(no subject)

[freedom_is_grey]

Given the generosity of a troll that Ysalwen only knows by his Trollian name of chirurGeneralist, she is currently working at figuring how how best to use a holographic interface with multiple windows to look at data, model chemical reactions and the side effects of various shielding parameters, and feed that information back into spell design layouts, among other things.

This alchemized tablet-journal is pretty great.

Maybe someday soon she'll add a fourth data window. Possibly one for graphs?

Liranan, meanwhile, is snoozing on her foot because the whirling colors are really distracting and kind of remind him of the Fade. Napping is less stressful.

Comments

[makesthings]

Sameth's been working back at home but he's feeling stuck and forgot to eat dinner.

When Milliways appears, he's glad of the distraction and stops when he sees Ysalwen and her set up, "What are you working on?"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Sameth!"

Ysalwen looks up from her work, smile flickering across her face.

"Mostly getting used to new equipment, I think? How have you been?"

[makesthings]

"Busy, good. I built a drone with Jim here and we sent it up to get close to the shield around Milliways. It blew up but we're trying to learn more. There's so much magic up there,"

He looks over her various screens to see what he recognizes.

[freedom_is_grey]

There may be equations dealing with nuclear radiation, half-lives, and energy containment, if he's into that.

Most of the rest of it is barely familiar to some Thedosians.

"A drone? What's -- a mechanical male bee?"

[makesthings]

"No, a small flying robot that's controlled from the ground with cameras attached and I put on a device for detecting types of magic,"

After a bit of looking, he finds a sketch of Jim's original drone with the triangle design and then his own interpretation of it.

[freedom_is_grey]

"Oh. Huh."

She thinks about that for a few seconds, brow furrowing.

Then --

"Which Jim? I've only met the one, but it's a relatively common name on some versions of Earth, isn't it?"

[makesthings]

"I guess, I'm not from an Earth. He's English, a little shorter than me with dark hair and I'm not always sure what to make of him. I like how he thinks about making things,"

He didn't like all the people that Jim considered friends.

[freedom_is_grey]

"Oh, he talked to you about something concrete?"

What?

"How does he make things?"

[makesthings]

"Yes, he was building his drone to explore the shield around Milliways and try to understand how it works. Why, what did he talk to you about?"

Ysalwen is better with people than he is, her tone is worrying.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen's with Liranan, if he's being honest. He's seen mages enter the Fade. It makes him nervous.

Of course, being exhausted and feeling weak doesn't help much, either. Milliways is closer than the kitchens; therefore when Cullen warily wanders over, it's with a mug of broth and a chunk of bread.

"That's -- it's not magic, is it?"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Wh -- "

Ysalwen may have been a little preoccupied with her data simulations, as it takes a second for her brain to come back from where it's been as she looks up at Cullen.

"Oh! This. No. It's like the tablet I showed you before, but someone here gave me a fancier means of display, among other things. This should help me integrate data more quickly instead of having to shuffle through endless reams of paper. So."

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen's tablet... looks nothing like that.

He's pale, but it's not because of the souped-up tablet. Probably. "But then how will you know where anything is?"

[freedom_is_grey]

She grins, then sobers quickly at the look on his face.

"That's what I'm learning. It's -- I saw someone doing it here and I asked him to show me. So now I'm on the low edge of the learning curve, and I'm practicing. Um."

A pause.

"Are you all right?"

[howtoactfereldan]

"Better than I was," he says, wry. "Better every day. Do you mind...?" Nodding to an empty chair. "I'd -- like to hear more. About practicing."

[freedom_is_grey]

"Oh, no, of course! Pull the chair closer and I can show you what -- what I've learned to do so far. I -- "

Her mouth twists at one corner.

"I wish I could show you what I'm aiming to be able to do, but -- if I could do that I wouldn't need to practice, would I?"

[howtoactfereldan]

"You're assuming I'd understand any of it."

Carefully Cullen takes a seat, keeping his grip tight on the mug lest any broth spill.

"I'm still trying to grasp the utility of spreadsheets."

[freedom_is_grey]

"The only way to test that is to try?"

Her smile is crooked.

"To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out where I stand on spreadsheets, myself. Simulations, however -- those are pretty great."

[bringspeopletogether]

Wow.

That looks...a lot more geometric than the magic Alistair's seen. A lot more coherent, too -- more like pages from a book than weird swirls and sparkly lights. The tension between familiarity and unfamiliarity balances out into rapt fascination as he flops into a free chair not far away from Ysa.

"What in Andraste's name is that?"

[freedom_is_grey]

It takes her a few seconds to pull her mind away from her work and on to Alistair's presence.

And his question.

"Um. How much technology, if any, have you run into here? Besides the radios from the rescue mission?"

[bringspeopletogether]

"Technology," he echoes, the furrows in his brow deepening. "Someone mentioned computers to me once? The little boxes you can put documents in, and someone else can use another box to read..."

He trails off.

Hushed, "Is that what that is?"

[freedom_is_grey]

She smiles, quick and bright.

"It is. Fancier than the usual kind, thanks to some assistance from a new acquaintance, but -- basically yes. Do you want to see?"

[bringspeopletogether]

"Absolutely, yes."

He scoots closer, eyes bright with wonder as he watches the holographic models glitter.

[freedom_is_grey]

"All right. Shift a little more this way and -- "

She twists the book so he can see it, as well as shifting around the holographic keyboard and the various displays.

"Let me pull up something less esoteric first -- hmm. Here, I've scanned in some old texts and a few maps, because I'm attempting to trace the rumors of some ancient elven texts. Do you see?"

[bringspeopletogether]

"Wow," he breathes. Cautiously, he lifts a hand as if to touch one of the maps, then reconsiders and asks, "May I?"

Is it safe for someone who isn't a mage to touch?

[freedom_is_grey]

"You can. If you sort of stick your hand in there and grab two edges and pull, you'll make the part in your hand larger, so you can see more details."

Um.

"If that makes sense?"