logsinthenight | [closed]

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characters: daylight vis lornlit, zihuan cao pi, dr. maridel solis.
location: the church.
date/time: january 24.
content: daylight and cao pi meet the elusive dr. solis.
warnings: n/a. will update as necessary.

[When Daylight and Cao Pi arrive at the arranged time, the church is empty and quiet save for the gentle tolling of bells overhead, as is ever present in the church.

However, in front of the altar of candles, a small table has been arranged, with three chairs, three place settings, a steaming pot of herbal tea, and a tray of biscuits, fresh fruit, and light desserts. Fancy!

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[unfortunately, none of this makes sense to Cao Pi. The worst thing his people can do to each other is exploding oil. But Daylight's reaction is fairly telling, even for someone gentle-hearted in general.]

Exactly how nasty are we talking? Is this the sort of thing that...effective or not, is not worth the collateral damage? Particularly if it turns out that it was not at all effective at killing one of these creatures....

[It's a relief to know that Daylight understands the gravity of it all. She doesn't mind explaining the concept, but rather, it's helpful when the residents don't have to just take her word for it.

She nods at his question.]

Yes. Five, in total. The first seemed to have little effect on the thing, not to mention it gave away our location. We decided then to launch our remaining missiles in an attempt to overwhelm it.

The simultaneous detonation of four atomic weapons is not easily spectated, and we were left to seek refuge in the mines with only our instruments to rely on. When the bombs went off, those instruments failed in quick succession... We stayed in the mines for a week just to be safe, and when we came out, it was gone. We were never able to find any trace of the thing, so I can't say for certain what happened to it.

As to your question, sir, if a single bomb were to detonate where we sit, the entire town would be reduced to ash in an instant. I can't imagine how any creature, even a World Eater, could survive an assault of four.

But, then, I can't imagine how it could've survived against one. I know next to nothing about these fiends.

[She shakes her head, frustrated.]

There are, however, some benefits to being dead when it comes to atomic weaponry. A nuclear blast would kill us, yes, but radiation has no bearing on us in death. So long as bombs aren't detonated near enough for the blast to level the town, we're safe from radiation poisoning.

... Does that include the spirits?

[ daylight's brow furrowed in concern and puzzlement. mostly concern, for the spirits' sake since he's formed a strong tie with most of the friendly ones over the last few months. the idea of them getting hurt if they wandered too far from beacon worried him a lot now.

and with the spirits now in min- day looks at sir cao pi again, trying to let him know he might change the topic just a bit. day goes through the collection of notes he had written down on his datapad, trying to find the relevant information. ]

Ah... So when you came out... The World Eater was gone. [ okay. so far, so good in terms of following the information. ] What about the spirits? How did they fit in that situation? [ he looks at his notes again, trying to find... there it is. ] One of our friends, Soldat, is really close to one particular spirit. They told him a lot of things. How they're all dead as well and how the green-eyed spirits are in charge but have a tense relationship with the other spirits. Things like that.

He- He and Coraline think the spirits are former members of the town. Due to what Soldat was told and the visions Coraline had: An encounter with a lady in the library. [ he looks apologetic for bringing that up because it's a very loaded question to ask, no matter the answer. ] Is that true, Dr. Solis?

[Those are all very good questions but Cao Pi holds up a finger, gesturing for them to back up a moment.]

First, let me make sure I have this clear. You and the other survivors were still alive when these bombs were used? Even if I have never seen anything that large or destructive, I can envision the scope of it. If, supposing we came into possession of one, I should hesitate to use it if you cannot guarantee it would work on one World Eater, let alone multiple if the use of plural language is to be believed. Particularly if it might lead to the complete destruction of everyone here. Dead or not, if our lanterns are destroyed and no one is left here to resurrect us...well. We are simply left with the same results as a reset with a high chance that our labors would have been utterly in vain.

[it's one thing to be offered a slim chance that a weapon exists that can destroy World Eaters...but at what cost, really? Cao Pi hates failure more than death and right now that huge maybe isn't good enough for him]

Anyway. If you can clarify that for me, Doctor, I would appreciate it. And then feel free to answer the rest. Master Daylight's thoughts echo mine, I would know more about the spirits and their place in this world before I could consider anything.

[Oh, and at that, Maridel lets out a gentle chuckle. It's one of solidarity, though—she's not a fan of vast maybes either.]

We were alive, yes, though just barely. And let me assure you, we're of the same mind, Sir Cao Pi. The use of atomic weaponry should be a last resort, and if it again comes time to make that decision, I won't let the opportunity for research go to waste. Not again.

But to be clear: I am not in the business of building weapons of mass destruction. It's merely the only form of defense we've found that has any chance of working. The only other idea I've been able to come up with is opening a new series of portals to ship them off to other worlds, but you can see why I hesitate on that plan, as well. There is no clean solution here, not that I've found.

[And what a horrible wall to hit. She sits back in her chair.]

...I don't yet know what the spirits are, much less where they came from. They arrived years before the World Eaters did, though they began as rare anomalies that never survived long after they were discovered. What gives your friends this impression?

[ daylight suddenly feels himself relax at dr. solis' assurance that she has no involvement with the nuclear-grade weaponry nor has any interest in doing so. that's one less concern to worry over, he realises with a little sight of relief.

after quickly writing down the information just given to them daylight goes on to explain to dr. solis the following:

the reason why they had come to that conclusion was through separate means. soldat had gotten his through the conversations he held with an owl friend of his. owl spirit explained how the spirits were dead like them too and wanted to be 'lead' by the group.

his friend, coraline, on the other hand, had had her visions in the library and it was an eye-opening experience. though brief, she and two others came across the gruesome scene of a woman's corpse being torn apart and eaten, part by part, by something they hadn't seen before in town. the three would later run into another spirit, the librarian(?), that carried some circumstantial similarities to the woman before her mysterious demise.

when he finishes his explanation and unfortunately colorful description of the visions coraline had, something occurs to daylight- ] -Do you think the World Eaters followed the spirits here, Dr. Solis? Both the friendly ones and the green-eyed ones if they're not from this world then?

[ because if the spirits aren't from this world and possibly came before the world eaters... ] Um- I know this will sound weird and stuff but I... I do think it's strange they managed to hone in on you like that so fast. It took a while, yeah, but there are an infinite amount of worlds with an infinite amount of versions of themselves.

[ or could be an unfortunate case of really, really bad luck on poor dr. solis. ]

No, simply dumping them off on another world is no solution either. If the commander's observations about the stars that vanish has any merit, it may already be too late for that.

[that's strange, though. He had already been thinking the same thing - that the spirits are former residents - but if they were here before the darkness? A lot isn't adding up yet.]

And there was never any indication of what any of them wanted? Spirits or World Eaters. No attempt to communicate, no means of learning their part in this puzzle prior to the end of the light and the decimation of the population...

[Soldat's experience in talking to the owl forest spirit is certainly enlightening, but what really catches Dr. Solis' attention is the story of Coraline's dream. Judging by the mild touch of shock in her expression, this is news to her.]

Of course that observation does not sound weird, Daylight. The whole of our present situation may as well be summed up as weird, if you want to put it in technical terms.

[She cracks a small smile.]

There are infinite worlds, that is true, but my research has led me to only two theories: either the World Eaters were attracted by my portal, or they chose us at random. I don't believe that they're very intelligent, these World Eaters, or at least not capable of strategic attack. They would have found Beacon long ago if that were the case. Why else would they roam this world in desperate search for the last remaining morsels of life?

I believe my portal caught their attention, though it's possible the reverse is true—perhaps we were already next on the list by that point, and my portal opening into a dead world was merely the first symptom of our decay.

But the spirits... I too have my suspicions that they're somehow linked to the citizens of the past, though I have not yet found proof of this. The spirits hardly know anything about their own origins or purpose, so they've been of little help. Plenty of attempts have been made to communicate with the World Eaters—we send a message during each reset. The problem is getting them to talk back, I'm afraid.

[ day smiles back, his winglets fluttering in commiseration over their very weird situation. at least they're in it together.

the smile fades a bit as the discussion of the world eaters carries on and it's completely wiped away at the end. it's now replaced with a look of shock and his winglets hike up and then fold behind him, quivering with anticipation. ]

You've tried to communicate with them? The World Eaters? [ and there seems to be a surefire way to do so, judging by what dr. solis said? that's a big thing to know, to possibly work with if they had the chance to try it for themselves. it had never occurred to day to see the world eaters as being capable of intelligence. up until this point, he saw them more of... a force of nature, due to what he felt from his visions.

but with what dr. solis has now brought up, he's beginning to think otherwise and so many ideas and thoughts and questions are coming to mind. daylight looks at sir cao pi, wondering what his reaction to this is, before turning back to dr. solis. ] Can we ask how this is done, Dr. Solis? The messages being sent?

I would like to know this as well.

[no judging, but he holds back that he wonders if they used the spirits' language or something else entirely. There are so many possibilities and he doesn't even know half of them]

If they are merely beasts, feeding in their own way, then it wouldn't be surprising for them to ignore or not understand such contact, in the way a tiger will ignore you if you ask it nicely not to eat you.

[The analogy gets a wry smile.]

That is precisely it, I fear. They do have a language, though deciphering it is... largely beyond my understanding. Like the language of the forest spirits, the World Eaters speak a tonal language, though it doesn't seem to follow linear patterns. Instead, the World Eaters utter a great many tones all at once, allowing them to convey an enormous amount of information in a single "word", by our standards. The entire command for a reset, for example, is a cacophonous sound of only a few seconds in length, and yet it gives the forest spirits a complicated set of step by step instructions for completing a reset.

You see, this is how I've attempted communications with the World Eaters. The forest spirits seem to understand their language, so in engineering the command for a reset, I was able to include a message to the World Eaters themselves.

And they never responded to it.

[ daylight leans into his seat - or, er, tries to, because he thinks he hears it creak and decides against it. - and frowns in thought. the world eaters had been reached out to, multiple times, and nothing so far. either they can't understand or won't(?) understand the messages that they've been receiving for decades.

makes him wonder if there is a way to communicate with the world eaters. and, if so, if they even wanted to. what could they tell the world eaters? 'hey, stop eating and die...?'

he looks at his tablet and sees a note and- right. someone wanted him to ask about this: ]

Is the bonfire somehow involved in the attempts to communicate with the World Eaters? I mean- [ daylight needs a second to gather his thoughts, trying to communicate his train of thought without dialup there to help him: ] That's what the World Eaters are hunting down, right? That, and the lanterns, are the only remnants of life on Earth? At least with the lanterns, because that's where our lifeforce is. Um... That's what Sheriff Owen Hobaugh said, at least, in the radio transmission I heard.

[there's something in there, about engineering the command for resets, that Cao Pi really wants to pick at, but there's so much going on and so much they need to ask, that he finds himself having to let it be for now. It's slightly suspicious, even if he does understand that most of the time the reset is because the World Eaters are getting too close and time has run out but...hmm.

Fine, he'll leave that for another time.]

Yes, there have been other theories floated, and other information uncovered, suggesting that our lanterns and the bonfire are the critical point, the pivot upon which life and death - or, well, afterlife and further death - rests. Do you know for certain that our small amount of genuine light, or the life forces of people still here, is what the World Eaters crave? Or is it merely your best guess, and each reset muddies the waters enough to deter the monsters from catching on?

To be fair, doctor, I want more than anything else to solve this mystery, to succeed where others have failed. Whatever happens to me, I want to bring an end to this. But in order to do so, I must know. What is certain, and what is speculation? And what, in fact, will happen to this world if it 'dies' utterly in the maw of a World Eater? Is there anything here genuinely worth saving, or are we simply flailing our hands at a lost cause that does not actually need to be resolved?

[Her eyes flick up in mild surprise at the mention of the sheriff's name. She hadn't realized Daylight knew the sheriff as more than just... well, the sheriff.]

No, the bonfire was not engineered so specifically. The lanterns do carry our life forces, yes, if you wish to call it that. Both indeed represent that last remaining scraps of life left on this planet, and the World Eaters feed on life.

[She lets out a small laugh.]

So simple, isn't it? And I assure you, sir, that life is what they crave. There is no other explanation for their behavior through the reset cycles.

It would indeed be wise to separate fact from speculation, so here is what I can tell you: I oversaw renovations on the lighthouse to turn it into the command center that it is today, I created the lantern technology, and I opened the portal that landed us in the mess we find ourselves in today. These are topics on which I can speak with absolute certainty.

So far as the World Eaters and the forest spirits... I know more of the spirits than the World Eaters, but I'm afraid both remain quite mysterious as we have limited resources to put toward their study. I have no idea what would happen to any of us should we be consumed, but...

[She lets the pause hang in the air a moment as she chews on her words. There is gravity in Cao Pi's question, and she wants to do it justice.]

If you're suggesting that the best course of action may be to accept our fate and die, sir, I'm afraid I must disagree. There is no hope for this world as it was, that is true, but to squander an opportunity to build something new upon the ashes would be an awful waste. All of us have been given a second chance at life, and think of how many others could benefit from our rehabilitation of this place. That, in my mind, is worth fighting for.

[ daylight nods in agreement, definitely siding with the idea that all of this is something that's still worth fighting for.

it might not have been what they wanted when they all first arrived here, confused and disoriented, with only the memory of their deaths in their heads and a new lantern by their sides, but day thinks they can make this work. they have to make this work because a chance is a chance, in his optics, and he believes in helping others out, no matter what.

... but they'll have to make this work, meaning they need to tackle the biggest problems they have at hand: the world eaters and the need to pool all resources and information at hands.

so he thinks this is a good way to bring something up that's been in his processors for a while, ever since he brought it up with sir kuai liang and others: ]

I think the others would agree to what you have to say, Dr. Solis. If, um, they could hear from you directly.

[ finally switching away from the notes, day opens up the network app and turns his tablet around, presenting it to dr. solis so she could see the app for herself. ]

I've spoken with others and, um, we were thinking maybe you could... speak to them, directly. [ day looks a little embarrassed, knowing he was repeating himself thanks to a fit of nerves, but he soldiers on, ] I think it's best if you tried to, Dr. Solis. Not now, of course, or even tomorrow or the day after that. But... soon, I hope. I've... I've tried to reach out to many of the others who also feel asleep so they can speak with you. I also informed the others I trust about these events and everything but...

[ daylight clears his vocoder, a little nervous and flustered but determined to be heard out. ] I feel like everyone should know at this point. Everyone. Not just me or a few others. Fighting for this - the, um, chance to build things up and to rehabilitate the world to something new again - requires all hands on deck. More than ever, I think, because Sir Cao Pi's concerns are valid. It feels like we're up against... against things beyond our comprehension. To make this work, everyone should be on the same page. We all have different skills and talents and other things to bring on the table.

We just gotta know where the table is.

[ that is the most day had made himself say consciously and he's going to, like, shut up for forever now. ]

[that answer is entirely unsatisfactory in Zihuan's eyes, but he never lets on. Not even a flicker in his icy eyes, no sense that he can't believe that a potential rehabilitation is the only reason to preserve this world.

But he will still continue to help, if his only reason is to prevent a reset and to lord a success over hundreds before them who have failed. You know, all his stupid selfish reasons to win.

He steels his expression to a completely blank mask and nods politely, both to her answer and to Day's lengthy proposition. Good job bro, have an extra approving nod.]

He has a point. When we attempt to speak to others using the knowledge you've shared with us today, they will wonder where we got it. No amount of wishing to protect your secret will prevent it from eventually coming out one way or another. When that happens, Master Daylight and I will be seen as go-betweens, and I can imagine that the constant back and forth will wear us all down. [a long-suffering sigh] It usually does.

I would not rush you, of course. But keep it in mind. Sooner or later, the volume of demands for information will have them all beating down our doors trying to get answers - or yours.

[Dr. Solis nods as they both speak.]

I agree wholeheartedly. I don't intend for you or anyone else to keep any secrets on my behalf, nor do I need you to serve as liaisons, at least not in the long term. For now, I would appreciate if you would disperse what I've told you as you see fit—I would not want my appearance in town to come as a total shock to those yet unaware.

There are some avenues of my research that I would like to complete before I address the town at large, but I will do so soon. I agree that the best thing for all of us at this time would be to pool information and get everyone up to speed, so to speak.

In any case, my initial request for secrecy was only so that I might meet the two of you uninterrupted. When I address the town, it will be via the network in case my appearance causes any upset. In groups past, we've often had at least a handful of residents that find themselves... unappreciative of my aid. Be that as it may, my priority is keeping all of us safe.

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cautious cw: gore.

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wtf rip, newt go home no one asked you

newt smelled SCIENCE and PORTALS and wanted to JOIN

hey I loled

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