki delivering the brunt of the bad news helps, but dredging up the memories is more than mildly horrifying. There's one key factor though that they've neglected to mention.]

We don't know when they're coming, but judging by the amount of time between the last vision and its turnaround to coming true, it's soon. Really, really soon. We don't know when they're coming and we don't know the full extent of what they can do or why they're being unleashed.

[A pause.] Ideas. We need ideas on how we can combat these things and how to keep everybody safe. Start using your brains and focus on what's really important here.

[The important thing, he thinks, is that this war? It's much, much bigger now than just Seelie vs. Unseelie. It's now about just staying alive.]

I would suggest highly against approaching them… [Loki glances at Hiro.] …As I’m certain we’ll offend them somehow.

[Considering the fact that there are other things…he can agree with that.] …right. Defense ideas then. Lay 'em out. [A beat. And then:] Privately, if you would. Doesn't matter if they're coming for all of us…this is still a war.

[And he sure does know that there are certain devices generated by a certain witch that can see this broadcast. He had agreed that the Seelie should know what's coming. Doesn't mean they should be privy to everything else, too.]

Not exactly how I pictured life in a giant robot series, hm?

[Though that’s meant more for Hiro. They have some questions to answer, and Hiro needs a little bit of a perk up.]

[Hiro at least gives a small grin in response, but says nothing else. Definitely Q&A time.]

[ooc: As a note! Most threads will be answered by Hiro, but he may call on Loki for assistance. Additionally, Hiro is aware Hermione's compasses can see posts on both networks so those with compasses are capable of seeing this post. They just won't be able to see the threads in this post. Have fun guys o/]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think this should just be for you and me, if that's okay. I'll be there after our other meetings.

[And it's true. After everything, after meeting with Waver and Lightning Hiro finds himself traveling back to Ariadne's manor and letting himself in with a backpack full of supplies, slipping into the room Grell's in. He doesn't say anything for a moment as he watches her work before clearing his throat to announce his presence.]

Sorry. Sorry, I'm a lot later than I thought I'd be. I sent Loki back, but he might swing by himself later. Who knows with him. [He's already opening his backpack to pull out what he needs.] What kind of tests are you thinking?

[she rarely stops moving at least in some respect, hands moving while writing something out or reaching for a page or tracing a symbol in the air or pushing her glasses up. Grell only halts when she looks up to see him, and flashes him a quick smile, tucking a piece of escaped hair behind her ear.]

Tests on the integrity, mainly. Heat, something caustic if we can make it, outside force...if you have other ideas, tell me. This is top priority - Hiro, I'm close and this must be how the greatest minds feel when they drew close to a conclusion on the nature of mankind, when the very soul opens up and the light of the divine begins to shine in...

[her hand's at her forehead by the time she says this.]

This is not the denouement, but almost.

[Initially, he'd been psyching himself up t8o tell Grell the bad news, to elaborate on some of the things he'd heard lately...but when he finds her in the midst of her work he can't help but return the grin and completely push all of those thoughts from his head. He recognizes this look, recognizes it from his friends and from himself and he knows better than to pop her bubble. So instead, he setting out a couple of sheets of paper and a jar of what looks like wax.]

It's your project, Grell. I'm not interrupting it with my ideas until we see how effective yours are. [That is to say, he trusts her to actually make progress with this.] Got the ash? I can start mixing paint while you're finalizing the test notes so we can get started.

[she reaches into her pocket for the pouch, which she tosses over to Hiro underhand. inside is wood ash - just like when she had silenced the room not so long ago. it'd been something she'd taken to carrying with her since she figured out how effective it was, and then she returns to her notes, jotting something else down.]

But I can't anticipate everything it might be used for. To make the gloves in particular I've been modifying the structure of the entire armor process and seeing how I can spread it out over the fingers to give a more precise control. Gloves over mittens, really, is how it will end up in terms of coverage.

[He catches it with one hand while the other is digging around for a little lighter he picked up from the Station. It's not nearly the same as having his fire magic, but it'll do. Settling at a table he opens the jar of wax and flicks on the lighter, beginning to melt it as he also pulls out a canteen of water from his bag.]

Did I ever show you what the monarchs gave me? It might help give you a better idea of how to make the process more fluid and flexible for maximum control.

The...shadow traveling?

[she doesn't see how it's going to help, but maybe she's not thinking in the right direction.]

[He shakes his head, stopping what he's doing to dig in his bag and pull out the left gauntlet. It's the one with the flat in the wrist for him to channel runes and he holds it out for Grell to take.]

I meant the time before last. My armor. I thought maybe looking at how they changed it for me might help you a little since it's a visual? Seeing stuff that's similar to my ideas sometimes helps me.

[Grell picks it up very gently, turning it over in her hands.]

You never told me you had armor...not like this.

[looking it over, she sees the place on the wrist, and then looks at her own wrist. something seems to spark in her as she looks between the two, and she nods. setting the gauntlet on the table, she draws two of her notes to her and the pen she had been using.]

Did you design this?

[there's clear admiration in her tone even as she's adding to her notes for what she hopes is the last time.]

[At first it had been weird having someone say he'd never mentioned his armor. By the time it gets to Grell he's realized he's told very little people about what he's done back in his own world. He doesn't mind her examining the gauntlet and he sits back to watch her work, nodding even if she's not looking at him anymore.]

Uh huh. I designed all of the armor for my team back home. [A pause, a hand digging into his backpack and pulling out his battered journal again before he removes paperclips that're holding photos of all of the Big Hero 6's armor. He hands her the photos, along with the journal opened to the beginning of the designs for his team. He trusts her enough with his personal journal that he doesn't wait long before he continues.]

...I didn't exactly tell you everything about me, but, uh, back home I invent things...a lot. I just started college in a robotics program. But back home my friends and I are also doing something really, really good for our city by protecting it and keeping everybody safe. We're superheroes, and it's only been that way for a short while but every hero needs armor and gear. So I created all of ours. Back in June when they asked us what we wanted, I asked Morla and Reul to bring me my armor but enchant it so it works with the different magics I've learned. So they brought me my gauntlets, my helmet and my chest armor. They've already helped me out a lot here.

[A beat. And then, casually:] It's how I got through Quendi when I went with Lightning.

...This is incredible.

[it's the first thing she can think to say as she looks at it all, soaking up the information. some of what he's saying passes her by - robotics? - but she can glean enough to know it's important, it's big, and it's unlike what she's seen before. her touch is light as she looks at the design and the photos, careful to not disturb them, and the same light's around her that had been there when he explained coding. it's new, and it's interesting, and she doesn't understand it but it's fine because it exists.

Grell looks up from the pictures then.]

Hiro! It's wonderful!

[It's times like this Hiro both can and cannot believe Grell's over two-hundred and fifty years old. He sits back and waits for her reaction, watching the gears turn in her head as she examines everything he's offered her. He recognizes the look and he feels good about being the one to teach and show Grell something new for once instead of the other way around. This is his domain, the things he excels at and the slight praise of his work is enough for him to shoot her a quiet but proud grin.]

Heh. Thanks. When I get back? I'm going to upgrade everything again and fix some of the pieces that got destroyed, but they held up pretty well for being made in a few days. [He's busy examining the right gauntlet that was left at the desk he's at.] It's all science. I wish I could make stuff like this here but I don't know enough magic to make it work like I want.

[But Grell does, he thinks. And that's why he's sharing.]

You know, things like this work in the Station area. I wonder if you could put enough things together in order to at least give you some sort of area for upgrading it at the moment...but honestly, if you know the basic structure of what you want to do, then there's got to be a magic to work with it. Electricity can be reworked with lightning magic, there might be a way to shape and work with metal specifically, and so on. It probably won't be a simple task, but then it wouldn't be fun.

[Grell closes the journal just as carefully as she'd leafed through it, setting it on the table.]

And your design...it's opened my eyes. I think I know where to place the regeneration rune and corresponding sentences.

Wouldn't the only magic that would work for machinery come from our dear friends that're now working on stuff to try and kill us? [The tone's dry, despite knowing what Grell says makes enough sense.] I've never even thought about lightning magic.

[Does it relate to fire? That he isn't sure, but...but it's definitely an idea.] I've shaped metal before. It's not too hard, depending on what metal you're working with. I'm used to my 3D printer and the other tools I have in the garage at home, but I've been here long enough it doesn't matter too much.

[He brightens considerably at that.] I was kinda hoping you'd say that. What'd you figure out? [Give him a moment to get up. He's going to approach to take a closer look at Grell's work.]

[she passes him a few pages. while they're covered in lines that have been scratched out or with further notes under them questioning, the basic idea rings through true - the sentences for the runes should integrate with each other and harmonise in the design, and another page has haphazard drawings on it. her lines are veering more to something organic rather than the blocky outline it began with, twining around each other to flow at the same time but apart, fitting more to the curves of the body than blocking someone in.]

It loops back around to energy, it always does, and it always requires initial activation. But where to put it was the question - until I saw the panel on your wrist. And then everything became clear! I need to place it on the wrist for the gloves, so that it's close to the pulse - it would give the strongest initial activation, and set off the chain to begin the armor in full. Once there it should run on its own cycle until deactivated by choice or force. For the full set I can do something similar by placing it above the heart, linking it to catalysts so I don't have to put multiples in the framework.

-Ah, it'd be easy to show you. What can I do to make this paint?

[Interestingly enough, this sort of ties right into what he and Waver had discussed a month prior about the flow of magic and working around blocks. He listens to Grell chatter as he brings the papers closer to his face to read them over. What she's come up with is actually a very solid idea. It's similar to what he's created with his gauntlets thanks to the monarchs but more organic. The trouble he'd had recently with his gauntlets is the magic pooling together at the center and not always evenly distributing. With Grell's method it seems more balanced.]

Incredible. [This is science, this is more similar to what he's known his entire life and it's pathways and circuits and balances and equations. It's exciting, really. He puts down Grell's notes and crosses the room again to pick up the ash and the jar of wax and water before returning to her side.]

So with the paint...I don't know if this is totally gonna work, I just read about it on the internet. But we should be able to mix the ash with a bit of wax and the wax will act as a binder. Otherwise the ash would just smear and run with the water. Mixing all three of them should stabilize the compound so that we can use it. Worth a try at least. I won't use a lot of the ash until we're really sure it'll work. Got a container I can mix this in? Otherwise it'll be kinda messy.

[it's what she's poured her free time into, concentrating to bring this far away idea to life off and on over the months. chains and summarizing sentences into a phrase, weaving them together to replicate what she knew she could do so that anyone might be able to do so. intent, she had told Hiro, was the heart of her magic, and she hopes that with this her intent flows through strong enough that it will make up for where others might fall through. it's for the same reason she always makes sure to tell those she mesmers to ensure to live - she's cruel and relentless, but she doesn't want those on her side to fall.

Grell nods at the question, darting off to grab a bowl from the kitchen and speeding back to place it in front of him. she's resisting the urge to ask him about if they used blood in place of water, how that would work out, when she realizes it would spoil too quickly.]

[Wow let's not mix blood into this?? Regardless he's grabbing the bowl immediately and he's dishing out measurements of ash wax and water, using the end of a pen from his bag to mix them together. It's a sludge sort of paint, one that will harden a bit as the wax dries out but it's one that will be solid and still removeable.

He remembers everything Grell told him about magic once upon a time months ago, the intent behind everything that they do. He's known that she's talented at what she does and it's with that excitement in mind he hands over the bowl to wait for her to begin the test.]

We might be able to try other materials later as a binder, too. It's all just basic chemistry. Ready to test it out?

[as he's mixing, she's been rolling up her sleeves as high as she can. what she pulls out for applying the paint is simple - a feather she'd found in the forest outside, with a thin shaft.]

More than you know.

[dipping the end of the feather in the paint, she uses it much as a quill to begin her writing, copying over the runes on her notes to her hand. the back of her hand gains lines, and it trails up her forearm as well - for security, she says to Hiro, she's including this piece - the regeneration rune carefully done at her wrist. it takes some time, but the precision is why, and she's as focused on this as she was engraving Hiro's ring. her hands are steady enough to allow that.

when that's done, she holds her arm up to let the paint dry on it, examining her work for mistakes and flaws.]

That's the hard part done, if I've got this right. Do you see anything I missed?

[He keeps quiet once his part is done, eyes locked on her arm as he watches the runes being written across her skin. He recognizes the patterns and the runes and he's already putting together how they work together. Part of him should be bored from the time it takes for her to apply the runes but instead he's more fascinated memorizing each line. He can at least recognize the need for a quiet workspace.

When she's done he leans close, almost close enough to press his nose against her skin to get a better look.]

Everything looks right to me...maybe tighten up this line here. [He points to one on the upper part of her forearm where it's a harder angle to draw.] Otherwise it looks solid. Once it dries we'll know.

[Grell nods, dipping the feather back in the paint to go over the line he mentioned and then holding out her arm to let it dry.]

The test is going to be twofold - the first half is just starting it up to ensure that the new connections feed into the framework properly, and then there's the integrity testing.

[He nods in understanding, sitting back further to let the paint dry.]

Did I ever tell you how Lord El-Melloi explained magic to me when it came to runes? It was kinda interesting...my gloves usually just centered whatever magic I was creating but I'm trying this new thing where it'll spread through the whole palm. I might have some ideas to help if it doesn't feed in properly so we can get it back on track. I don't have acid, but I have a lighter and I can cause enough outside force against the armor to see how it holds up.

The way I got around the centring problem was branching off runes to sort of channel the energy around in a wider area. Opening up pathways, basically.

[she blows on her arm, rotating her wrist to make sure nothing's running.]

Ready?

I've been figuring how to add more magic to channel it off into different branches. I guess it's sort of the same thing...I'm still practicing a lot though. Kinda have to if I'm Clarke's second.

[At that though he bounces back, rifling through his bag for his usual dagger and grabbing both gauntlets.] I'm ready when you are. Out in the yard?

No. Here's fine.

[she stands up and walks to in front of the table, pushing up her glasses with the unpainted hand.]

Right then...let's try you on.

[closing her eyes, Grell extends her painted hand in front of her, breathing in. as she exhales, the paint illuminates, beginning at the sequence on her wrist and the rest of the sentences swiftly following suit. cracking one eye open, to see it stable in the loop, she can't help but grin.]

Hiro, try to hurt me. Fire, force, candlewax - just do it.

[she can't get excited, not yet, but she's close. she's close and she won't celebrate her victory if this can't hold up as actual protection. for the moment, she's going to try and keep calm.]

Whoa. [That's the first response the moment the paint lights up, immediately pleased that it seems to work and there's a matching grin as he stares at the lines carefully. Nodding to himself he steps back, hearing Grell's command and pausing.

It's not so much he's not willing to do it; it's debating how to do it.]

Force first, I think. That's going to be the biggest challenge. [With that, he shifts the dagger in his hand after setting down his gauntlets, twirling the blade in his fingers before lunging forward for a strike and hoping Grell will block immediately.]

3rd Circuit, Video [UNSEELIE LOCKED]

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