aefenglom | text; un: feal (forward-dated to the 17th)

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text; un: feal (forward-dated to the 17th)

[Ferran has had some thoughts about the fallout of the Circle's experiments, and how he wouldn't have been able to do much to help that night even if he hadn't been occupied with something else. He's lucky that neither of his bonds were hurt in any lasting way, but... what about the next time danger shows up? Is he just supposed to cower at home and wait because fairies are a fragile species, especially against the Cwyld? It doesn't feel right to him.]

I'm looking for some suggestions on learning to fight. Long-range, if at all possible. I can't use magic, and none of the powers I have access to can be used offensively.

[He'll get some ideas on that later, but it's not really a weapon, per se.]

I was thinking about archery, but I don't know how easy it would be to pull a bow out in an emergency or anything. Do they have collapsible bows here? [Better not ramble too much on his thoughts, though.]

I'm basically a beginner with any kind of weapon, but I'm willing to put in the work. If anyone has ideas or can point me to somewhere I can learn, I'd appreciate it.

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I'm definitely familiar with the concept.

[Even without his own past recovery, Rikku's would have been indication enough.]

I'll see you shortly, then. Fifteen minutes, maybe?

[He doesn't really have any homemade snacks at the ready, but at least he has some fruit... that should work well enough for now. He won't spend much more time than it takes to grab them and dress for the weather before he's off. He is nothing if not punctual, knocking politely once he gets to their door.]

[It's a common feeling among invalids, especially ones who are normally as active as she knows herself and Rikku to be. It's not too surprising that Ferran has experienced it, as well.

She smiles to herself as she responds, glad he doesn't seem to have any hesitations about coming. It's nice that her word is enough.]

Sounds great. I'll see you then.

[She is, fortunately, able to be up and around enough to answer the door, which is a nice change from the last time she had been stuck in recovery. She looks mostly like her usual self at this point, except for the bandaging on her mending wing— but there's no visible trace of the Cwyld left behind.]

Please. [She smiles as she takes a step back and gestures inward.] Come on in.

[Being Rikku's bondmate, as well as a friend, he hardly needs the invitation at this point.]

[Ferran wouldn't trust just anyone's word on the subject of Cwyld infection, but he trusts Karin to be honest and have his best interests in mind, so he goes without worry.]

It's good to see you, [he says as he steps inside, almost adding in one piece for some humor, but it all still feels a little too raw for that. Instead, he offers her the basket of fruit he's brought: a banana, an apple, some strawberries and blueberries. He didn't have anything to bring in the in the way of activities on such short notice, but he hopes conversation will be enough for now.]

They could really use some technological advancement around here. Whenever I got too sick to go anywhere I could just watch a movie or play a video game and I'd at least be a little entertained.

[She brightens considerably as she lays eyes on the gift he'd brought along with him, offering a nod of thanks as she takes the basket between her hands.]

Very thoughtful of you!

[She hasn't been hard-up for things to eat, at least, but fresh fruit is a nice change from some of the low-effort meals she's been living off of. Even when she's not unwell, she's not much of a cook, and a visit to the market is a bit much for her right now.]

That would be nice. I'm running out of books, at this point... ah, what's a video game?

[She does know movies, at least. They have motion pictures where she comes from!]

It's the best I could do on short notice.

[He's not about to visit a recovering friend empty-handed; that would go against basically his entire being. Either way, he closes the door behind him, stepping further inside so they can sit down somewhere. Karin may be feeling better, but he has no intention of hovering around and keeping her on her feet. Talons. Feet.]

It's kind of like a movie you can interact with? [Seems like an easy comparison, if she's familiar with them.] You have a controller— [he holds his hands in front of him to indicate] —and it has buttons and things to make a character go a certain direction, jump, attack—that kind of thing. I always liked the ones with puzzles the most.

It’s perfect, thank you.

[And, considering the circumstances, probably a better choice than chocolate or baked goods, as much as she loves both of those things. Indulging in her sweet tooth won’t exactly aid in giving her strength to recover.

Though she knows Ferran knows his way around well enough to find it himself by now, she leads him through to the living room and helps herself to a seat on the sofa, gesturing for him to take his pick of seats and do the same. His offering gets set on the coffee table for now, and though she’s been putting on a good face, she does wince a bit as she settles in— most of her is still sore, which she can’t say comes as a surprise.]

Huh. I wonder if something like that could be made here... it sounds interesting.

[Puzzles, huh. She’s had some experience with those. ~~You know, in her own video game.~~]

So it’s like a movie where you direct the fight scenes?

[Ferran can definitely supply a few sweets later, once she's closer to a hundred percent. The fruits should be a good medium between that and what she needs physically, though. For now, he follows her in and sits on the other side of the couch, sharing the space comfortably but without being overly familiar—and giving his own wings the space to rest against the arm, by sitting sideways and tucking his leg under the other. He sees that wince, but it's not like there's much he can do about it for the moment.]

That's a good way of describing it. Fight scenes, chase scenes, gathering information... and then the game will show you story scenes where you just watch. Sometimes you can tell the characters what to say, though.

[He pulls his watch-slash-communicator out of his pocket—despite the watch he wears on his wrist, he uses the Coven-gifted tech as his chosen timepiece, since he hasn't had the heart to change the one he came in with. It's usually half-hidden under a glove, anyway, like it is now.]

If they've made things like these, I could see it being a possibility. The first games were pretty basic... moving one block at a time, or just picking from a list of commands. I kind of hate how small these screens are, though.

[There's a reason smartphones stopped getting smaller!!]

They can really do all that?

[He absolutely has her interest, and she looks thoughtful even as she reaches out to help herself to some of the fruit he had brought, nudging the basket a bit closer to him in offering so that they might share— if he’s comfortable with it. He trusts her enough to be here, and that makes her feel slightly less anxious about her situation, but she wouldn’t blame anyone who wanted to be overly cautious.

Even the level of exposure she’d suffered had been the stuff of nightmares. She can’t imagine how it would feel to be responsible for passing it on to someone else, or how those who had been worse off than her were likely still suffering.

She doesn’t let herself dwell on that for now, but instead smiles as he draws her attention to his communicator.]

Maybe you can be the one who invents it. I agree about the screen, though... for all we’re able to do on these devices, it does seem awfully small. I have to squint to read it sometimes— and Styx can’t even write on them properly.

Sure. The more complex computers and things have gotten, the more they can put in. I think they were even working on some where you could put on a headset with a screen, and it's like you're walking around in the game world.

[Ferran accepts the offer, grabbing a couple of berries from the basket to snack on. There's plenty of them, so he doesn't feel too bad sharing, even if they were meant for her.

He's just about to assert how unsuited he'd be to the task—his sheepish expression says as much—but Karin brings up another party and he pauses for a moment to process that they know each other and why it might be that Styx has issue with them.]

His hands are pretty big, aren't they? [Kind of an understatement, given the rest of the guy.] You'd think a bigger size would be fairly simple... I'm no engineer, but that's the impression I've gotten from things back home. I guess I'm used to tech changing all the time, though.

Like walking around in the game world...

[She can't help but echo him, that very concept so impressive that she takes a moment to express her awe over it. If there were games that weren't about combat, she thinks she might actually enjoy that herself— as good as she is at wielding a sword, she doesn't know if she would want to play a game that allowed to do the same. She got rather enough of that on a day-to-day basis.

She had mentioned Styx's name as though it were second nature, never for a moment stopping to consider that Ferran might not know him, until it becomes very clear that he does. She nods in eager agreement, pausing only to pop a berry into her own mouth.]

You know him, then. Yes— he gets frustrated sometimes. I feel like there must be a spell that could be used to enlarge them, but I'm no witch. I've helped him with some of his studies, but haven't come across anything like that just yet. Maybe there's someone we can talk to about making advancements in the next batch of watches, if technology changes so frequently elsewhere.

[~~time to regain minecraft and sims so karin can play a game~~]

Right... transmutation is a thing, surely? Maybe the magic that makes them work is delicate. I'd say it's worth a try, but I don't know how expensive these would be if we wanted an extra to tinker with. [WOULD BE NICE IF HE COULD EXPERIMENT WITH THESE THINGS HIMSELF, BUT. He sighs.]

It seems like most of the tech comes from the Coven around here—they must have some kind of research and development group. Maybe they're busy with other things, though...

[~~get right on that, Ferran~~]

You know, I never really considered how much they might cost?

[Naive, perhaps, but they do just hand them out when people get here. She doesn't know of anyone who's ever had to buy one, but it stands to reason that they must have to get a replacement somehow if one breaks.]

That actually sounds like a pretty fun project. [She grins; she can almost see the wheels in his head turning.] It would certainly benefit a lot of people, if someone found ways to improve upon the existing model. Sure, they do a lot of what we need already, and they're pretty impressive in their own right, but progress never stops.

[Ferran seems like exactly the kind of nerd who would enjoy working on such a project, she thinks.]

[Ferran hadn't missed how the network was largely Mirrorbound-only, himself, and otherwise he can't say he's seen a similar watch on many of the locals. It's not a simple piece of magitech compared to the rest of what he's seen, either, so he'd added it to the pile of things labeled "generosity to aliens" that he was suspicious of and likewise confused by.

Ferran might be interested in the theorycrafting, but he has neither magical ability nor technical expertise. He's an Ideas Guy only, as far as he's concerned, even if he'd like to help with that kind of thing in less essential ways. Still:]

Rikku's been tinkering with some of the things here, I know. She was really interested in my phone, too, when I showed it to her.

[Well Ferran, nothing wrong with being an Ideas Guy and finding someone else to do the hands-on part!]

That does sound like her.

[She smiles fondly; Rikku has been quick to poke and prod at whatever she can get her hands on in this place, always interested in how things work. She imagines that gives both her and Ferran a great deal to talk about. Though Karin had been guarded and concerned regarding Rikku's seeking out a bondmate through the watch network, those days are long past; obviously, she quite likes Ferran herself.]

Maybe a joint project is in order.

[His boyish charms have won over yet another person. Even now, he is too powerful.]

Maybe so. It wouldn't hurt to bring it up, anyway.

[Ferran is always up for new distractions, and Karin would make the perfect tester, too. It would be fun to work on something together...]

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text; un: feal (forward-dated to the 17th)

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