Who: Aetós + Appointments What: A catch-all for threads with Aetós in April Where: Various When: April Notes: NPC Interactions can be requested via the this page!
[ Silco wonders about how much Aetós has taken stock of what was lost from the raid, or how much the shard bearers have revealed. He doesn't expect that Aetós knows of their (game) shard-bearer-wide communions, but he plays it cautiously, because of course he does. Communion with Silco is cold, like being dunked under oily, polluted water, as always, but there's an inscrutable something kept just out of reach, below the surface. (Rage. It's rage, he's Not Happy and wants answers.) ]
I wonder if you've heard anything about all the... discoveries that my fellow shard-bearers are sharing from their recent raid of your labs.
Did you leave all those little bits of information on purpose?
[ In his office, Silco has two things of importance on him. One is the Hag's eye from Aetós, which sits on his desk right now, the other... he rolls on the desk, right in front of it, one finger on it. It's something that he normally keeps locked away, for fear of losing it, but right now... he's keeping it close. ]
[ Communion with Aetós is strange. At first, Silco might think he’s being ignored, because there’s no sense of connection or presence that he’s come to expect, even from the Shard-Bearers that are more muted in their expression. Yet, Aetós’s voice comes through clear and calm as ever. It’s just devoid of anything else. ]
Lab. [ A correction, though a small one. ] Some parts were intentional. Some were not. I expected that they would come fetch Vander in one way or another, but the timing I couldn’t guess. I wouldn’t stop work because of that.
[ Even in his fury, Silco saves a small moment to be petty and catty as hell. Don't mind him. ]
I suppose, though, I assumed that it was intentional because I couldn't imagine that you would be in operation for so long, if a little raid was enough to lose information.
Or was it that inconsequential to your grander work?
[ Or was it a message? That Jinx was on there is important. It holds significance, even if Silco has never told anyone. Yima knows, so... perhaps Aetós does as well. ]
[ wow… petty… is this Aetós judging or just me ooc, who knows because it does not come through Communion! ]
Hardly. It went better than I expected, in fact. I expected a small rescue party. Not a large group. The material there was due to be purged regardless, so having Shard-Bearers take care of it was excellent data. Even your demon was kind enough to provide valuable insights.
[ Though that’s not why Silco is “calling”, is it. There’s a sense in their tone that even Aetós knows that, but they’re similar in meandering to their point to not be the one to say what they mean. ]
But regardless, it’s no information lost. Small bits and pieces shared. Meanings they’ll have to piece together. But nothing I would not share, were they able to ask. So. What do you want to ask, Silco?
How magnanimous of you, to be so willing to share.
[ Dryly. Even in communion, that comes through. But he cannot dance around this for that long, he knows that Aetós will cut him off if he plays for too long, or tries to get them to come out and say it. Silco is not the one with the power here, and it's after a moment that he finally says: ]
There was a list of names. "Too Unstable To Survive", I believe.
[ And then: ]
Do you still have access to all of them? I know Amos and Voryn Dagoth are both here still, the other two, however...
[ He doesn't care about Barnaby, but it's an easy cover. Her name isn't Powder, he thinks to himself, but does not voice it, and does not name the names because of that. ]
[ There’s a laugh, though it’s short and soft as it’s always been. ]
I remember the note you’re referring to. But that wasn’t how they were labeled. They weren’t labeled at all. [ which just to be OOCly clear, may be an IC miscommunication! The full description of the journal can be found here, for reference. ] Amos Burton, Barnaby Brooks, Powder, Voryn Dagoth. Interesting individuals. Potentially. Leaving Kenos doesn’t always stick, as I’m sure you’re aware. However. How interesting that you decided to reach out over a list of names. Especially when one of them is a connection I discovered through Vander’s memories.
[ And let's be real, Silco has NO logic in his brain when Jinx is involved. He's reading a LOT into this. As is evidenced when there's another major spike of irritation from communion at the name "Powder". You can imagine Silco grinding his teeth to the tune of 'her name is jinx'. ]
Vander has been dead for nearly a decade, in my world, and his memories are that much out of date. [ A beat. ]
I'll ask again. Do you have access to the ones no longer here?
[ In real-time, Silco's fingers tighten on her shard, as if he's afraid it's going to disappear. ]
I can observe the Timestream. Pull out things and creatures whose beings do not crystallize into a Shard. Those that do are beyond me. It would make my research much less worthwhile if it were that easy, hm?
[ There’s a pause, longer this time, but finally, there’s an emotion. Thoughtful. Curious. ]
[ The emotion is gone again as quick as blowing out a candle. It therefore makes that “I see” very difficult to read. Whether Aetós takes Silco at his word (or even cares), who knows. It’s at least not something they press on more. ]
[ He said, and it's a bit of an odd admittance. Was he really bothering Aetós about someone who was clearly not here, and therefore not a concern.
He knows that Jinx isn't here, because he has her shard. It is precious, and it is currently in his fingers. Silco's grasp on communion is tenuous enough that what slips through is something that could actually be called relief if the man could be honest with his feelings for even a millisecond. ]
There is one more thing that I should ask about. The person you observed, that you...mislabeled. [ Clearly just an accident, Aetós. ]
Why? Do you do so with everyone? [ That part is just genuinely curious. ] And more importantly: why that name? There is...significance in choosing the wrong one, and you are not one for mistakes.
[ When Amos responds to Communion, the sensation that comes is strange in that… There isn’t much of a feeling at all. It’s distinctly different from the brief connection with Adelfoúla since with her, there was something. Here, it’s a distinct absence. There’s no sense of connection or presence that he’s come to expect from Communion.
But a familiar voice rings out clearly and calmly in that void despite: Aetós. ]
Good. I wasn’t sure whether you would accept.
[ ignore the false pretenses. anyways, ]
I’ll put it simply: you have something that belongs to me. I’d like it back.
[ Amos is familiar with absence — or at least, he thinks he is.
Rather, communing with him carries of sense of mutedness, of regular human emotions lurking far beneath the surface, there but faint. It could easily be mistaken for something empty, except when faced with something that distinctly is. Because Amos is, after all, still just a regular human. Traumatized and repressed, but human.
So at first, there's a sense of surprise. And when that voice speaks out, identifies itself: anger, low and simmering, but definitely above the threshold for what he usually feels. ]
If that's your concern, I can soothe it. She's not dead. I wouldn't discard her so casually. She's my greatest innovation.
[ The way they speak is rather clipped, but to the point, at least. It's probably not much of a relief considering it's talking to someone so unpleasant, but. ]
What I destroyed is merely a vessel. She is not restricted to a single body.
[ Something that belongs to me. Discard her. Innovation. It sets his teeth on edge, hearing a kid being spoken about using those words. The manner of speech is one thing, but... it'd probably be worse if it was anything but clipped, actually. To the point is a fuck of a lot better than justifications.
Even so, he's not biting. ]
Great, she's not dead or restricted to a single body. Then you can let her go.
That implies that she is my captive. Adelfoúla is my creation, but she is the finest because she has free will. She is my assistant. She would seem my work done for her own reasons as well.
[ They’re getting the sense that this may be a lost cause and that Shard fragment may not make it back to their hands… A waste, truly, and there’s an impression of a sigh, though muted. ]
Though I am perplexed. Why does it matter to you? If I were to “let her go”, what then?
Cut the shit. She's a kid. You say she's got free will, but then you do shit like destroy her body or keep another one locked in a closet. Maybe you call it free will to justify it to yourself, but that's you taking advantage of someone who either doesn't know better or can't fight back, and that shit isn't free will.
[ That simmering anger of Amos' is slowly ramping up, because it isn't so much a nerve being touched on as openly poked and prodded. The sigh is met with enmity, with disdain, with murderous intent. But hey, at least he's direct about it. ]
You let her go. She lives on one of the islands. Goes to school, makes friends her age, has a life. None of this shit where you treat her like she's your puppet and act like it's okay.
[ Yeah, short of coming and taking it for themselves, they're probably not getting that shard fragment back. ]
[ Not Amos’s demands, but Amos himself and the misunderstanding, so far as Aetós sees it. ]
She’s not a child. Shaped like one, yes, but that was merely a matter of optimization. The minimum amount of material needed to make a humanoid shape but retain the structural integrity needed to perform her duties. A practical matter. Not an emotional one.
[ As it is for you is carried in the tone. ]
But thank you for the insight. It is a testament to my progress that you’ve humanized her.
[ There's a stutter-stop to Amos' emotions as Aetós elaborates, fury replaced by bafflement the more he talks. And normally, he can respect practical matters like this. Hadn't really cared about any of these goings-on until Vander, his friend, had gotten nabbed — and until he'd seen Adelfoúla's body get destroyed, upon which that had become his entire focus. As it is for him.
In the real world, where he's moved from his shop to the room where he keeps a small safe for items he's been entrusted with — Adelfoúla's shard fragment now among them, he's entrusting himself with it — Amos blinks, still confused, kinda blank as he tries to parse this info. Until the notion of humanizing her, as if that was something she'd needed — and after a blip of nothingness from his end, disgust floods in. ]
So that's how you justify it to yourself. Haven't heard that one before. [ His voice is dripping with revulsion, because yeah, there's no way to make this not personal now. And, in a mocking tone, ] It doesn't matter because she's my property. She's mine to do with whatever I want.
[ It's a straight line to the versions he has heard before. ]
Then why does she have a soul.
[ That's what all of this is about, isn't it? Aetós wants that piece of her soul back? If this was strictly practical then she wouldn't have one at all. He's operated drones before — and that's not what she is. ]
[ It’s a simple, factual response, but also cold. There’s no arrogance or pride in the admission, no conflict, just a simplicity as if they were describing the weather. ]
However. Calling it a soul is overstating what it is. Like the Shard you have, it is merely a fragment of a soul. It is not complete, nor will it ever be. It is still a great achievement, yet also a failure. But an interesting one. If it were more whole, it would not be possible to transfer her consciousness between the fragments such as the one you took.
[ It's odd, seeing parts of himself reflected back at him like this. Aetós is decidedly not Amos, nor is the reverse true, but in any other situation, he'd be responding just as simply, just as emotionally uninvolved. If Adelfoúla had been in an adult's body, they never would have reached this point at all.
But this is the one case in which he can't be cold. Can't divest himself from acknowledging personhood, can't treat this like it's nothing. Because... she's still a kid. ]
So you created a kid [ sometimes it's in one ear and out the other with him, huh ] to do what your bidding, and dispose of her when she's inconvenient. I get it, you got a way to bring her back, but that's still basically what you do.
[ He can't keep the disdain out of his voice, out of his feelings bleeding through communion, but a little something contemplative begins to slide in as well.
Because for as bullheaded as he is on this, Amos isn't stupid. He can tell they're about to go in circles with neither of them getting what they want; Aetós not getting the shard fragment back and Amos not strong-arming them into letting her go. So. Probably time to start changing things up a bit from his end. ]
What do you need the one I got for? You have others, don't you?
[ To use, but he stamps down that rising anger within seconds. However successful he is, he's attempting to slide back into who he usually is — someone who normally would be able to have a perfectly reasonable conversation with this guy. ]
[ Amos’s stubbornness about what to call Adelfoúla does at least draw out an emotion from Aetós, however slight. When Amos calls her a kid again, there’s a little prickle of irritation, however small. But, fine, whatever. Again, clearly they’re not coming to an agreement on this matter either. ]
Indeed. But the fragments are more valuable than the vessels. They are not simple to make. It is disappointing that we cannot come to an agreement to barter for it, clearly. But that is your choice, and therefore so be it.
[ Oh, he hit on something there, Amos is sure of it. That irritation, that dismissal. There's the sense of perking up, a dog about to zero in on the bone it wants—
And it all comes crashing down out of nowhere. He'd been prepared to keep going. Fight against his nature in hopes of finding out something about Aetós that he could use to help Adelfoúla. The change in topics was another sign that he was on the right path; the topic Aetós switches to— ]
What?
[ Now it just is honest confusion and nothing more. No ulterior motives, so sneaking around, just.
[ Not long after the Blight begins to spread, the Sketchy Science Crew will find a gift waiting for them. It's located in the same room where Vander had been found, but whether that's relevant or simply convenient for the tools present there... Who can say?
Laying on the table is a human who's clearly Blighted and severely so. On the verge of death, it would seem, but alive. But, they're also surrounded by little threads of teal light that swirl around them slowly. If disturbed, their body will simply hold that position. It will become quickly clear that they're in a sort of time stasis.
Of course. The note helps. ]
I'm glad you decided to use the space. It truly would have been a waste to leave it.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silco
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I wonder if you've heard anything about all the... discoveries that my fellow shard-bearers are sharing from their recent raid of your labs.
Did you leave all those little bits of information on purpose?
[ In his office, Silco has two things of importance on him. One is the Hag's eye from Aetós, which sits on his desk right now, the other... he rolls on the desk, right in front of it, one finger on it. It's something that he normally keeps locked away, for fear of losing it, but right now... he's keeping it close. ]
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Lab. [ A correction, though a small one. ] Some parts were intentional. Some were not. I expected that they would come fetch Vander in one way or another, but the timing I couldn’t guess. I wouldn’t stop work because of that.
[ A pause, and then: ]
What makes you think I left them on purpose?
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[ Even in his fury, Silco saves a small moment to be petty and catty as hell. Don't mind him. ]
I suppose, though, I assumed that it was intentional because I couldn't imagine that you would be in operation for so long, if a little raid was enough to lose information.
Or was it that inconsequential to your grander work?
[ Or was it a message? That Jinx was on there is important. It holds significance, even if Silco has never told anyone. Yima knows, so... perhaps Aetós does as well. ]
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Hardly. It went better than I expected, in fact. I expected a small rescue party. Not a large group. The material there was due to be purged regardless, so having Shard-Bearers take care of it was excellent data. Even your demon was kind enough to provide valuable insights.
[ Though that’s not why Silco is “calling”, is it. There’s a sense in their tone that even Aetós knows that, but they’re similar in meandering to their point to not be the one to say what they mean. ]
But regardless, it’s no information lost. Small bits and pieces shared. Meanings they’ll have to piece together. But nothing I would not share, were they able to ask. So. What do you want to ask, Silco?
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[ Dryly. Even in communion, that comes through. But he cannot dance around this for that long, he knows that Aetós will cut him off if he plays for too long, or tries to get them to come out and say it. Silco is not the one with the power here, and it's after a moment that he finally says: ]
There was a list of names. "Too Unstable To Survive", I believe.
[ And then: ]
Do you still have access to all of them? I know Amos and Voryn Dagoth are both here still, the other two, however...
[ He doesn't care about Barnaby, but it's an easy cover. Her name isn't Powder, he thinks to himself, but does not voice it, and does not name the names because of that. ]
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[ There’s a laugh, though it’s short and soft as it’s always been. ]
I remember the note you’re referring to. But that wasn’t how they were labeled. They weren’t labeled at all. [ which just to be OOCly clear, may be an IC miscommunication! The full description of the journal can be found here, for reference. ] Amos Burton, Barnaby Brooks, Powder, Voryn Dagoth. Interesting individuals. Potentially. Leaving Kenos doesn’t always stick, as I’m sure you’re aware. However. How interesting that you decided to reach out over a list of names. Especially when one of them is a connection I discovered through Vander’s memories.
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Vander has been dead for nearly a decade, in my world, and his memories are that much out of date. [ A beat. ]
I'll ask again. Do you have access to the ones no longer here?
[ In real-time, Silco's fingers tighten on her shard, as if he's afraid it's going to disappear. ]
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[ It’s an answer given simply and immediately. ]
I can observe the Timestream. Pull out things and creatures whose beings do not crystallize into a Shard. Those that do are beyond me. It would make my research much less worthwhile if it were that easy, hm?
[ There’s a pause, longer this time, but finally, there’s an emotion. Thoughtful. Curious. ]
I'll take a guess. You have her Shard?
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[ He says, because her name isn't Powder. ]
Powder is dead, Aetós. She was dead long before the destruction of our world.
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[ The emotion is gone again as quick as blowing out a candle. It therefore makes that “I see” very difficult to read. Whether Aetós takes Silco at his word (or even cares), who knows. It’s at least not something they press on more. ]
Is that all you wanted to know?
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[ He said, and it's a bit of an odd admittance. Was he really bothering Aetós about someone who was clearly not here, and therefore not a concern.
He knows that Jinx isn't here, because he has her shard. It is precious, and it is currently in his fingers. Silco's grasp on communion is tenuous enough that what slips through is something that could actually be called relief if the man could be honest with his feelings for even a millisecond. ]
There is one more thing that I should ask about. The person you observed, that you...mislabeled. [ Clearly just an accident, Aetós. ]
Why? Do you do so with everyone? [ That part is just genuinely curious. ] And more importantly: why that name? There is...significance in choosing the wrong one, and you are not one for mistakes.
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amos
But a familiar voice rings out clearly and calmly in that void despite: Aetós. ]
Good. I wasn’t sure whether you would accept.
[ ignore the false pretenses. anyways, ]
I’ll put it simply: you have something that belongs to me. I’d like it back.
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Rather, communing with him carries of sense of mutedness, of regular human emotions lurking far beneath the surface, there but faint. It could easily be mistaken for something empty, except when faced with something that distinctly is. Because Amos is, after all, still just a regular human. Traumatized and repressed, but human.
So at first, there's a sense of surprise. And when that voice speaks out, identifies itself: anger, low and simmering, but definitely above the threshold for what he usually feels. ]
Fuck off. So you can kill her again?
[ Yeah he's not having this at all. ]
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[ The way they speak is rather clipped, but to the point, at least. It's probably not much of a relief considering it's talking to someone so unpleasant, but. ]
What I destroyed is merely a vessel. She is not restricted to a single body.
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Even so, he's not biting. ]
Great, she's not dead or restricted to a single body. Then you can let her go.
[ It's not a request. ]
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[ They’re getting the sense that this may be a lost cause and that Shard fragment may not make it back to their hands… A waste, truly, and there’s an impression of a sigh, though muted. ]
Though I am perplexed. Why does it matter to you? If I were to “let her go”, what then?
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[ That simmering anger of Amos' is slowly ramping up, because it isn't so much a nerve being touched on as openly poked and prodded. The sigh is met with enmity, with disdain, with murderous intent. But hey, at least he's direct about it. ]
You let her go. She lives on one of the islands. Goes to school, makes friends her age, has a life. None of this shit where you treat her like she's your puppet and act like it's okay.
[ Yeah, short of coming and taking it for themselves, they're probably not getting that shard fragment back. ]
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[ Not Amos’s demands, but Amos himself and the misunderstanding, so far as Aetós sees it. ]
She’s not a child. Shaped like one, yes, but that was merely a matter of optimization. The minimum amount of material needed to make a humanoid shape but retain the structural integrity needed to perform her duties. A practical matter. Not an emotional one.
[ As it is for you is carried in the tone. ]
But thank you for the insight. It is a testament to my progress that you’ve humanized her.
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In the real world, where he's moved from his shop to the room where he keeps a small safe for items he's been entrusted with — Adelfoúla's shard fragment now among them, he's entrusting himself with it — Amos blinks, still confused, kinda blank as he tries to parse this info. Until the notion of humanizing her, as if that was something she'd needed — and after a blip of nothingness from his end, disgust floods in. ]
So that's how you justify it to yourself. Haven't heard that one before. [ His voice is dripping with revulsion, because yeah, there's no way to make this not personal now. And, in a mocking tone, ] It doesn't matter because she's my property. She's mine to do with whatever I want.
[ It's a straight line to the versions he has heard before. ]
Then why does she have a soul.
[ That's what all of this is about, isn't it? Aetós wants that piece of her soul back? If this was strictly practical then she wouldn't have one at all. He's operated drones before — and that's not what she is. ]
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[ It’s a simple, factual response, but also cold. There’s no arrogance or pride in the admission, no conflict, just a simplicity as if they were describing the weather. ]
However. Calling it a soul is overstating what it is. Like the Shard you have, it is merely a fragment of a soul. It is not complete, nor will it ever be. It is still a great achievement, yet also a failure. But an interesting one. If it were more whole, it would not be possible to transfer her consciousness between the fragments such as the one you took.
[ Or at this point, own, but. ]
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But this is the one case in which he can't be cold. Can't divest himself from acknowledging personhood, can't treat this like it's nothing. Because... she's still a kid. ]
So you created a kid [ sometimes it's in one ear and out the other with him, huh ] to do what your bidding, and dispose of her when she's inconvenient. I get it, you got a way to bring her back, but that's still basically what you do.
[ He can't keep the disdain out of his voice, out of his feelings bleeding through communion, but a little something contemplative begins to slide in as well.
Because for as bullheaded as he is on this, Amos isn't stupid. He can tell they're about to go in circles with neither of them getting what they want; Aetós not getting the shard fragment back and Amos not strong-arming them into letting her go. So. Probably time to start changing things up a bit from his end. ]
What do you need the one I got for? You have others, don't you?
[ To use, but he stamps down that rising anger within seconds. However successful he is, he's attempting to slide back into who he usually is — someone who normally would be able to have a perfectly reasonable conversation with this guy. ]
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Indeed. But the fragments are more valuable than the vessels. They are not simple to make. It is disappointing that we cannot come to an agreement to barter for it, clearly. But that is your choice, and therefore so be it.
[ And, jarringly, Aetós changes topics abruptly. ]
Though since is the first time we have spoken, thank you. The Shard-Bearers you sent along to me were most valuable.
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And it all comes crashing down out of nowhere. He'd been prepared to keep going. Fight against his nature in hopes of finding out something about Aetós that he could use to help Adelfoúla. The change in topics was another sign that he was on the right path; the topic Aetós switches to— ]
What?
[ Now it just is honest confusion and nothing more. No ulterior motives, so sneaking around, just.
What are they talking about? ]
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whoops forgot to put a bow on this
a gift
Laying on the table is a human who's clearly Blighted and severely so. On the verge of death, it would seem, but alive. But, they're also surrounded by little threads of teal light that swirl around them slowly. If disturbed, their body will simply hold that position. It will become quickly clear that they're in a sort of time stasis.
Of course. The note helps. ]
I'm glad you decided to use the space. It truly would have been a waste to leave it.
Let's see what you can do.
ἀετός