anemoi | Lab Pacticum [Video]

Current Location: Sirocco Labs

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Lab Pacticum [Video]

[The feed opens to Gordon, a large and rather silly smile on his face, backdropped by one of the messiest offices one could ever lay eyes on. In addition of his normal clothes he's also wrapped in a white labcoat that already has an impressive crop of pens and pencils stuffed into the breast pocket.]

So, I go in to turn in another two bits of anemoi over at the lab, and mentioned offhand somewhere a few experiments I've been up to, y'know, not really thinking... Others pick up on the conversation, call still more guys over, security starts hanging over me to make sure I don't go anywhere while they're calling each other back to discuss stuff in the next room, and by this time I'm convinced I'm about to be exiled or brain-wiped or something just for getting curious...

[He grins wildly and flashes a badge with a glare-riddled picture of himself and the name "GORDON" emblazoned beneath.]

Hahah, nope! Instead they offer me a job! Anemoi and materials research! And it looks like they need all the help they can get; that dragon-snake-thing really scared the hell out of the researchers here. Some of them won't even be back for a few WEEKS...

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That's great, sir! Will you be able to explain anything on how the process works?

Uh, right this moment...? No.

[He gives a sheepish laugh, scratching his head and glancing away.]

Funny thing. The reason they didn't just tell us how it worked? It's not because they're being secretive; Is because even THEY don't really know how it works! Far as I can tell they're working with black-box technology!

Wait, what? Seriously? Isn't that a little dangerous?

Well... it looks to be pretty seasoned and reliable. Faithful reproductions of yet older models, and that kinda thing. Who KNOWS how many generations it goes back. I'm starting to get the feeling that if we'd stuck around in that old tower in the ruins, we'd probably have found similar stuff!

And yet they still don't REALLY know how it works. I'm not gonna lie, this is... going to be one hell of a challenge.

[He doesn't sound daunted at all in that statement. If anything, he sounds excited.]

It sounds like it sir. I hope you figure it out soon. I'd rather not find out that it all boils down to something as vague as "magic."

...Hey.

[He leans into the camera a little.]

Let me let you in on a little secret. What they call "magic"? Is just a word for a physical law that we haven't reasoned out yet. Trust me, I can barely remember what I'm doing here but I can still remember plenty of stuff I've seen in a laboratory that defied all logic. Electrons that move in unison half a mile away from each other. Particles that leave shockwaves of light behind them. Experiments that change their outcome depending on how you measure them.

All of that doesn't make ANY logical sense, but it happens anyway. As far as I'm concerned they can call it magic... It makes it that much cooler when I finally figure it out.

Heh. Just don't tell some people around here. They might crack.

[He snorts.] And they say scientists have rigid sensibilities.

"Excellent news, Gordon!"

The video shows that Shen is... on a roof. Is that smoke?

fweeeeeee! CRACKETACRACKETASNAPETTYBOOM

Shen?! What--

[He pauses to let the noise of the explosion dissipate.]

When the hell did you learn how to make fireworks? I saw some last night from Ermis; that was you too wasn't it?

"It was, indeed! I just remembered how to do this last night while watching someone else's attempt at it! I've known how to do this all my life!" He sounds overjoyed about this, actually.

I'm happy for you! [He shouts over another explosion.] But watch yourself! If you're running on half-memories, you might not know fully how to handle yourself! Last thing you want is to get your tailfeathers blown off--

CRACKABLAMBOOMBOOM

"It's practically instinctive!" Shen yells back. "I think... yes, I've grown up with this--there isn't any part of it I don't remember!"

Eeeexcept the bit where the processing of various materials has changed in the last thousand or so years. The next one goes up into the air all right, but on an enormous trail of smoke that leaves Shen coughing violently. It explodes in the distance in a shower of green and yellow and blue and he coughs and wheezes and chokes, waving his wings in an attempt to disperse it.

[Oh jeezus! Here's hoping the fire brigade makes it in time. If not to put out any potential fires than just to tell Shen to get a hold of himself--]

You mean that's a family trade of yours?

He's giddy and overjoyed but not nearly as twitchy as he was last night. This isn't bad at all.

"Yes, actually. My clan invented them. They've been a symbol of my family for... well, I can't quite remember that part but it was quite some time! I have memories of experimenting with them when I was quite young--" He breaks off and looks down at the sound of sirens and a very loud horn particular to fire trucks. "Oh, bother..."

Maybe you better take off and live to experiment another day.

"Perhaps you're right, I--NO!" he yells offscreen. "NO, I HAVE THIS UNDER CONTROL, YOU DON'T NEED T-BBLLLLBLBLRRLRLRBBBRRGGGHHH!" This last happens as a direct result of the huge jet of water that drenches him and his fireworks.

"Bllgh--" Koff keff kaff... "Geh..." he stares as they all get back in their truck and drive away. He's heard of the municipal services in Sirocco being a bit wonky but he hadn't exactly expected this. He shivers his feathers, tail snapping outward in a great showering of water. Coughs a few more times.

"Well. That's that, then," he says after a beat.

[You hear that? That's the sound of a man who occasionally acts his labcoat size instead of his age, snickering at you Shen.]

"Yes, I'm glad I amu--WARK!" He slips and vanishes from the feed with a loud thump, reappearing a moment later. "Amuse you. Really. It's my life's goal..." He struggles a bit with the now sopping wet equipment before managing to gather it all up. "Perhaps I ought to branch out--into--comedy..." He lugs it all offscreen and there's the distinct sound of things clattering into a box. He returns to retrieve the phone. "Now I think I'm going to take all of this home and--" Brrr. "Have a nice, hot bath."

Oh wow, that's awesome! Congratulations.

[Jaime's totally giving Gordon the thumbs-up, though it might be hard to see since he's half-busy doing a flower arrangement.] Think you'll be able to share some stuff with us in the future?

That's the whole idea! Well, that and making the whole process more efficient. Right now though, I'll settle with just keeping up with the workload; with so many guys gone, I'm guessing that two-fifths of the anemoi that goes through here I'm going to wind up handling sooner or later.

Ouch. Yeah, I can't blame you for wanting to get settled in first before you tackle anything else on.

Should I bring some flowers by sometime? It'd be my treat.

[He chuckles and rakes a hand through his hair.]

How can I possibly refuse that? Thanks, Jaime. Hey, how's that job going by the way? I see you in the flower shop from time to time; I just, you know... never really had a reason to go in.

I can't blame you, actually. If I weren't helping Rose out, I wouldn't be hanging around the place myself... but it's not bad, surprisingly enough.

I think I've finally stopped cutting myself on flower arrangements---and I just mastered flower wreaths, so I think I'm set for life. [He's half-joking, half-serious. Those wreaths were a pain in the neck to master.]

I didn't realize it was such a deadly art, flower arranging. In any case I'm sure Rose appreciates the help. I understand you two're getting along pretty well, aren't you?

[The smile says the rest. Hey, the man knows a strong attractive force when he sees one.]

Well, I wouldn't help her out if we weren't. [... He's totally crushing on her, judging from how often he's fidgeting, but Jaime's not entirely conscious of it yet.]

... But yeah, we are. She's doing a good job too with keeping everything in shape, though I'm mainly handling the books.

[The man starts to say something, but is interrupted by a tinny but pleasantly-intoned voice overhead saying "Research assistant... err, Gordon, to scheduled chaos theory lab immediately."

--Uh, gotta get going; we'll talk more later. See you, Jaime.

Alright. See you later!

[Jaime gives Gordon a wave before he goes to turn off the feed---and nearly knocks over his own arrangement in the process. Whoops.]

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Lab Pacticum [Video]

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