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strangetrip2018-03-25 06:45 am
st_opsummoningme) wrote in strangetrip2018-03-25 06:45 am
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[Log] Percy & Illyana - Pet Projects - Backdated to 3/25
Percy stops by the library to show Illyana his etchings his latest pet project. They negotiate an arrangement that looks suspiciously like friendship.
Percy waited until the library was at its quietest ebb before taking his project from his workshop up to the main building. It was in a box, and largely, still in pieces, though thanks to Lillith's assistance a great many of the necessary spell layers had already been laid in. This was as good a time as any to share the project with outsiders. He set the box on the circulation desk and looked around for Illyana.
As a general rule, Illyana woke very early. Once she had her morning workout followed by a small, simple breakfast, she showered and dressed before arriving at the library. And while the library would always be her domain, she did especially enjoy the time when it was still too early for most residents with an interest in visiting to have made their way into the stacks. The brief time when it was all quietly her own.
She was mildly surprised when she came back to the front desk from the cafe area with a cup of tea on this particular morning to find that someone was already eager for her attention. At least it was someone she actually had an interest in speaking with. "Percival. It's early," came the neutral observation. "I could prepare you a coffee or a tea." She wasn't entirely sure why she felt compelled to make the offer when it obviously was not the reason he'd come. Perhaps just to gauge his response, or to allow him the opportunity to say what he wanted rather than having to ask.
"I've had some, thank you." He placed his hand on the box. "I thought I'd bring by that project I mentioned the other evening. Should you be free and still interested in it." It wasn't a question, really. A question would have implied some lack of confidence in how interesting his work was, something that only occurred if he doubted the intelligence of the person he was speaking to.
She'd assumed that was the reason behind his visit. But people rarely reacted well when you began telling them their own business without giving them a chance to speak for themselves. "I can make time." Illyana sipped her steaming tea before putting it aside behind the desk where it ought to be well out of endangering any sensitive contraptions he may present her. She eyed the box expectantly.
Percy nodded and opened the box. Within was a clockwork bird, currently featuring only one wing. The other was placed beside it, carefully fixed in place to prevent it from sliding around. Next to the creature was a rolled up scroll. He took that out first and rolled it open onto the counter. "It's not uncommon for artificers in my world to design and build a magic construct. This is mine."
The partially disassembled bird was difficult to look away from prematurely, Illyana's eyes following one component to the next. Illyana was hardly an inventor or engineer, but she could appreciate the functionality of the intricately designed parts and the fine craftsmanship. She did shift her focus to the drawings, however, once he said the word magic. "I didn't know that you were proficient in the working of magic," she phrased her thought generously, though the skepticism inherent in the words was naked.
He made a derisive noise. "Minimally. I've picked up a trick here and there. The animating force that powers the bird is magical, as are its defenses, but the construction and function are all pure engineering. A wizard would have to have an entirely different education to create anything like this, and would be more likely to pour raw power into it instead of taking the time for an elegant, well-thought out system that needs only minor catalyzing by an external force."
"You say that as if the magically inclined are incapable of an elegant, well-thought out system." It was said entirely wryly, given where they stood, but without any actual offense. Organization and magical theory would be one thing, if she were ever to endeavor to make something similar. Fabrication and construction, entirely another. She knew where her limits were. "Are those lenses built into the eyes?"
"Present company and all that," Percy replied with an almost dismissive shrug. "Yes, the lenses focus the enchantments in the eyes. Mostly necessary for the viewing and recording but it makes the firing mechanism a bit more accurate as well.
Illyana was familiar enough with government dossiers and internal personnel files to know precisely what that meant when translated into layman's terms. "You mean you put lasers in its eyes."
A smile quirked just the edges of Percy's mouth. He adjusted his glasses. "Roughly speaking."
Her own lips pursed in kind, and she shot him an amused look before turning back to the plans. "In that case, I suppose you mean this construct to be used for surveillance, reconnaissance - and potentially security enforcement." Or voyeuristic sadism. Whichever.
"Also for dropping something sticky on Vax's hair from time to time." Pranks were serious business in Vox Machina.
"The one of your group that always looks like a colorblind consumptive." He seemed to fluctuate between wan and brooding or annoyingly chipper, from her observation, and she had little tolerance for either. Suffice it to say, the two of them hadn't exchanged so many words. But if Percival saw fit to punish him mildly for being an idiot, she supported that purely on principle.
"We have contemporary technology similar to this in the native world beyond the borders of the Inn. They're called 'drones.'"
Percy delightedly filed that one away for use at a later time. One thing he had to grudgingly admit about Stephanie, she did occasionally convince Vax to wear something other than head to toe black. "Drones? Do you have reference material about their construction? How are they powered? It would really be excellent to include a secondary power source for null magic zones."
"Most modern devices integrate cells designed to store electrical energy." She hadn't yet determined Percival's level of technological understanding. Though he was clearly keen of mind, his world had not yet made a number of significant advances if his guns were considered rare works. "There are relevant resources you would benefit from in the library, though they are not as comprehensive and current as you might desire. And our fabrication materials here are obviously limited."
"Something I've been learning already yes. I built..." He extended his hand to show her Diplomacy, "this device, which stores energy in much the same way, though it has limited use. I am rather keen on refining my understanding. Fabrication, that's always a challenge. The last door opening was useful for materials."
"A shock device." She didn't know if the words 'taser' or 'joy buzzer' would mean anything to him. "That must have taken a good deal of research and development." And he wasn't patterned all over with electrical burn scars, from what she had observed. "I suspect I now know why your hair went prematurely white."
"Several months, yes." He thought about explaining about his hair, and was surprised that he was even considering it. Telling people even a bit about what had happened to his family had been beyond taboo for so long. He still wasn't comfortable with it. In the end, he shrugged. "The hair was something else. Years before. Honestly, until I tested it the first time, I wasn't at all sure it would work."
If 'something else' was 'something else I intend to share,' Illyana assumed that Percival would have said it directly. She didn't ask any follow-up questions along that line.
Instead, she turned her attention back to the bird and the plans. Still a work in progress, but handsomely made thus far. "...Can I touch it?" It was difficult to say at a glance how delicate or potentially dangerous the clockwork mechanisms might be.
Percy appreciated that she left it at that. It was a remarkably comforting thing to know one wouldn't be pressed for more answers that one did not intended to give. "So long as you don't intend to dash it on the ground, be my guest. Mind the wing joints. I'm not sure they're quite stable yet."
"I would sooner crush a skull," she told him evenly.
She released the ties to pick up the body of the (presently) one-winged bird, bracing the two main parts carefully in her grasp. Illyana spent some minutes simply examining the fit and make of the thing, fingertips tracing the lines, lightly trying the flex of the wing to assess its range of motion. "When do you anticipate it will be finished?"
"Not long." Percy watched Illyana examine the bird. Her hands were elegant, but he sensed in them the kind of rigid control that reminded him of Cassandra's bad days. "Perhaps another week or two. Laying in the power and the enchantments to protect it from the elements take time and several repetitions."
She considered offering her services with the enchantments. But he was showing off, not begging help. She respected that.
Illyana set the contraption back into place within its box. "You called the hand device 'Diplomacy?'" Cute. "What will you call this invention?"
Percy reached in and carefully secured the bird into place. "Proxy."
"Hn. A messenger that can shoot first if necessary." Sometimes, that was the message.
"If you mean for it to include the library in its rounds," she proposed, "you ought to fashion a perch for it to land on. I won't abide talon scratches on the shelves." The shelves had basic warding protections, as did the books. Presumably, the influence of other magical forces might disrupt them, or vice versa for the workings of his construct... But in truth, her interest had more to do with encouraging regular visits from the craftsman and his Proxy than any potential property damage.
An interesting consideration. Percy gave Illyana a long, thoughtful look. He was not nearly so good at reading people as Pike, Keyleth or Vex'ahlia. But he was decent enough. "I will be sure to design something suitable. Perhaps you could give me your thoughts on a few appropriate perch locations. You know the room best."
Her eye-roll was strong, but not without a touch of humor. He could build his bird as he liked, but she would designate the magical construct landing zone in her domain. "Yes. I do. Let me show you where it will go."
Percy waited until the library was at its quietest ebb before taking his project from his workshop up to the main building. It was in a box, and largely, still in pieces, though thanks to Lillith's assistance a great many of the necessary spell layers had already been laid in. This was as good a time as any to share the project with outsiders. He set the box on the circulation desk and looked around for Illyana.
As a general rule, Illyana woke very early. Once she had her morning workout followed by a small, simple breakfast, she showered and dressed before arriving at the library. And while the library would always be her domain, she did especially enjoy the time when it was still too early for most residents with an interest in visiting to have made their way into the stacks. The brief time when it was all quietly her own.
She was mildly surprised when she came back to the front desk from the cafe area with a cup of tea on this particular morning to find that someone was already eager for her attention. At least it was someone she actually had an interest in speaking with. "Percival. It's early," came the neutral observation. "I could prepare you a coffee or a tea." She wasn't entirely sure why she felt compelled to make the offer when it obviously was not the reason he'd come. Perhaps just to gauge his response, or to allow him the opportunity to say what he wanted rather than having to ask.
"I've had some, thank you." He placed his hand on the box. "I thought I'd bring by that project I mentioned the other evening. Should you be free and still interested in it." It wasn't a question, really. A question would have implied some lack of confidence in how interesting his work was, something that only occurred if he doubted the intelligence of the person he was speaking to.
She'd assumed that was the reason behind his visit. But people rarely reacted well when you began telling them their own business without giving them a chance to speak for themselves. "I can make time." Illyana sipped her steaming tea before putting it aside behind the desk where it ought to be well out of endangering any sensitive contraptions he may present her. She eyed the box expectantly.
Percy nodded and opened the box. Within was a clockwork bird, currently featuring only one wing. The other was placed beside it, carefully fixed in place to prevent it from sliding around. Next to the creature was a rolled up scroll. He took that out first and rolled it open onto the counter. "It's not uncommon for artificers in my world to design and build a magic construct. This is mine."
The partially disassembled bird was difficult to look away from prematurely, Illyana's eyes following one component to the next. Illyana was hardly an inventor or engineer, but she could appreciate the functionality of the intricately designed parts and the fine craftsmanship. She did shift her focus to the drawings, however, once he said the word magic. "I didn't know that you were proficient in the working of magic," she phrased her thought generously, though the skepticism inherent in the words was naked.
He made a derisive noise. "Minimally. I've picked up a trick here and there. The animating force that powers the bird is magical, as are its defenses, but the construction and function are all pure engineering. A wizard would have to have an entirely different education to create anything like this, and would be more likely to pour raw power into it instead of taking the time for an elegant, well-thought out system that needs only minor catalyzing by an external force."
"You say that as if the magically inclined are incapable of an elegant, well-thought out system." It was said entirely wryly, given where they stood, but without any actual offense. Organization and magical theory would be one thing, if she were ever to endeavor to make something similar. Fabrication and construction, entirely another. She knew where her limits were. "Are those lenses built into the eyes?"
"Present company and all that," Percy replied with an almost dismissive shrug. "Yes, the lenses focus the enchantments in the eyes. Mostly necessary for the viewing and recording but it makes the firing mechanism a bit more accurate as well.
Illyana was familiar enough with government dossiers and internal personnel files to know precisely what that meant when translated into layman's terms. "You mean you put lasers in its eyes."
A smile quirked just the edges of Percy's mouth. He adjusted his glasses. "Roughly speaking."
Her own lips pursed in kind, and she shot him an amused look before turning back to the plans. "In that case, I suppose you mean this construct to be used for surveillance, reconnaissance - and potentially security enforcement." Or voyeuristic sadism. Whichever.
"Also for dropping something sticky on Vax's hair from time to time." Pranks were serious business in Vox Machina.
"The one of your group that always looks like a colorblind consumptive." He seemed to fluctuate between wan and brooding or annoyingly chipper, from her observation, and she had little tolerance for either. Suffice it to say, the two of them hadn't exchanged so many words. But if Percival saw fit to punish him mildly for being an idiot, she supported that purely on principle.
"We have contemporary technology similar to this in the native world beyond the borders of the Inn. They're called 'drones.'"
Percy delightedly filed that one away for use at a later time. One thing he had to grudgingly admit about Stephanie, she did occasionally convince Vax to wear something other than head to toe black. "Drones? Do you have reference material about their construction? How are they powered? It would really be excellent to include a secondary power source for null magic zones."
"Most modern devices integrate cells designed to store electrical energy." She hadn't yet determined Percival's level of technological understanding. Though he was clearly keen of mind, his world had not yet made a number of significant advances if his guns were considered rare works. "There are relevant resources you would benefit from in the library, though they are not as comprehensive and current as you might desire. And our fabrication materials here are obviously limited."
"Something I've been learning already yes. I built..." He extended his hand to show her Diplomacy, "this device, which stores energy in much the same way, though it has limited use. I am rather keen on refining my understanding. Fabrication, that's always a challenge. The last door opening was useful for materials."
"A shock device." She didn't know if the words 'taser' or 'joy buzzer' would mean anything to him. "That must have taken a good deal of research and development." And he wasn't patterned all over with electrical burn scars, from what she had observed. "I suspect I now know why your hair went prematurely white."
"Several months, yes." He thought about explaining about his hair, and was surprised that he was even considering it. Telling people even a bit about what had happened to his family had been beyond taboo for so long. He still wasn't comfortable with it. In the end, he shrugged. "The hair was something else. Years before. Honestly, until I tested it the first time, I wasn't at all sure it would work."
If 'something else' was 'something else I intend to share,' Illyana assumed that Percival would have said it directly. She didn't ask any follow-up questions along that line.
Instead, she turned her attention back to the bird and the plans. Still a work in progress, but handsomely made thus far. "...Can I touch it?" It was difficult to say at a glance how delicate or potentially dangerous the clockwork mechanisms might be.
Percy appreciated that she left it at that. It was a remarkably comforting thing to know one wouldn't be pressed for more answers that one did not intended to give. "So long as you don't intend to dash it on the ground, be my guest. Mind the wing joints. I'm not sure they're quite stable yet."
"I would sooner crush a skull," she told him evenly.
She released the ties to pick up the body of the (presently) one-winged bird, bracing the two main parts carefully in her grasp. Illyana spent some minutes simply examining the fit and make of the thing, fingertips tracing the lines, lightly trying the flex of the wing to assess its range of motion. "When do you anticipate it will be finished?"
"Not long." Percy watched Illyana examine the bird. Her hands were elegant, but he sensed in them the kind of rigid control that reminded him of Cassandra's bad days. "Perhaps another week or two. Laying in the power and the enchantments to protect it from the elements take time and several repetitions."
She considered offering her services with the enchantments. But he was showing off, not begging help. She respected that.
Illyana set the contraption back into place within its box. "You called the hand device 'Diplomacy?'" Cute. "What will you call this invention?"
Percy reached in and carefully secured the bird into place. "Proxy."
"Hn. A messenger that can shoot first if necessary." Sometimes, that was the message.
"If you mean for it to include the library in its rounds," she proposed, "you ought to fashion a perch for it to land on. I won't abide talon scratches on the shelves." The shelves had basic warding protections, as did the books. Presumably, the influence of other magical forces might disrupt them, or vice versa for the workings of his construct... But in truth, her interest had more to do with encouraging regular visits from the craftsman and his Proxy than any potential property damage.
An interesting consideration. Percy gave Illyana a long, thoughtful look. He was not nearly so good at reading people as Pike, Keyleth or Vex'ahlia. But he was decent enough. "I will be sure to design something suitable. Perhaps you could give me your thoughts on a few appropriate perch locations. You know the room best."
Her eye-roll was strong, but not without a touch of humor. He could build his bird as he liked, but she would designate the magical construct landing zone in her domain. "Yes. I do. Let me show you where it will go."