[No one has called her lass for at least five hundred years or so. Shu's general demeanor is 'unperturbed' but it takes her a half moment of clearing her throat surreptitiously to respond.]
Hello, Cid.
Yes, that's right. I have modest gifts as a medic in combat. You are searching for someone who can aid with the ailment you described over the ethernet, correct?
[She has an excellent memory.]
Forgive me for not responding directly at the time. I did not believe I have the capability to help with what you described, but it would be of no harm to perform an examination.
Or perhaps I am putting the cart before the horse. I should not make assumptions so quickly.
Modest, eh? Not the way Link tells it which, if you've met the lad, should tell you a lot.
["She's good?" "Yes." High praise in Link's book.]
Anything's worth a go when you're dealing with magic beyond your world's experience, aye? I'm not expecting miracles, lass, just insight. I made my peace with my fate a long time ago, but if there's something to be done to make me more useful in the meantime? It'd be stupid not to try, wouldn't it?
[There's a faint exhalation of breath, which Cid can take to be slightly stifled laughter. If she knew Link, the only thing he said was, "Shu can heal." Which, given the brevity of his personality, was probably his highest endorsement.]
Of course.
You are welcome any time. I reside in the Vault.
[She provides directions to her lodgings.]
Perhaps this evening, if you are not otherwise occupied.
[The note of finality in her tone, even if there wasn't any malice behind it, had him looking at his comm dubiously after she disconnected, but he made his way to the Vault regardless, because when a lass is that certain, you listen.
Besides, he wanted to take a measure of this Shu for himself. Would it be nice if she could help him with his little problem? Absolutely, but was it necessary? Not really. He'd still keep fighting, whether or not it was rushing him to his already early grave.
His gait was more of a swagger, confident shoulders swaying as a hand rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist as he walked down her drive at only a minute or two until six. He wasn't late, but he wasn't early, either.]
[Shu resides in one of the dormitories provided by the Corsairs, and the path to her residence is fairly simply to find. Located on the first floor, Cid doesn't need to search for the correct door to knock on, for it opens almost the minute he is in sight, as if Shu had been watching at the window.
(She had.)
The smell of a combination of fragrances and spices wafts out as an almost tangible force as she stands silhouetted in the doorway. He receives a slight bow before she gestures him inside.]
Please, welcome.
[Slippers are provided at the doorway for him to change into. The inside of the dorm seems suspiciously spacious, though not to an extent that any supernatural ability is at play. Shu is simply quite good at decoration and furnishing to make use of the available space. A table is set in the sitting area, buckling under the weight of eight different dishes.
...The door is closed behind him, so that's eight different dishes for the two of them.]
[He smiles a casual and confident smile when he's greeted and makes his way to the door toward which he was beckoned, and he chuckles at the spread she's laid out for them when he takes it all in.]
Well, lass, no one can say you don't know how to make a man feel welcome at least. If I don't leave with a solution, at least I won't leave hungry.
[He unbuckles the sword belt at his hip, upon which there is not one but two swords hung, and rests them both near the door with a questioning look.]
I should be a poor host indeed if you were to leave empty-handed. I promise no solutions for your malady, but if I cannot provide succor for your body, then perhaps I can at least ease the soul.
[He is beckoned to sit, upon which Shu will pour him a steaming cup of tea.]
Please, eat freely.
[She says this, except she spends the first five minutes or so spooning things onto his plate for him. Crisp pork with rice noodles, eggplant stir fried in a thick sauce with ground meat, crab meat rice, a whole steamed flounder, dumplings, some sort of green leafy vegetable, beef with peppers, and a seafood soup.]
It sounds as if there is a story behind your ailment.
Well, lass, consider my soul well and truly eased.
[He honestly can't remember the last time he saw a spread like this and was pretty sure he never actually had, not that he'd partaken of, anyway. Feasts weren't Barnabas' style. Everything else had been survival.]
But aye, I suppose there is. There are some people in my homeworld who can channel the might of great beings called Eikons. They're called Dominants. [He took a sip of his tea before he concluded.] I'm one of them. Only, channeling that power comes at a cost. Mortal flesh can't abide it forever, and the more we do it, the more we turn to stone, until all that's left is dust. Happens to those born with magic, too. [He smirks, sardonic, but not bitter.] Aether exists in crystals there, like it does here, and if you use a crystal for magic, no petrification risk. That's why it's come to be called the Crystal's curse, like the Mothercrystals are punishin' us for being able to touch Aether without them. I don't know if that's true. Personally, I think the massive blighters just want all the Aether for themselves, but that's another story.
[When he says the word 'dust,' Shu's hand slips, and she spills her tea. Though Cid has known her for little more than a few minutes, it is possible he recognizes what a terribly unusual thing this is to witness. For the space of a brief moment, her face is drawn and pale, and she stares at the spreading liquid as if she has never seen a stain before.
She recovers swiftly.]
A thousand pardons.
[A hand towel appears as if from nowhere, and the offending cup of liquid is removed in the blink of an eye.]
What a crass display. Pray continue.
[And she will keep silent until he is finished with his explanation.]
...I fear your story is familiar to me.
In my world, there is a substance called Originium. It is a thing of terrible power that has infiltrated every echelon of society. From the poor to the rich, all depend on Originium as an energy source and a technological marvel. Arts - what you call magic - are also cast through Originium power.
However, Terra is the mirror of your world. Those who utilize Originium will invariably become Infected - an incurable disease where they slowly turn to Originium themselves. As their bodies crystallize, they eventually dissolve into highly contagious Originium dust. On the contrary, those who cast through their own Arts are much safer from this plague.
There are millions of Infected in my world. There is no cure.
[Originium, it is clear, is a source of great anguish for Shu.]
[No cure. Not surprising. You muck about with things you've got no business with and you get burned, simple as that. What no one's been able to explain to Cid is why it's those in his world who use magic without crystals who are damned. Maybe it really is punishment from the crystals themselves.
All the more reason to make sure they're all destroyed.
He breathes a sigh, frowning at her story.]
Aye, and the infection isn't likely to make anyone question the using, is it?
Originium is an integral part of our society. It is the source of energy upon which Terra has come to rely. Without it, our cities would go unpowered and all technological advancement would grind to a halt. Oripathy is a small price to pay for the wonders that Originium promises us - or so think the wealthy and the powerful who command the workers to mine the resource while they sit in the safety of their homes.
I very much fear that if your ailment is anything like Oripathy, there is little I can do. At present, I am a contractor for an organization called Rhodes Island, the only group seeking a treatment for Oripathy on Terra. If I had access to their medication, I could slow or halt your crystallization. But my own abilities are not capable of doing so.
[The food has gone uneaten during this explanation. As if suddenly remembering that they are still at dinner, Shu reaches forward and begins to loosen the flesh of the steamed fish from the bone with a spoon.]
[Cid doesn't stop his chewing of the foot plated with so much care, but his jaw works more sharply as she explains. Their words could be mirror images by the sound of it.]
Don't fret if there's ought to be done, lass. Like I said, I came to terms with my fate a lot time ago. It's not going to keep me from doing what needs to be done.
[The medicine got him to thinking, though.]
You know anything about how it was made? It's a long shot, aye, but if we could find similar ingredients here...
I... am afraid I cannot say at the moment. Relevant data might be stored on my Tianshi Detector, but it was stolen from me when I arrived here. I have some hopes of recovering it in time, although it is not a priority for the Corsairs at the moment.
[a faint pause]
The Tianshi Detector is a piece of equipment I use to monitor and analyze the fields for maximal crop production. But it is essentially what you might consider a computer.
[Finished dissecting the fish, Shu scoops ample amounts onto Cid's plate.]
...What is the history of your Crystals? Have they always existed in your world? Originium, indeed, is not actually native to Terra.
Analyzing fields for crop production sounds like it should be more of a priority than it is. [Not to mention a tool like that could be used for a lot of applications besides soil fertility.]
I've helped others with side missions. Maybe another's in order. It doesn't sound like something the Empire would just scrap at any rate.
[He takes the fish gladly. They eat a lot of it in Flotsam, but Cid's never gotten tired of seafood. Besides, when you grow up as poor as he did, you eat when someone feeds you.]
Long as history tells, aye. Gifts from the gods to some people, others worship the blasted things as holy themselves. the gift the gift of magic to people, they say, which is why the Accords give them the sodding right to enslave people born who could use it without a crystal. "Bearers" of the crystal's gift, they call 'em, and because they turn to dust when they use too much of it, "Crystal Cursed", "lesser", "inhuman".
I of course agree, but I do understand the need to prioritize various combat and rescue missions rather than retrieving my personal trinkets.
[Shu smiles, and her good humor seems to be recovering.]
If you think you have time to spare in the future, it would be much appreciated. I can do my job quite well without the device as the fields here are much smaller and manageable for a single individual. But it would ease the labor and maximize the productivity of the harvest.
[She chews a small mouthful thoughtfully as he voices his dissatisfaction.]
...Is not the perspective backwards? I would imagine in most places, it would be considered a gift to have access to power beyond that of a normal human. Why, you might even expect those with innate power to rise to the higher echelons of society.
I should imagine this persecution exists solely out of fear of what those people might do. If you spread the message that they are inferior and repulsive, they will be trod underfoot before they can cause too much trouble.
Aye, lass, but it may have other uses. It might not be such a waste of time to go after, and I'm game if you are, when you've got a chance, obviously. Dealing with the Empire's assaults comes first.
[He flexes his jaw at her assessment, mostly due to how spot on it is.]
Aye, you've got the right of it. Part of the reason I told them all to sod off and started liberating Bearers when I could. We built a place, too, where we could live free, die on our own terms instead of being worked to dust by people who didn't see us as human.
Human nature is not so different from world to world. There are always those who are ruled by fear - and the desire to seek power above all else. Perhaps those two things are the same.
What a burden it is to be born into such a situation, with no choice or alternative. No progenitor could mean for the people to be laden with such a life. And yet you persist despite the world telling you that such a fate is inevitable. You have an admirable heart.
[He scoffs, a deep sound, and one not filled with mirth.]
I just got tired of seeing the world chew people up and spit them out just because they had the audacity to be born different, and I got tired of seeing too many friends lose their loved ones, their own children, to that same system.
[A beat.]
And I didn't want my daughter growin' up in that world, either. She's not a Bearer, but she's...good. Kind. She deserves a world that rewards kindness.
[Shu allows this information to percolate through her mind. As far as she can recall, this is the first (non-native) Corsair she has heard of with a child. Her smile is sympathetic.]
I am sorry you have been separated. But surely she is proud of the goals her father fights to achieve. 'To change the world' is a lofty dream, an impossible fantasy for most. Your fight will be long and protracted.
Would you tell me about her?
[She refills his tea automatically as it reaches the half-way point.]
[She's adopted, but no less his for it. Really, it was as though the two of them were meant to find one another.]
It's alright, lass. She's off at school, anyway, learning more about engineering than I could rightly get her books for, seeing as we lived in a cave.
[He smiles fondly, leaning back and crossing his arms.]
She's a genius, that one. Studying with lads and lasses twice her age and runnin' circles around 'em. Some sorry sod abandoned her as an infant in the forest. Couldn't very well leave her to the wolves, could I? Best decision of my life.
[A flicker of shock flits briefly across her face as she shakes her head.]
I am sure there is nothing I can say that you have not already thought of. How strange it is, that we are all but human, and yet our choices may lead to such disparate ends. Even if I know, I fear I cannot understand what drives people.
I am glad you found each other.
[Shu quietly chews on some dumplings, though Cid may notice that she eats much more slowly than he does. As they continue to exchange conversation, she takes note of when he begins to visibly slow.]
...I will box the rest for you when you are full. Please do not rush yourself, but let me know when you wish for an examination.
[She rises and enters the kitchen, returning with a pile of Esthere tupperware.]
Aye, the world's a mean place, lass. And who knows? Maybe she wasn't abandoned. Maybe something happened to her parents. [He shrugged. In the end, the whys and hows of it didn't matter. In the end, he and Midadol had found each other, and he wouldn't change it for the world.]
So am I. I don't think I'd be half the man I am if it weren't for her, you know?
[And he meant that. When he'd left home, it had been to find his own fortune, not a family or a concern for the world at large. Now look at him, a rebel with a cause.]
All the rest? I'm afraid I don't have much storage pace, love.
[He nodded, though, and once he's finished up, he pulls off his leather jacket, revealing a soft purple linen tunic beneath, which he rolls the sleeve up on, revealing a forearm and elbow that has begun to calcify, much like stone.]
[Shu carries on as if she didn't hear him politely decline, and when she looks up from her task, there are already four containers.]
There is no need to be polite. We are all provided a refrigerator to use.
[She's just going to make the assumption that an adult man living alone has not meal prepped for the week yet, because in her experience, it was usually true, even if stereotyped. But she will stop when he begins to roll up his sleeves, setting aside the ladle and drawing closer.]
[Shu clasps her hands together in a position that faintly resembles prayer as she shakes her head.]
I am truly sorry.
[There is the sense that this is not pity, perhaps, but that Shu is apologizing on behalf of the karmic universe. Despite the absurdity of the sentiment, it somehow feels as if she might have the authority for that.]
Please sit as comfortably as you can.
[She gestures to a small sofa in the sitting space.]
This could take a little bit. I am going to be as thorough as possible.
[He chuckles slightly as he follows her suggestion, moving to the small sofa.]
No apology necessary, lass. I did this to myself. One thunder bolt at a time.
[He nods, though.]
Take as long as you like.
[What she'll find is that there is stiffness in nearly all his joints, not only in the arm that is calcifying, and also that his lung capacity isn't what it should be for a man his age, mid 40s, suggesting that the curse has spread farther than he lets on.
A fish that leaps out of the stream is more easily caught by the net. Is it the fault of the fish for following its instincts that it is caught?
[...This is the kind of philosophical oddity that comes out of Shu's mouth sometime.]
Please relax.
[Her examination is perhaps not what Cid might expect. As she kneels beside him, she opens a hand filled with tiny seeds and allows them to filter through her fingers. There is soon a spreading carpet of greenery around the two of them, tiny buds peeking out from the carpet. Hopefully Cid doesn't mind becoming a terrarium.
Whatever injuries or battle wounds that Cid might currently be harboring on his body - or anything as minor as a shaving scar - will slowly begin to knit together. There is no change, of course, in the calcification. Shu's hands run slowly up and down his body without actually making physical contact, though the sprouting seeds glow gently and stretch up to meet her.]
...
This process accelerates every time you use your Arts?
[This might be rhetorical, but a confirmation is always helpful.]
If you're calling me a fish, lass, it's not a good metaphor. When you're a Dominant, it's easy to think you're invincible. That's not instinct, that's...pride.
[Okay, he wasn't expecting the nature magic, but he's not put off by it, instead taking careful note of how the buds and sprouts grow.
When she asks her question, he nods slightly.]
Aye, if I use enough of them. A little burst of lightning here and there doesn't cause too much harm. Anything more, though... [He nods.]
"Did you not just tell me you utilized your powers to fight for the freedom of an oppressed people? Would you have stood idly by instead?"
Shu speaks without judgment, with an air of absent-mindedness as she focuses on the examination. When he responds to her query, she shakes her head slightly.
"Then you must stop. ...Or learn to use the Arts of this world, instead. I, too, am learning. But your internal organs are stiffening. This is more similar to the progression of Oripathy, where the disease tends to spread from the inside out. Ignoring the state of your arm, you would be considered a moderate to advanced case."
She sits back on her heels as the brilliant greenery around them begin to dim and wilt.
"There is one significant note. Oripathy is resistant to treatment because the inhaled dust acts as a nucleation point, calcifying the blood and organs. It is resistant to treatment because it is impossible to fully remove the dust - much like a cancer. I do not sense anything like that now. It suggests it may be possible to resist. Or perhaps, now that you are removed from the magic of your world, it may stall."
It could stall? That was more than he could hope for. He also hadn't thought about studying the magic of this world. For some reason, he'd just assumed it would work the same as any other Aether, and exacerbate his situation without any recourse. It was why he'd sought out a cure in the first place.
The idea that being removed from the Crystal's influence is a new one as well, and one he'll have to think on a bit more when he's alone and doesn't have to play nice for an exceptionally generous hostess.
She didn't tell him anything about his condition he didn't already know, though. The Hideaway in his own world has one of the best healers in the world, and certainly the best anywhere nearby, and Tarja had told him the same, urged him to stop using his abilities if he could avoid it and scolded him anytime he came home claiming it'd been unavoidable.
There there hadn't been an option, but here? Learning new magic might be a way to go and still be useful.
That was the crux of it, after all. He'd started to feel obsolete.
He nodded, shrugging back into his leather jacket as the greenery around them faded. "Nothing that surprises me, lass, but a few things to think about, aye. Thanks for havin' a look."
She dips her head slightly in an apology as she gets back to her feet, clasping her hands together once more. When the seeds fade, they seem to simply disintegrate into green motes of light that drift away on the air currents.
"Although this is a physical malady, its source is something I cannot fully comprehend. Because its origin is a curse from the spirits of your world, it is akin to dousing an oil fire with water. ...Not that it would make it worse, but simply that it is ineffective. The issue is not cellular damage or an absence of cellular growth. Those are the types of maladies I can heal."
She briefly hesitates before offering her next suggestion.
"...The pain, however, should respond to treatment. That is caused by the nerves still connected to your intact cells sensing the compression and unnatural weight and pull of the petrified flesh."
"I'll trust you on all that, lass." Cid's expertise was in mechanics and design, logistics and the big picture when it comes to people and organization. He doesn't know and rot about nerves or cellular growth, nor did anyone else in Valisthea.
"And if you've got a suggestion for the pain, I'd be a fool not to listen."
"I will bring you some herbs that will impede the sensation of pain, though it will do nothing for the root cause. I would not suggest becoming overly reliant on them, for it could have psychological drawbacks. Strengthening the musculature and bone structure that are fused to the stone is something you should also consider, though... I am not sure what kind of exercises would be most effective. I can recommend some general strength-building movements."
She doesn't really have much experience with half-stone limbs.
"That is about all I can say."
If Cid is threatening to leave, he will have barely finished putting on his jacket before a large tote bag filled with eight pieces of Tupperware is thrust at him.
He'd been dealing with the pain for more than a year. He'd use the herbs she sent if he really needed them, but only if he needed them. She'd given him hope even if she didn't realize it in the form of the idea that the curse may have stalled, which would mean while it didn't stop causing him pain, it at least wouldn't get any worse, no matter what it was he needed to do with it.
He could work with that.
And he was working on heading out, smiling amusingingly as the tote bag was thrust at him.
"You'd think I was feeding an army, lass." But he wasn't offended. "Not that I can protest."
"As I recall, you did have a small army to feed once upon a time." Or at least, that's what she imagined his small band of freedom fighters rising up against an unjust system. "But I wonder how much time and effort you spent on feeding yourself?"
Whatever the answer, it doesn't matter because Cid is walking away with the entire contents of a large pantry.
"Be well. Do not hesitate to drop by for anything - medication, food, or advice."
"Aye, but not all by myself." At least not eventually. It's amazing the amount of people who are willing to sign up and chip in when it's freedom you're peddling. Cid may swagger and strut, but he's humble when it comes to the things he's built.
He smiles at her jovial accusation and brushes it off. "Alright, alright. I'm off, then. And what if it's only the company I'm seeking?"
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Private Message over the Aethernet
Date: 2025-03-22 04:02 pm (UTC)Hello, lass. Shu, isn't it? The name's Cid and Link said I ought to seek you out as a healer. You take office visits?
no subject
Date: 2025-03-22 04:37 pm (UTC)Hello, Cid.
Yes, that's right. I have modest gifts as a medic in combat. You are searching for someone who can aid with the ailment you described over the ethernet, correct?
[She has an excellent memory.]
Forgive me for not responding directly at the time. I did not believe I have the capability to help with what you described, but it would be of no harm to perform an examination.
Or perhaps I am putting the cart before the horse. I should not make assumptions so quickly.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-23 09:17 pm (UTC)["She's good?" "Yes." High praise in Link's book.]
Anything's worth a go when you're dealing with magic beyond your world's experience, aye? I'm not expecting miracles, lass, just insight. I made my peace with my fate a long time ago, but if there's something to be done to make me more useful in the meantime? It'd be stupid not to try, wouldn't it?
no subject
Date: 2025-03-24 01:25 am (UTC)Of course.
You are welcome any time. I reside in the Vault.
[She provides directions to her lodgings.]
Perhaps this evening, if you are not otherwise occupied.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-26 12:04 am (UTC)Sure lass, tonight works for me. I'm in between missions at the moment.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-26 04:57 am (UTC)[This does not appear to be an invitation, but more of a demand in the way it is stated. Shu smiles beatifically.]
I'll expect you around 6.
[And if Cid is surprised, he doesn't get much of a chance to refuse since Shu gives a wave and signs off.]
action
Date: 2025-03-28 08:13 pm (UTC)Besides, he wanted to take a measure of this Shu for himself. Would it be nice if she could help him with his little problem? Absolutely, but was it necessary? Not really. He'd still keep fighting, whether or not it was rushing him to his already early grave.
His gait was more of a swagger, confident shoulders swaying as a hand rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist as he walked down her drive at only a minute or two until six. He wasn't late, but he wasn't early, either.]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-28 10:06 pm (UTC)(She had.)
The smell of a combination of fragrances and spices wafts out as an almost tangible force as she stands silhouetted in the doorway. He receives a slight bow before she gestures him inside.]
Please, welcome.
[Slippers are provided at the doorway for him to change into. The inside of the dorm seems suspiciously spacious, though not to an extent that any supernatural ability is at play. Shu is simply quite good at decoration and furnishing to make use of the available space. A table is set in the sitting area, buckling under the weight of eight different dishes.
...The door is closed behind him, so that's eight different dishes for the two of them.]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-29 05:58 am (UTC)Well, lass, no one can say you don't know how to make a man feel welcome at least. If I don't leave with a solution, at least I won't leave hungry.
[He unbuckles the sword belt at his hip, upon which there is not one but two swords hung, and rests them both near the door with a questioning look.]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-29 06:28 pm (UTC)[He is beckoned to sit, upon which Shu will pour him a steaming cup of tea.]
Please, eat freely.
[She says this, except she spends the first five minutes or so spooning things onto his plate for him. Crisp pork with rice noodles, eggplant stir fried in a thick sauce with ground meat, crab meat rice, a whole steamed flounder, dumplings, some sort of green leafy vegetable, beef with peppers, and a seafood soup.]
It sounds as if there is a story behind your ailment.
no subject
Date: 2025-04-01 04:00 am (UTC)[He honestly can't remember the last time he saw a spread like this and was pretty sure he never actually had, not that he'd partaken of, anyway. Feasts weren't Barnabas' style. Everything else had been survival.]
But aye, I suppose there is. There are some people in my homeworld who can channel the might of great beings called Eikons. They're called Dominants. [He took a sip of his tea before he concluded.] I'm one of them. Only, channeling that power comes at a cost. Mortal flesh can't abide it forever, and the more we do it, the more we turn to stone, until all that's left is dust. Happens to those born with magic, too. [He smirks, sardonic, but not bitter.] Aether exists in crystals there, like it does here, and if you use a crystal for magic, no petrification risk. That's why it's come to be called the Crystal's curse, like the Mothercrystals are punishin' us for being able to touch Aether without them. I don't know if that's true. Personally, I think the massive blighters just want all the Aether for themselves, but that's another story.
no subject
Date: 2025-04-01 04:24 am (UTC)She recovers swiftly.]
A thousand pardons.
[A hand towel appears as if from nowhere, and the offending cup of liquid is removed in the blink of an eye.]
What a crass display. Pray continue.
[And she will keep silent until he is finished with his explanation.]
...I fear your story is familiar to me.
In my world, there is a substance called Originium. It is a thing of terrible power that has infiltrated every echelon of society. From the poor to the rich, all depend on Originium as an energy source and a technological marvel. Arts - what you call magic - are also cast through Originium power.
However, Terra is the mirror of your world. Those who utilize Originium will invariably become Infected - an incurable disease where they slowly turn to Originium themselves. As their bodies crystallize, they eventually dissolve into highly contagious Originium dust. On the contrary, those who cast through their own Arts are much safer from this plague.
There are millions of Infected in my world. There is no cure.
[Originium, it is clear, is a source of great anguish for Shu.]
no subject
Date: 2025-04-01 09:39 pm (UTC)All the more reason to make sure they're all destroyed.
He breathes a sigh, frowning at her story.]
Aye, and the infection isn't likely to make anyone question the using, is it?
no subject
Date: 2025-04-03 03:47 am (UTC)Originium is an integral part of our society. It is the source of energy upon which Terra has come to rely. Without it, our cities would go unpowered and all technological advancement would grind to a halt. Oripathy is a small price to pay for the wonders that Originium promises us - or so think the wealthy and the powerful who command the workers to mine the resource while they sit in the safety of their homes.
I very much fear that if your ailment is anything like Oripathy, there is little I can do. At present, I am a contractor for an organization called Rhodes Island, the only group seeking a treatment for Oripathy on Terra. If I had access to their medication, I could slow or halt your crystallization. But my own abilities are not capable of doing so.
[The food has gone uneaten during this explanation. As if suddenly remembering that they are still at dinner, Shu reaches forward and begins to loosen the flesh of the steamed fish from the bone with a spoon.]
no subject
Date: 2025-04-06 02:34 am (UTC)Don't fret if there's ought to be done, lass. Like I said, I came to terms with my fate a lot time ago. It's not going to keep me from doing what needs to be done.
[The medicine got him to thinking, though.]
You know anything about how it was made? It's a long shot, aye, but if we could find similar ingredients here...
no subject
Date: 2025-04-06 04:22 pm (UTC)I... am afraid I cannot say at the moment. Relevant data might be stored on my Tianshi Detector, but it was stolen from me when I arrived here. I have some hopes of recovering it in time, although it is not a priority for the Corsairs at the moment.
[a faint pause]
The Tianshi Detector is a piece of equipment I use to monitor and analyze the fields for maximal crop production. But it is essentially what you might consider a computer.
[Finished dissecting the fish, Shu scoops ample amounts onto Cid's plate.]
...What is the history of your Crystals? Have they always existed in your world? Originium, indeed, is not actually native to Terra.
no subject
Date: 2025-04-07 04:57 am (UTC)I've helped others with side missions. Maybe another's in order. It doesn't sound like something the Empire would just scrap at any rate.
[He takes the fish gladly. They eat a lot of it in Flotsam, but Cid's never gotten tired of seafood. Besides, when you grow up as poor as he did, you eat when someone feeds you.]
Long as history tells, aye. Gifts from the gods to some people, others worship the blasted things as holy themselves. the gift the gift of magic to people, they say, which is why the Accords give them the sodding right to enslave people born who could use it without a crystal. "Bearers" of the crystal's gift, they call 'em, and because they turn to dust when they use too much of it, "Crystal Cursed", "lesser", "inhuman".
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Date: 2025-04-08 02:13 am (UTC)[Shu smiles, and her good humor seems to be recovering.]
If you think you have time to spare in the future, it would be much appreciated. I can do my job quite well without the device as the fields here are much smaller and manageable for a single individual. But it would ease the labor and maximize the productivity of the harvest.
[She chews a small mouthful thoughtfully as he voices his dissatisfaction.]
...Is not the perspective backwards? I would imagine in most places, it would be considered a gift to have access to power beyond that of a normal human. Why, you might even expect those with innate power to rise to the higher echelons of society.
I should imagine this persecution exists solely out of fear of what those people might do. If you spread the message that they are inferior and repulsive, they will be trod underfoot before they can cause too much trouble.
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Date: 2025-04-11 12:33 am (UTC)[He flexes his jaw at her assessment, mostly due to how spot on it is.]
Aye, you've got the right of it. Part of the reason I told them all to sod off and started liberating Bearers when I could. We built a place, too, where we could live free, die on our own terms instead of being worked to dust by people who didn't see us as human.
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Date: 2025-04-11 03:34 am (UTC)Human nature is not so different from world to world. There are always those who are ruled by fear - and the desire to seek power above all else. Perhaps those two things are the same.
What a burden it is to be born into such a situation, with no choice or alternative. No progenitor could mean for the people to be laden with such a life. And yet you persist despite the world telling you that such a fate is inevitable. You have an admirable heart.
What do you hope to see for your people?
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Date: 2025-04-15 11:34 pm (UTC)[He scoffs, a deep sound, and one not filled with mirth.]
I just got tired of seeing the world chew people up and spit them out just because they had the audacity to be born different, and I got tired of seeing too many friends lose their loved ones, their own children, to that same system.
[A beat.]
And I didn't want my daughter growin' up in that world, either. She's not a Bearer, but she's...good. Kind. She deserves a world that rewards kindness.
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Date: 2025-04-17 03:08 am (UTC)[Shu allows this information to percolate through her mind. As far as she can recall, this is the first (non-native) Corsair she has heard of with a child. Her smile is sympathetic.]
I am sorry you have been separated. But surely she is proud of the goals her father fights to achieve. 'To change the world' is a lofty dream, an impossible fantasy for most. Your fight will be long and protracted.
Would you tell me about her?
[She refills his tea automatically as it reaches the half-way point.]
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Date: 2025-04-22 11:05 pm (UTC)It's alright, lass. She's off at school, anyway, learning more about engineering than I could rightly get her books for, seeing as we lived in a cave.
[He smiles fondly, leaning back and crossing his arms.]
She's a genius, that one. Studying with lads and lasses twice her age and runnin' circles around 'em. Some sorry sod abandoned her as an infant in the forest. Couldn't very well leave her to the wolves, could I? Best decision of my life.
sorry for the delay! missed this when catching up
Date: 2025-05-03 03:42 pm (UTC)[A flicker of shock flits briefly across her face as she shakes her head.]
I am sure there is nothing I can say that you have not already thought of. How strange it is, that we are all but human, and yet our choices may lead to such disparate ends. Even if I know, I fear I cannot understand what drives people.
I am glad you found each other.
[Shu quietly chews on some dumplings, though Cid may notice that she eats much more slowly than he does. As they continue to exchange conversation, she takes note of when he begins to visibly slow.]
...I will box the rest for you when you are full. Please do not rush yourself, but let me know when you wish for an examination.
[She rises and enters the kitchen, returning with a pile of Esthere tupperware.]
no worries!
Date: 2025-05-05 05:10 pm (UTC)So am I. I don't think I'd be half the man I am if it weren't for her, you know?
[And he meant that. When he'd left home, it had been to find his own fortune, not a family or a concern for the world at large. Now look at him, a rebel with a cause.]
All the rest? I'm afraid I don't have much storage pace, love.
[He nodded, though, and once he's finished up, he pulls off his leather jacket, revealing a soft purple linen tunic beneath, which he rolls the sleeve up on, revealing a forearm and elbow that has begun to calcify, much like stone.]
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Date: 2025-05-07 01:31 am (UTC)There is no need to be polite. We are all provided a refrigerator to use.
[She's just going to make the assumption that an adult man living alone has not meal prepped for the week yet, because in her experience, it was usually true, even if stereotyped. But she will stop when he begins to roll up his sleeves, setting aside the ladle and drawing closer.]
天啊... (Tian ah...)
On Terra, this degree of mineralization is only visible minutes from death from Oripathy. Are you in pain?
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Date: 2025-05-07 06:12 am (UTC)[He had not, and he secretly appreciates the gesture.]
Heh, well, it's been this way for months, so I think I've got a few years left in me yet.
[As far as pain...]
My pride tells me to shrug off that question, but, aye. Most days.
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Date: 2025-05-08 01:02 am (UTC)I am truly sorry.
[There is the sense that this is not pity, perhaps, but that Shu is apologizing on behalf of the karmic universe. Despite the absurdity of the sentiment, it somehow feels as if she might have the authority for that.]
Please sit as comfortably as you can.
[She gestures to a small sofa in the sitting space.]
This could take a little bit. I am going to be as thorough as possible.
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Date: 2025-05-09 03:21 am (UTC)No apology necessary, lass. I did this to myself. One thunder bolt at a time.
[He nods, though.]
Take as long as you like.
[What she'll find is that there is stiffness in nearly all his joints, not only in the arm that is calcifying, and also that his lung capacity isn't what it should be for a man his age, mid 40s, suggesting that the curse has spread farther than he lets on.
He probably shouldn't smoke.
Not that that stops him.]
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Date: 2025-05-09 01:33 pm (UTC)A fish that leaps out of the stream is more easily caught by the net. Is it the fault of the fish for following its instincts that it is caught?
[...This is the kind of philosophical oddity that comes out of Shu's mouth sometime.]
Please relax.
[Her examination is perhaps not what Cid might expect. As she kneels beside him, she opens a hand filled with tiny seeds and allows them to filter through her fingers. There is soon a spreading carpet of greenery around the two of them, tiny buds peeking out from the carpet. Hopefully Cid doesn't mind becoming a terrarium.
Whatever injuries or battle wounds that Cid might currently be harboring on his body - or anything as minor as a shaving scar - will slowly begin to knit together. There is no change, of course, in the calcification. Shu's hands run slowly up and down his body without actually making physical contact, though the sprouting seeds glow gently and stretch up to meet her.]
...
This process accelerates every time you use your Arts?
[This might be rhetorical, but a confirmation is always helpful.]
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Date: 2025-05-10 04:36 am (UTC)[Okay, he wasn't expecting the nature magic, but he's not put off by it, instead taking careful note of how the buds and sprouts grow.
When she asks her question, he nods slightly.]
Aye, if I use enough of them. A little burst of lightning here and there doesn't cause too much harm. Anything more, though... [He nods.]
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Date: 2025-05-10 10:27 pm (UTC)Shu speaks without judgment, with an air of absent-mindedness as she focuses on the examination. When he responds to her query, she shakes her head slightly.
"Then you must stop. ...Or learn to use the Arts of this world, instead. I, too, am learning. But your internal organs are stiffening. This is more similar to the progression of Oripathy, where the disease tends to spread from the inside out. Ignoring the state of your arm, you would be considered a moderate to advanced case."
She sits back on her heels as the brilliant greenery around them begin to dim and wilt.
"There is one significant note. Oripathy is resistant to treatment because the inhaled dust acts as a nucleation point, calcifying the blood and organs. It is resistant to treatment because it is impossible to fully remove the dust - much like a cancer. I do not sense anything like that now. It suggests it may be possible to resist. Or perhaps, now that you are removed from the magic of your world, it may stall."
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Date: 2025-05-11 04:49 pm (UTC)The idea that being removed from the Crystal's influence is a new one as well, and one he'll have to think on a bit more when he's alone and doesn't have to play nice for an exceptionally generous hostess.
She didn't tell him anything about his condition he didn't already know, though. The Hideaway in his own world has one of the best healers in the world, and certainly the best anywhere nearby, and Tarja had told him the same, urged him to stop using his abilities if he could avoid it and scolded him anytime he came home claiming it'd been unavoidable.
There there hadn't been an option, but here? Learning new magic might be a way to go and still be useful.
That was the crux of it, after all. He'd started to feel obsolete.
He nodded, shrugging back into his leather jacket as the greenery around them faded. "Nothing that surprises me, lass, but a few things to think about, aye. Thanks for havin' a look."
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Date: 2025-05-14 02:40 am (UTC)She dips her head slightly in an apology as she gets back to her feet, clasping her hands together once more. When the seeds fade, they seem to simply disintegrate into green motes of light that drift away on the air currents.
"Although this is a physical malady, its source is something I cannot fully comprehend. Because its origin is a curse from the spirits of your world, it is akin to dousing an oil fire with water. ...Not that it would make it worse, but simply that it is ineffective. The issue is not cellular damage or an absence of cellular growth. Those are the types of maladies I can heal."
She briefly hesitates before offering her next suggestion.
"...The pain, however, should respond to treatment. That is caused by the nerves still connected to your intact cells sensing the compression and unnatural weight and pull of the petrified flesh."
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Date: 2025-05-15 04:54 am (UTC)"And if you've got a suggestion for the pain, I'd be a fool not to listen."
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Date: 2025-05-16 03:40 am (UTC)She doesn't really have much experience with half-stone limbs.
"That is about all I can say."
If Cid is threatening to leave, he will have barely finished putting on his jacket before a large tote bag filled with eight pieces of Tupperware is thrust at him.
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Date: 2025-05-17 03:57 pm (UTC)He could work with that.
And he was working on heading out, smiling amusingingly as the tote bag was thrust at him.
"You'd think I was feeding an army, lass." But he wasn't offended. "Not that I can protest."
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Date: 2025-05-20 02:24 am (UTC)Whatever the answer, it doesn't matter because Cid is walking away with the entire contents of a large pantry.
"Be well. Do not hesitate to drop by for anything - medication, food, or advice."
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Date: 2025-05-23 03:32 pm (UTC)He smiles at her jovial accusation and brushes it off. "Alright, alright. I'm off, then. And what if it's only the company I'm seeking?"
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Date: 2025-05-25 02:59 am (UTC)Shu responds obscurely, though this can be fairly easily interpreted as an open invitation.
"Take care, Cid Telamon."