(no subject)

[freedom_is_grey]

After two (or more?) days in the library, stacking reference books all around her like the most flammable of forts, Ysalwen thinks she may have cobbled together a very crude scrying spell.

Okay, it's more like a dowsing spell, but whatever. It let her find Liranan, and some pencils that had gotten buried by piles of paper, and a demon bunny that fell asleep under her cloak when she went to take her mabari for a walk.

The question now is: how well is it going to work on things that are farther away than that, and what exact aspect common to all Jaegers is she going to try to pinpoint?

And is there a way to get rid of that annoying buzzing sensation in her hands when the spell goes off?

(Signs so far point to no.)

Which is why she's sitting at a corner table, surrounded by schematics and engineering diagrams that she doesn't really understand, tapping the end of a pen against her lip.

It's worse than trying to piece together ancient Elvhen from broken signposts and burnt pages.

Hmm.

Comments

[makesthings]

Sameth is working on finding what he can to enjoy at State Dinners, but its not easy. This time he was sitting next to a man who was incredibly knowledgeable about bridges and fortifications which made the time go by quickly.

When he enters Milliways, he's looking for something to write on as he runs his hand through his hair and then stops at all the diagrams on her table, "What are those?"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Building plans, mostly."

Ysalwen looks up, shoving hair out of her face as she smiles at Sameth.

"I'm trying to do a favor for a friend."

Or a fellow military commander.

Whichever.

[makesthings]

"For what? Anything I can do to help? I spend a lot of my time building things,"

And these look sort of like larger versions of some of his toys but far more powerful.

[freedom_is_grey]

"I -- "

The Jaegers aren't really her business to talk about. Not explicitly.

Hmm.

"Do you know anything about scrying spells?"

[makesthings]

"Yes, I do but I haven't worked with them a lot," His tend to rely on the Charter helping him to find what he needs.

[freedom_is_grey]

"Me either. It's -- been an adventure. And I think my result product is crude and ridiculously inefficient, but -- I think I've got something that will work."

[makesthings]

"That's the important part. Every spell has to start somewhere."

[freedom_is_grey]

"Do you want a spell that will let you find demon rabbits and lost pencils?"

She's got one!

[makesthings]

"I'd rather not find demon rabbits but pencils could be useful. I'm always losing them in my workroom."

[says_the_booyah]

Wherever there is a schematic, there tend to be engineers. Or at least engineering students.

"Hey, Ysalwen. What's that?"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Ostensibly a focus for a scrying spell. Dowsing spell. Whatever."

She huffs out a breath whose impatience is mainly directed at the magic, not Cyborg.

"But how do you distinguish one machine from another when they all share a vast multitude of commonalities?"

It is to despair.

"I'm getting a little tired of just managing to find lost pencils. And my dog."

[says_the_booyah]

"Probably time for a break. Let the mind rest a little." And get a snack? Well, that might not work for her.

"And if you know how to read a schematic, you can tell what you need to know. Same as reading music. Assuming you know music."

[freedom_is_grey]

"I've read a lot of spellbooks."

She's just saying.

A bard she is not. Though she has friends who are.

"It's less the schematic and more -- I'm looking for information on more than just the dimensions. There are a lot of big things that can theoretically exist, and if they're machines they're probably made of metal, and there are probably a finite number of alloys available. Well. Or maybe not. Which. Hmm."

[says_the_booyah]

"I can offer to help. I know from machines." Which isn't exactly getting her to rest. But he likes to be helpful, as always.

[freedom_is_grey]

"If you were trying to find unique physical features to hook a scrying spell onto -- for a family of machines, I suppose, and not just one specific one -- where would you look for likely materials or devices?"

[says_the_booyah]

"This is for your homeworld? Because it would be good to know about the level of tech we're thinking about."

[freedom_is_grey]

She laughs, sudden and startled.

"Andraste's ass, no. I'm exploring the garage here."

[mjolnir_retriever]

When Thor enters a room, it tends to be noticeable. Not that he's being loud right now, or moving fast, or brandishing anything; it's just that, well, Thor has presence.

Also shininess. (Court armor today.)

Finding himself in Milliways, he shrugs a little, amicably, and proceeds towards Bar. Anybody he knows and has friendly feelings towards gets a smile of greeting, if they happen to look his way. Ysalwen certainly counts.

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysalwen returns the smile, and as she does so Liranan looks up from his position under her chair and barks.

Twice.

Hi!

"Thor! You're looking very well-groomed today. No sparring in your recent past, I take it?"

[mjolnir_retriever]

Thor laughs aloud, if briefly.

(He appreciates directness. Also, weird senses of humor.)

"Not since the morning."

"Should I ask the same of you? You have the air of a scholar today."

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysalwen appreciates being able to be direct.

Go figure.

"I have the air of a scholar every day, I'll have you know. Just -- other things occasionally get in the way of that."

She laughs.

"Does your world have scrying spells, that you known of?"

[mjolnir_retriever]

"Yes," Thor answers promptly.

Spells is sort of an archaic and nonspecific term, but a perfectly comprehensible one, and scrying is a sensible term in common use.

"I'm not much good at them, however."

[freedom_is_grey]

"Oh. I don't think I am, either. But I managed to put together something, at least. It's just better at suggesting relative proximity than giving an exact and instantaneous location."

A sigh.

"And the bright signal light doesn't do wonders for my head, either. Plus it fades relatively quickly."

Alas.

"And it makes my hands vibrate."

[mjolnir_retriever]

Yeah, Thor has nothing to say but a vaguely sympathetic grimace to that last bit.

"Relative proximity remains useful," he offers.

"It's location you're seeking, then?"

[freedom_is_grey]

"It's a set of machines loosely related to another broken machine down in the garage. And since the garage is -- I won't say infinite, but I will say very, very large -- "

She makes a face.

" -- walking around just seeing what's there is probably not an effective use of available manpower."