[closed]

[inthenightmods]

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!

Comments

[sunborne]

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.

[pure_havoc]

[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?

wtf rip, newt go home no one asked you

[candlemom]

[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.

newt smelled SCIENCE and PORTALS and wanted to JOIN

[sunborne]

[ 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. ]

hey I loled

[pure_havoc]

[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.

[candlemom]

[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.