Private ✪ Finweald Duo Ultima Numero Uno

[Tick Tock]

Somewhere in MIT's HQ
.

Unsurprisingly, Terrasphere awaited for her yet again. Her grades had kickstarted and Emilia has been leaving home less and less whenever it became unecessary to do so. No, pushing ahead of her workload and after one studious and productive week, her exams were finally over and she could focus plenty of time into this game, this world once again and by now she hoped someone would have picked up her virtual request-

Onyx took the time to write it down in one clean sheet of paper, more than one could wish for in the dirty and worn out board infront of The Stoic Mead's entrance. The tavern worked as a fine place for travelers and landers alike, specially those willing to take on endeavours of all kinds, and her own was no different if only unofficial by all accounts. The Adventurer's Guild handled the real deal, yet taverns worked as the speechless middle ground for people to get accustomed to, and while hers was far from dangerous, it required some muscle, a role most players excel at if their destructive tendencies are something to keep in account for, with a selection of herbal ingredients.

x2 Mandragoras
x3 Peaceblooms
x2 Angel's Trumpet

She even took the effort to write down instructions to avoid unpleasant surprises, with the final ingredient kept on her lodging, where she continued to record the chain reactions the last potion upon the table created, and the mess she had to clean on this temporary room of hers.

"Soon, Astaroth. Soon." Onyx remarked with one glance back to the runic skull that rested next to the latest memorandums, the only thing that kept her in quiet company on her wait for the fateful Servant Adventurer to come knocking with her fulfilled request, the decimals written upon her request matched the one's at the door. The least she could do to mitigate the labyrinth this HQ could prove to be.

@Jester

 

[Jester]

It had been a long journey from the point of falling down in Eastern Brisshal. Not from Honeyhome, or any of the towns between there and here, but all the way from the starting zone. Jester, as she seemed content to call herself, had wandered straight west after hearing that the world renowned 'starting town' was 'just a little bit off in that direction'. Being that she ran into absolutely no actual motifs of civilization until she hit Fort Worth, she had confused it for the right place at first, until finally being directed to Finweald. Not for being Honeyhome, but because the Rest Meter was a concern among players, and Jester had to admit that it had been a long walk and she was indeed tired. Tired enough to find her way to the nearest inn once she arrived in what was now firmly declared to be her starting town, she promptly went straight there, had another player cover the fee for the night, and finally felt the first lapses in consciousness the world had to offer.

Sleep. What a wonderful thing. It was like saying goodbye to your good friend reality for just long enough to not get sick of its company.

The sun fell as she slept--she arrived during the day, but it wasn't tomorrow until one had slept and awakened once more--and she finally got herself up and around, ready to get on her feet and be the best-er Jester she could be. First things first, she needed money if she wanted to sleep again. Gold, they called it. Simple and shiny, she loved it. It was a good thing she did, too, because she needed it quite badly.

Down the road from the inn, she decided to check out a board people had been staring at and slowing down to glance over as they walked by. She closed in, peered at it, and recognized immediately that these were no mere requests, but pleas for help! Supplicating, from those in need! Her eyes practically glittered like the very gold she sought after at the thought of all these smiles she could conjure. Grins and gold. Gold and gold. She couldn't wait to get started!

As the bright standout of an adventurer expressively leaned from side to side to find the perfect job (namely not the ones asking for a large group to go push back some goblins trying to press further into Astorean lands, or hunting entire packs of wolves for the local leatherworker), she finally snatched one with some very interesting words on it. Things she had never even heard of before!

x2 Mandragoras
x3 Peaceblooms
x2 Angel's Trumpet

She didn't know what an Angel's Trumpet was, but she couldn't wait to play one!
Of course, one who wished to be a teacher in a past life knew also a lesson most important: that those who seek to teach must also seek to learn. Instead of letting her eagerness get the better of her, she stepped inside the tavern so named The Stoic Mead to get a much less stoic description of each of these items. It was also about this time that she realized that the person who posted the request was kind enough to write instructions. Oops! At least she got some interesting conversations out of it. Apparently they were all plants, and each came with risks she couldn't have even fathomed would be an issue. Gardeners in this world must have it rough, she thought.

Using the cover of night, she got to work sifting the surrounding woods.

And only in the afternoon of the next day did she return with the herbs in tow, properly stored in several different jars which she kept in her hat for safekeeping as she took bouncy, giddy steps towards the location the requisition-ee had firmly requested in their note.

--

She all too soon found herself allowed into the MIT Headquarters, where everyone was surprisingly welcoming of her. She didn't really have the historical context to understand properly that the MIT as a general populace looked down upon adventurers and explorers as the means to their resources, but as long as she got smiles--even customer-service smiles--that was all she could really hope for right now. Grins and gold. Soon, gold and gold, and perhaps even a grin of her own.

Left to wonder the halls for nearly fifteen minutes in her not-quite-a-skip-but-arguably-not-merely-walking-either, she stopped in front of the door she had been looking for.
Was this really the right room? Well, worst case she was wrong and could just ask around, right?

With a couple of firm knocks against the door, she took a quick moment to pull the jars out from under her hat, holding them in her scratched up, blood-stained hands. It was worth noting that the rest of her was nearly immaculate if not just a bit dirty from being out and about in nature for the whole night and morning, so holding those ingredients over her hands made her look almost a thousand times more competent, as though this meager task were nothing for the likes of such an obviously great adventurer.

"He~llo~oooooo~! I am here, with the rare ingredients you asked someone for!" She called through the door. "That was a haiku! I didn't mean to do one, but I have tons more~!"

@Onyx

 

[Tick Tock]

.

Astaroth awakened as signaled by the red glow upon it's eye sockets, which she quickly put down by removing what energy sustained the skull to keep it from floating away and just headbutt her guest right away, like it had happened before already- Perhaps that is why Animancy had such a bad name these days: unruly skeletons.

A voice chirped past the door once she approached, and it almost made her think twice if it was a good idea in the first place. Figuring danger is part of life, she did so and got this 'adventurer' on sight, giving herself the freedom to inspect the spectacular specimen infront of her and the jars that carried her efforts. "Good day, and-" Her little smile fainted. Not that it was that noticeable in the first place, as amber eyes set down to the bloody hands of this mercenary lady. She double checked, only to find no visible wounds, prestine as if ready for a ball she were, minus the scent of forest and long walks under the sun that would befit someone who would take a request like this.

"...If you need medical attention let me know. Alas, this is exactly what I required, please come in." She stepped aside and extended her arm towards the room, generic as it could be. Four white walls with one window, a desk and a table, laced with the work of a lifetime, except this lifetime was about a week or so old, the fanciful, cracked skull, and one worktable at the side where many flasks rested almost to be exhibitioned. Some half empty, some half full, and many different colours and labels were set on them. On the left side of the room rested a dark-blue cover on top of what looked like a... Table? Too small for it, yet wide enough to fit the criteria.

If Jester paid a bit of attention, she could hear friction, as if living liquid clashed against a surface.

"Please, put these on the table to your right. Sorry for the mess, I've been quite busy and did not expect this to be done so soon, but thank you for the haste employed." Her hands rested right inside her coat's pockets as she awaited for the blonde to deposit the requested ingredients, only to hand over a small purse, hefty with coins that jingled from the inside and proclaimed the aforementioned reward on the request. "You may count them if you wish and be on your way. Unless you are on the path of science too and wish to witness the fruits of your labour? Knowledge I'll grant to those willing to learn." A far more generous offer than just gold, at least in the mind of a future scientist like herself.

@Jester

 

[Jester]

Jester bounced right into the research bedroom and placed the jars down carefully one at a time. "That was fast to you? I thought I took forever!" She turned to the researcher with a grin devoid of impurity as she gave a very bloody salute with her right hand while her left took the bag. She seemed to care very little for counting out a bunch of coins. "I'm just proud to impress after my very first endeavor!" She blinked a couple times in quick succession, then tilted her head to the side for a moment before straightening back up. After all, she had to take a moment to hide the bag of coins up under her hat. It's not like people had an inventory in this game.

"I'd love to stick around and witness your dedication! After all, I've got to catch back up on my education!" She closed one eye and offered a playful grin, not that she had offered anything else before now. "But before we begin, I don't mean to pester, but what is your name? My name is Jester!"

@Onyx

 

[Tick Tock]

.

Her eyes peered to the ceiling for a moment, submerged in her thoguhts. Did it really took that long? "Hmm, maybe you are right. Time flies when you are busy." She nodded, eyes set on the not-so-messy-but-bloody girl, whose pride she hoped didn't take a dent, considering what her words would imply. Yet close attention went to these details, such as the fact she didn't count a single coin. Either too quick to trust, laid back or careless, but she couldn't complain with a job well done like this.

Amber gaze barely flicked once Jester stored her coins under... Her hat? The wild card of an 'adventurer' finally introduced herself with one cheeky grin. She certainly would have offered more than a little bow of her head, but bloody hands meant bloody shakes, and bloody hell she ain't about to do that! "Well rhymed- I'm Onyx. MIT Freshman." Monotonous, yet hopefully amicable enough for the other party.

With everything set, Onyx opened her UI and headed closer to the work desk to organize the jars away from the center, where she could 'spawn' the tools required. If Jester had a good eye, then she could catch how some were meant for herbalism and recollection from the considerable bag that materialized out of nothingness. Others? Far more unwieldy and difficult to carry on hand, the ones the researcher got down to business rather quickly as she begun to set up the plants on three different compartments attached to a condenser.

She took two of the peaceblooms Jester brought along and headed to her desk instead, where she instead begun to squeeze the plants like a rag as juice begun to drop onto a cup, which she soon took hold of and turned back to look at her guest, right before she took a sip.

"One peacebloom is enough, the other two will do well for my coffee." She gave a little twirl to the spoon inside the white mug, right before she gestured towards the covers on the side. "I got three specimens here. As a mere apprentice on MIT i'm not allowed to do much without supervision, I'm afraid. However, this will be the exception considering the risks are minimal. Just don't touch the covers yet. Once the extraction is finished, I will synthetize four prototypes, and we can get down to practical research." Patience has always been a requirement for the job, but a cup of coffee took the edge off from the wait.

@Jester

 

[Jester]

Where another adventurer might have been a little dismayed to see their hard work end up as little more than someone's premium pick of pick-me-up potation, Jester began to giggle in amusement as the peaceblooms were wrung out into Onyx's coffee. Despite the endless glee expressed on her face, she hardly seemed empty-headed about it as her eyes focused both on where her attention had been brought to and things nearby in consideration. As she took a better look at the strange combining condenser, she felt the need to give the aspiring alchemist assurance after alluding to risks and rules that Jester felt deep down were perhaps there for a reason.

"Don't you fret, Onyx. If anything goes wrong, I'll make sure to protect you 'til help comes along!" With one more giggle, she finally brought up the elephant in the room as far as things on her own end were concerned as she raised her hands up in front of her and wriggled her fingers. "Though it might be a good idea to wash off all this red..."

@Onyx

 

[Tick Tock]

.

A good cup of coffee was all she needed to ease any concerns she might get out of the upcoming experiment, that and the subtle details Jester gave away with the apparent awareness she portrayed, far outweighing the airheaded personality she seemed to express with every word that dripped out of her lips.

Quirking up an eyebrow, Onyx ears flickered for a bit once Jes felt the need to reassure her "By no means is this gonna be dangerous, none of the materials we will work with are volatile. However, they are still poisonous if not lethal when applied in great doses, so please do not drink or eat anything no matter how edible it may seem." Her voice a gaveaway to past events, as if someone had already done everything she described not to before, to the point it became imperative to make mention of it.

The bloody problem Jester posed, however, made her gesture back to the entrance, where next to it one had a basin made out of ceramic. Filled with water, albeit the system felt crude considering how often one had to wash their hands and even cleanse the basin itself. "That's the best I have right now, my apoligies. It's decoration and not meant to be used in that way, but since I generally don't need to deal with blood..." She let her words trail as it felt pointless to go in depth by then.

Onyx headed over to oversee the extraction of the plant's liquids, the process had been relatively fast compared to what she expected, magitech having done it's wonders to facilitate, perhaps almost match reality itself when it came to downtimes, and soon begun to prepare the mixtures on four different sets of vials, and four different syringes.

"This test will be simple: we shall use four different lethal and non-lethal poisons in order to document the effects the specimens under-go. Some will be minor and some major, and then we will mix magic into them to see if the results are any different." She explained, just as she gave one tap to the needle of one of them. "One of my long term goals is to replicate the legendary Mithridatium around four samples instead of the original sixty-four. If it can work on four, it certainly can with sixty more."

She sighed, awaiting for Jester to conclude washing her hands and let her get a clear view of each tool they would employ. "Unfortunately, we have both magical and 'natural' poisons and venoms to deal with, so to create a one-for-all antidote is close to impossible at the scale and resources I'm working with, but certainly nice and appealing data to report to my superiors when the time comes."

@Jester

 

[Jester]

Jester made sure to make the best of the offered solution to finally get the rusty smell of blood off of her hands, taking extra time and care to wash under her nails and against her cuticles. By the time she was done, the few long-closed cuts on her hands were visible, but she otherwise looked as immaculate as she could be. We already covered the whole digging through the forest all night bit.

She left her hands to dry to the air over the basin until they stopped dripping, where after she began to wave them out. As Onyx mentioned the mythical Mithridate, her eyes widened and practically began to sparkle as she doubled down on how thoroughly she would continue to watch.

"You certainly have some noble ideas in your head." The mastery-less mage crossed her arms as she rhymed across posts, with one hand to her chin as she watched. "But I get some strong notions that making sixteen potions doesn't equal the cure-all of a king long dead."

She looked from the equipment to Onyx and gave an amused smirk. "Please tell me if you would what your angle is about. You've made me quite curious how this all will pan out!"

@Onyx

 

[Tick Tock]

.

With all preparations set, she only had to wait for Jester and for any questions to come her way, hands crossing behind her back, only to be given a compliment... Or perhaps an assumption would be a better way to phrase it. More importantly though: Did this woman only speak in rhymes?

"I don't think of them as noble in the slightest. They are just ideas, research, nothing more. If anything, they are meant to be of benefit to myself and my peers. There are commendations, both monetary and social, that come with a discovery." She shook off her head moments after. "I only care for the logistics behind these. A promotion on the M.I.T would remove certain blocks that hlat my progress as a freshman, and a much more stable economy would mean higher quality in both ingredient and tools alike." What prestige comes from a well done job is only for the glory hounds on these grounds, which tend to last little in such an intensive workplace as the MIT itself. "That, at least, is the 'angle' I aim for. I already explained all there is to be."

All but one little question, an insinuation that made her tilt her head and wag her tail from left to right on one slow swipe. "Four. I implied four potions, and the Mithridatium used sixty-four, not sixteen. Regardless, it's not only a legend difficult to prove, but also impossible to replicate by average means. Fortunately, magic exists in this world to alleviate the pressure. Will these potions mix? Are the components reactive against eachother? Will this cause side-effects?" Her right hand gestured side to side which each little question posed, rhetoricals. Yet Jester brought a good point all in all.

It was a pipe dream, but it's good to know she could recognize it as such, much like she did back when she read the story for the first time.

Without anymore to wait, she picked the first serum. Yellow and bubbly, and headed towards the mysterious covers to pull them off, only to reveal the middle one had a cage with an amber slime inside of it. It's glass container had begun to give up to the corrosive effects of what seemed like acid. Before proceeding though, a pair of rubber gloves and safety glasses were mandatory, and she could only hope these copycats of the real deal from the starcalled realm.

Time to find out.

Onyx begun with a quick stab upon the slime, the needle made it in with no resistance whatsoever, aside from the jello-like monster trying to climb through it and reach her hands. By the time she injected it, the whole syringe got consumed and she retracted her hand quick enough before it could get to her, a few steps back to catch her breath as she looked back to Jester and pulled off her gloves. "Take note: that was reckless, foolish, and you should learn from my mistakes and don't do what I just did." She pointed out, frustrated on a lower note, almost disappointed, before they got to watch that same liquid mesh with the slime and-

Nothing seemed to happen. it kept moving just fine, reacting just fine, but Onyx didn't seem phased by it nonetheless.

"Pick up my notepad on the desk, write down the following-" She barely stopped to give Jester time to even say 'yes', calculated tone loud enough yet fast like a bolt, like the stereotypical professor who gives no shit if a student can't catch up.

"3:27 PM, Composite-i8: Peacebloom, Dreadnaught's Blossom, Condensed slime residue and Aloborea Extract... No effects on I8-22."

@Jester

 

[Jester]

It was fair enough to say the motivations were only monetary and scientific, but then...

Well, she would get to that later. More importantly, she actually had something she could discuss with someone on an upper intellectual level, so she made to take advantage of the opportunity. That, and the chance to be insightful and teach others literally anything was her lifeblood, so how could she resist?

"Au contraire, my starry-eyed student. A potion can have more than just one ingredient." She seemed to continue her little rhyming game. "And the Mithridate was only one potion: itself, mixed of sixty-five reagents." She tapped the side of her head and closed one eye with a playful grin. "Once you see it that way, your labor fruit tree will seem as though it grows much more quickly!"

Motivation and corrective discourse out of the way, she made to be a good lab assistant, thankful that safety equipment wasn't something she had to mention. Of course she didn't! This was the MIT! Whatever that meant in this world.

She watched with wide eyes as Onyx might as well have almost lost a hand to the goopy mystery box creature, though she still retained a smile if only just barely. Once Onyx assured that she was fine with what was either a lesson in safety or a deadpan string of humor, Jester giggled silently and began to nod.

At Onyx's request, the already paid adventurer didn't hesitate (nor did she rush) to go find the notepad she had ironically taken note of earlier as she scanned the room the first couple times and write down as she was told.

3:27 PM: Composite-I8: Peacebloom, Dreadnaught's Blossom, Condensed slime residue, and [Aloe-bor-ia] Extract... No effects on I8-22.

Now that there was just a moment of peace, Jester felt the urge to ask. "So you said this world had magic? I wasn't certain before now! Is it the sort of universal thing where anyone could learn how?"

@Onyx

 

[Tick Tock]

.

There seemed to be some misconceptions given the nature of Jester's explanations, but she remained quiet until she concluded in such a way she could interject before moving on.

"I never said potions can't have more than one ingredient. More often than not that is the case for antidotes. I said four potions as to exemplify four different antidotes. The Mithridate was one potion with sixty four ingredients yes, but in an unexplored world built to murder us, with each of it's predators being significantly different if yet familiar to ours and the capacity of enhancing or manufacturing poisons and toxins through one's magic and the many status effects that can and will mutate a lifeform into something completely different, including their toxins..." She took one breath upon her conclusion. "I believe four different antidotes meant to learn of what we are trying to counteract, before we attempt to haphazardly mix them all into one, is the first careful step I need to take. Walk before running." A long explanation ended with one dismissive wave of her hand as Onyx continued with their experimentation.

With I8 being an apparent failure for this time frame, she moved to the next subject. Practically the same, only now she pulled the dirty white sheet adjacent to the slime's glass prison to show possibly the first humanoid subject: green skin, diminutive and gagged- A goblin, it's hands bound to the bars of it's little animal cage and with nothing to say, apparently. Not a single noise, drowsy gaze only made it look all the more weaker.

Without the need of a vein for this one, Onyx pushed the syringe right against the forearm of the goblin, which seemingly spurn him awake from it's acquiscient self, weak struggles from all of his limbs but the one she restrained.

With all set, only thing left was to warn. "This one might turn out gruesome, so in a sign of good faith I'm warning you to close your eyes should you need it."

Spoiler: TW:A bit gruesome

Onyx pulled back once she emptied the needle, taking one step backwards and take on a set of extra notes to document every change possible.

A matter of seconds, the goblin cried, screamed even. A patch of skin turned yellow and soon it darkened once black specks begun to spread all across his body, specks that became tumors upon it's flesh and spread all across the throat and torso.

She hoped the walls were sound-proof, because the poor bastard only grew louder and louder once the very meat was stripped, muscle and bone following suit, yet it had some finesse to it's destruction, like a paper shredder leaving everything on straight, uniformed straps, or how a knife peels off an orange or an apple. A black-ish liquid poured out of it's now blackened bones, the main body consumed no longer after exposure in about ten seconds, yet strangely enough it's remains could not be corroded any further, but signs of erosion became apparent. The very bottom of the cage, stained by this bubbling mass, begun to melt, and it felt like luck, a calculated risk or a planned outcome for it to remain in one piece and not break through any further than a layer.

With a personal observation of her own done in quick doodles meant to be her handwriting, she turned back to her 'assistant', expectant. "3:38 PM, Composite-I8A: Animancy is greatly compatible and highly effective on enhancing the basic composition. Subject I8-23's TOD surpassed I8-17 by 60 seconds. Further tests must be taken on magically attuned individuals." Onyx walked from side to side, wagging her finger contemplatively. "Write the word 'Important' In all caps, followed by: A new alloy is required to endure the long-lasting nature of this experiment."

@Jester

 

[Jester]

"Well it may be much more dangerous out here in these fields," she gestured aiming her index and middle fingers like a pistol, "But the deadlier the weaponry, the more secure the shields." She pretended to hold a shield up on the back of her forearm as she dismissed the very deadly finger pistol. "But don't worry, I understand what you mean!"

As advised, she ended up closing her eyes for a few seconds. Then she opened her right, then both, watching with a wide-eyed fascination that pushed the boundaries of mere scientific interest.

3:38 PM, Composite-I8A: Animancy is greatly compatible and highly effective on enhancing the basic composition. Subject I8-23's TOD surpassed I8-17 by 60 seconds. Further tests must be taken on magically attuned individuals.
IMPORTANT: A new alloy is required to endure the long-lasting nature of this experiment.

Jester waggled the pen thoughtfully between two of her fingers. "Well, I haven't been here long, so I don't have much to go on, but in terms of real-world compounds... I'd propose you use Teflon." She lit up just a bit, in the sense of her expression and not literally glowing for now. "Or if you're on a budget there's always polypropylene."

@Onyx

 

[Tick Tock]

.

With a 'deadly gun' aimed on her way, Onyx gave jester the most deadpan face she could and rose her hands slowly so on the air as if to surrender. Was this how people socialized, really?

Just play the part and she will cooperate Her mind kept telling her to reassure bursts of stupidity like this would pay off well in the end.

"Do not point guns at people." She tried, but the lack of emotion just ruined the pun. Or did it add to it? Maybe Jester would find that ironic and laugh, but with a name like that, she couldn't expect anything.

The gruesome experiment set aside, she quickly dropped a cover to let any leftovers out of sight from her assistant. Far be it from her to traumatize a willing subject. Her strange assistant came up with something clever, and just as she was about to commend her for it, something clicked in her head:

"That didn't rhyme." Onyx casually added, walking over to Jester to give a look at the notes she's been taking, pleased with how readable it actually is as opposed to most of what she found around Terrasphere. "Teflon I doubt it exists here to begin with, that's a much recent invention. I have no idea about polypropylene though, but we can use magic as a replacement with how versatile and unexplainably convinient it turns out to be. Which reminds me." It was something that poked at the back of her head earlier on, a question left unanswered as she had no way to reply without calling her out in most blunt manner. "Magic exists, but I have no idea how one gets to learn it. However, players have their UI and pick their masteries at the start of the game. Did you forget which ones you picked?"

@Jester

 

[Jester]

Indeed the vibrant one found Onyx's response to her pretend firearm amusing enough to begin laughing, which circled around to giggling gleefully by the time she next spoke with just the slightest touch of mischief, after which she wagged her finger at Onyx. "You say that didn't rhyme? Listen closer this time!"

She put her right hand out as though winding a crank of some sort, though she did so with it winding backwards. Then she mimicked her words from earlier in the same intonation.

"But don't worry, I understand what you mean!"

Then she cranked the imaginary rotor of whatever variety it was supposed to be forward a little bit.

"Or if you're on a budget there's always polypropylene."

With one last chuckle, she looked at Onyx and gave a palm up gesture of explanation. "A-A-C, B-B-C. It's a rhyme scheme, certainly! Why don't you stick to Chemistry," she tilted her head a bit to the right with a finger raised and not loaded, "and leave the poetry to me?" Then she winked.

There was something enjoyable about going back and forth with this researcher. Usually, people who sought to argue often would get caught up in their feelings or pride, or be so condescending about it. Onyx on the other hand seemed as restrained and factual about it as Jester had ever seen in either lifetime--not that her current one had been long-running as of yet. At the very worst, she could be seen as kind of a know-it-all about it, but Jester was the sort to look at people's brighter sides and see the best in them. Therefore, Onyx was Onyx, and wasn't pointing a finger pistol at her, so obviously they were on good terms!

Speaking of 'this lifetime', as Onyx brought up selecting masteries, she tilted her head back over to the left, this time looking on with a smile painted with mild concern as she furrowed her brow just a bit. "It seems I missed my chance at having magic right out of the gate, although in my defense, given all that happened I wasn't thinking straight." She shrugged and gave a closed-eyed smile. "Furthermore, I have yet to notice any sign of a 'UI'. Could it be a bug, or would there be another reason why?"

@Onyx

 

[Tick Tock]

.

Like she was being given a lesson on how to become a villain, Jester took her statement to heart and decided to rewind in an almost literal sense back to that point.

She could guess the buffoon could be a good chronomancer given the creativity of her ability to crank the invisible lever and put time in counter-clock wise. Granted, despite it all, it left her with much to think once her explanation was sound and the rhyme could actually, well, rhyme inside her head. Onyx dropped her eyes and muttered words to self, the only cue being the way her lips move as her features riddle themselves as serious as ever, like they were about to decypher an ancient tongue all on her own.

"But don't worry, I understand what you mean... Or if you're on a budget there's always polypropylene."

The wolf girl dropped her ears against her head for the moment once proved wrong. "Yes, it seems I was wrong. Hm, thanks for the explanation, Jester" She cleared her throat, following the notion of leaving eachother to their own fields of expertise which she couldn't agree anymore to, yet her attempt to grasp on the final product of collaborative efforts fell dead on it's tracks once something of much more importance jolted every pore of her back to life.

"Wait, you didn't pick your masteries?" Unbelievable, all this time and she's been out there without a single power of their choice? Granted shooting blasts of magic can be fun for so long before you stop doing it at random, but none at all? "Open one hand, palm facing at yourself, and close it tightly into a fist. That should bring up the UI." Onyx didn't hesitate to get up close with Jester, yet far from invasive, concern had gotten off-hand for her. She tried to apparent coolness, but it visibly shook her that the possibility of a 'ghost' infront of her eyes became far more than mere theory right now. "...Jester, did you die in this game a few times? Did you die when you took my request?" Grimace upon her features with an ugly stare to match, she hoped would be enough to make the Jester cease her Jests for a little bit...

@Jester

 

[Jester]

Open one hand,

Jester opened her hand.

palm facing at yourself,

She faced her palm towards herself.

and close it tightly into a fist.

She closed it tightly into a fist.

She did this a few times, then blinked rapidly and glanced at Onyx. There was little time to ask how many times she was supposed to do it as the researcher closed in with quite the dire look on her face.

Jester, did you die in this game a few times? Did you die when you took my request?

The jester named Jester maintained a smile even now, even feeling as though she should smile even more brightly than ever now. In the face of such dark thoughts, she was to be the guiding spark back to the beautiful world we all lived in. With her fist not causing any changes to the world around her, she instead reached out and put her hands on Onyx's shoulders gently, then began to grasp them just a bit less gently.

"You should worry less. It's bad for your soul. Of course I was flawless while I toiled for your toll."

As her cheery grin and verbal reassurance hung in the air, it was almost enough to permeate the heavy atmosphere of the conversation. Indeed it would have been, if not for the words she spoke next, after a fair while of silence. At the very least, she owed the knowledge sponge of a woman so much as to be frank with her, since she was showing so much concern out of nowhere.

"Jester is fine, if we're speaking strictly of here. If there's anywhere I'm dead, it's... outside of Terrasphere." It was now that her grin downgraded back into just a regular, happy smile. "But then how would I be playing? How inconceivable! Perhaps they have me laying inside a hospital."

She let go of the researcher (if she had even been allowed to put hands on her in the first place), and looked Onyx directly in her eye. "But I'd rather bring you joy than spill my woes to you. Perhaps magic can wait! Don't you have tests to do?"

She was probably just being polite and trying to think of the researcher's feelings, since the subject of death was something even Jester felt fairly heart-heavy about.

@Onyx