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Post by littlekreen on Sept 7, 2020 12:58:49 GMT -6
Carter nodded instinctively and gave a thumbs up though realized there wasn't a point immediately after, "Well I should have enough to put together a diviner for technical logograms. Between a direction and Cruor if he's free as long as there's not a car manual sprinkled around the ranch they shouldn't be too hard to find."
It was odd not looking at someone while he spoke but it did make looking at ATVs easier, "For the ATV then, I can order one of the off-road ones a metal body added. Do you want unpainted steel or aluminum body? I can probably do any basic bodywork no problem with the tools in my truck."
Half of the random things on Tyrus' desktop used labels in moonrunes from who knows what language and narrowed it down a little. Outlook showed its symbol off in a corner and the mail thankfully started up. Kinda expected some more weird diagram language but at least the thing was still in English. Though there were emails in there, a little tinge of greed still said to read them, the pseudodragon made an effort not to get Carter in trouble. Curor lightly with the touchpad he moused about and started the compose new mail raising a brow and looking at Tyrus once he'd quelled Carter's nerdery, "Alright boss, ready to type."
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Post by demikara on Sept 7, 2020 13:07:36 GMT -6
"A steel body. It'll be easier to paint over. And we'll want to paint over it, given the heat." The sun was fierce in Dallas. Once the runes were in place they could paint it however they wanted of course. "Alright Cruor. I'll keep it simple. Ready?" He began after a beat. "Michelle, I had a magical accident on the solstice and won't be able to come in for at least a week, possibly longer. You'll be able to contact me via Carter during this time. I trust in your ability to handle the institute, and thank you for your understanding. V/r, Tyrus." He smiled about where he though Cruor was. "That'll be all. If there needs to be more details, there can be later. And I can at least stay on top of the traffic with your help, both of you."
It meant sharing his inbox, but Carter was his PA and was thoroughly bound by about a dozen NDAs. "I'll get you set up at a small table in the study for longer term work, Carter. I'm going to depend on you to manage my inbox for me until I'm healed. The current estimate is I should have some vision back by the end of the week. It may just be an interaction between two spells on the solstice." He doubted that was it, but that interaction would be the shortest time period for recovery. It meant he just had to wait until the magic cleared his system.
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Post by littlekreen on Sept 7, 2020 19:15:07 GMT -6
The keys tapped quickly as Cruor put in Michelle's email address. Enough keyboards were broken living with Carter that he managed to type with the backs of his claws than the points. It did rather sound like someone with press-on nails typing as he clacked along with Tyrus' dictation. A throaty grumble of thought common to his kin came as he caught up during the pause then looked over again to see Tyrus smiling. The noises of typing restarted with a double-tap of the enter key until Cruor realized that wasn't supposed to be part of the email.
"Oh! Right boss. No problem." Said the pseudodragon blinking at Tyrus as he deleted the part toward them and not Michelle then sent the message by noises from Outlook.
Patient while the email was being sent Carter answered looking at his laptop where he was taking notes, "That'll be good. I'll try to keep any automotive grime confined to the table. So, steel body. I could get a ceramic coating done but the heat might damage any enchantments. Normal paint and hydrophobic coating for the remaining plastic bits then."
Carter looked up at Tyrus and gave a thumbs up, "Though to be honest I'm glad you got to the other side of it okay. I've never seen a solstice that friction-welds enchanted parts together before. This one was nasty."
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Post by demikara on Sept 8, 2020 8:10:17 GMT -6
"This one was incredibly nasty." They were usually tame, but this one hadn't been, and he knew perfectly well why. It was his own damn fault, and given the magic he and Catherine were putting off, he wouldn't be surprised if it had somehow spread past the ranch. The ranch was big, but magic traveled. "Hopefully it won't happen again." Hopefully they'd have a solution by the next solstice, but the blindness was definitely putting a kink in his plans. The mage stood, and headed to the left, a hand out so he didn't run into anything. "Cruor could you come with me? I'm going to need help finding something to transfigure in the study. I'd also like to pull out some books, for a project I'm working on. The two of you will have to be my eyes for the project, but maybe you'll learn something as I do it."
And he'd probably need help not running into anything. At least there was nothing on the ground to trip on. That was a blessing. He just had to make sure it stayed that way.
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Post by littlekreen on Sept 10, 2020 22:35:46 GMT -6
Carter nodded thinking of the issues he'd been having while typing in model numbers, "Sure, though it's odd, in one of my projects the runic part makes the electrics act like there's a transformer under too much load and wandering phase. Even the mechanics are under weird new tensions and torques. I'll be in as soon as I finish your list of ATV parts."
Especially for the big one struggling along to do whatever the arcane babbage engine even did. Just having an idea of what was even physically in the kilometers of nature spirit tunnels was hard enough. Some of the blueprints were in native, foreign, and planar languages he didn't read, when everyone else before him complained about the same thing in the notes. Repairs slowly improvised over throughout unknown centuries with each successive specialty added to keep it running. Industrial work never changed even if it was partly magical. That one didn't pay the bills though, just a debt.
Cruor's body flexed as a willful magic pulsed through his veins in a crack of bone and sinew reconfiguring his bones to stand up straight. One of his scales ejects from the surface and plinks onto the floor.
Hand outstretched with a throttled growl a viscous glow appears in his palm from the pain shooting through his draconic body, "Rrrraagh. Sounds interestin'. You'n still see magic, yeah? Might be able to help a bit up close, just don't step on the tail or that book on the floor."
As Cruor walked up closer to Tyrus faint meandering screeds reveal in mage sight the shape of the walls within a very rapidly fading zone about his person. Impressions in varied languages showing the pain and regret the place had seen however small they may have been. While Cruor wasn't channeling the infernal it most certainly was a sin lantern of one kind or another. A thing inflicted upon an individual than taughtit was just a minimally useful part of a former life to Cruor.
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Post by demikara on Sept 11, 2020 11:35:40 GMT -6
"There are ways to compensate for that." Tyrus assured the other. "It involves some arithmancy and calculating loads on runes, but it's perfectly doable. I'll walk you through it, since I'll need you to carve the runes, if I'm still blind when they arrive. I've seen your rune work. Your hand is steady enough for the work." That was the important part. "I have the map of the old ATV in my study as well. We'll base it off that, but beef it up some." He could talk Carter through the steps needed after all.
The mage followed Cruor, able to see him well enough. "We'll have to pick up the book. I'm afraid anything on the floor right now is a bad idea." Still he was able to find his way to the study at least and he kept a hand out in front of him until he managed to hit the edge of the table in there. It wasn't a proper desk, but a dining room table, a large sheet of architect's paper with the corners pinned down by a pile of books on each corner. It was a sketch of what had been his solstice project until the solstice turned out to be hell itself. He'd have to do it on a small scale next time. There were bookshelves, larger, to the ceiling, and heavy on each wall, and a single window letting light in. There was no telling what color the walls actually were, given the shelves covered them all, with a cut out fitting snugly around the light switch.
There were mechanical pencils scattered over the table, along with colored pencils. There were two chairs, so at least he wouldn't have to transfigure a chair into existence, given he was doing this based entirely on visualization and basically crossing his fingers that it came out right. He had enough skill at transfiguration he wasn't too worried at least. "There should be...a mug of some sort on the table, if you could hand it here Cruor. I can transfigure that. Carter won't want to leave his computer on it overnight, but it'll do for now."
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Post by Circe on Sept 11, 2020 19:38:12 GMT -6
Catherine meanwhile had spent the better part of her own day on the situation at the clinic, inter-agency operations had never been her favorite thing, and now that the unseen was out it there wasn't much of a choice anymore. Each agency had it's own protocols, as well as policies when it came to operations; and very few of them had anything for dealing with the unseen outside of what seemed like shoot on sight. Thankfully, things had gone relatively smoothly, although the reports and paperwork was more than likely to be a bitch.
But no matter how exhausted she was physically or mentally, there were still things to do with the court; which meant checking in on a certain fledgling.
Passing through the mirror housed by the court in Dallas, she prompty found herself in the small waiting room of Mezar's singular mirror. Catherine knew that it should have notified Tyrus one way or another, but there was no sign of the other and the dampening properties of the room prevented any magic, never mind a phone signal. Thinking for a moment, she wondered if there was a back door somehow, Xiaolian had to have gotten through somehow.
Running her hands along the frame, she could feel the warmth and gentle hum of magic embued in the surface of the mirror. But nothing stuck out at her immediately, except that the shed outside seemed to be missing it's ATV's and there was no Tyrus. Expecting the mirror to be locked against sudden guests, she placed her hand against it's reflective surface only to fall through and land on the ground on the other side in a graceless heap.
Standing up and dusting herself off, she looked back at the mirror with confusion. That couldn't possibly be right, the other had always been meticulous about wards on and around the property. "...alright then." She said to herself before setting off towards the house.
After an hour, Catherine arrived at Tyrus's door and knocked.
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Post by littlekreen on Sept 11, 2020 20:03:19 GMT -6
Cruor swept the book forward with his tail as he walked by. A moment to stop and pick up the book Cruor carried it with him into the study. Cruor figured between the patterns and walking biped the boss shouldn't hit anything. Seemed about right so mostly made sure there weren't loose bits on the floor. Then when they got to the study there were loose pens everywhere if not sheaves of paper. Probably knocked free by one explosion or another that rocked the city lately. Two whole rolls of some double-sided tape got added to a ton of his stuff at Carter's place.
The vicious pattern shooting pain through his body quelled as he dispelled the lantern though his voice halted from the sudden quiet there, "Ah, Boss ... Holdon while I get stuff off the floor."
Joint popping noises returned as joints slacked back to the empty comfort of his natural position on all fours. Pain powering his self-shaping and quelled its shine along the nerves under his scales. The pens and whatnot closest to Tyrus went first onto the table with the rest of the stuff and the book. Cruor didn't recognize half of the stuff on the table and it was probably better that way. Though he thought some of the latent scripts from his lantern didn't look like Tyrus' handwriting didn't want to read a damn thing. Not anymore. Cruor hadn't bothered to turn the light on so as Carter entered so figured the patting noises around the bookshelf was him. The lights came on as Cruor's pupils return to slits and blinked while getting the ceramic mug to bump Tyrus' hand with it.
Carter chuckled in realization after he looked over the table, "Ah, heh, right. I'm the only one who's going to bother with the lights. I've looked into arithmancy to power logic in some of my animation constructs but whatever you've got over there is a whole other maxwell's demon. It figures they'd sell books on it in textbooks and it'd be just as expensive. Looks like you've got a pretty large library right here."
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Post by demikara on Sept 12, 2020 11:21:17 GMT -6
"I can probably teach you a bit more, but you'd be better off taking a mundane class on math." He admitted. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to do it in my head for a bit and that will be trickier than I'm used to." He couldn't exactly write after all. It was at that moment the knock came at the door and he twisted to look in that direction, before leaving the study. "No one should be here. The wards didn't go off." Magic sparked at his finger tips and he considered it. "But an enemy isn't likely to knock."
He headed to the entrance, slowly, a hand out in front of him and opened the door. It was pretty immediately obvious who it was. She basically shone with magic even when she wasn't actively using it. "Catherine?" He wasn't expecting her to arrive. "How did you get here? You didn't trip the wards at all." That was definitely unusual. Still, he was being rude. "Please, come in." He stepped back, uncertain and unable to see regardless. Hopefully he had given her enough room. It was hard to judge. She was intensely magical, but the entryway of his house certainly wasn't.
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Post by littlekreen on Sept 12, 2020 13:21:23 GMT -6
Carter had a head for math but arithmancy had a wide range and replied, "I know some of the high-end tensor calculus but a few of the tensors and matrices they transform for use in the books are brutal to wrap my head around."
A knock disrupted his thoughts as well so Carter turned with Tyrus to follow after waving for Cruor to come as well. Tyrus mentioned the lack of ward response to which Carter gave a raised eyebrow to the Pseudodragon who just gave a thumbs-up as he walked about on all fours. Once to the study Cruor broke off to disappear underneath a tablecloth where he dropped his pack on its chair. A pair of gold slit-eyes looked on with one hand to a grip in the leather satchel.
Unasked for that moment but attentive nonetheless Carter gave a friendly smile to Catherine and reached to Tyrus' shoulder to pull him a wee bit closer to the wall
Carter called back, "It's the Warden, Cruor."
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Post by Circe on Sept 12, 2020 13:31:11 GMT -6
Catherine looked rather indignant and annoyed at the fact that Tyrus had considered her an enemy. "Really, Tyrus?" She commented upon seeing the other. Having heard enough of their conversation thanks to her hearing and their proximity to the windows on the front of the house. "What were you going to do mage? Turn me into a toad?" She asked crossing her arms. If an enemy knocked, it was only to try to obtain access easily and through deceitful means. Centuries of experience had at least taught her that much, if not more.
"And how did I get here? I walked." Catherine answered sarcastically stating the obvious. Even the perimeter wards should have alerted him to another guest on the ranch, but she supposed those two were now a problem after the solstice. The glades had seemed to be mostly innocuous and benign as she had walked through them, but perhaps that was due to the fact that her own magic easily resonated with the magic of the surrounding area.
"But yes, the wards are down. I don't know why, but you're lucky it was only me and not someone else." She continued as she stepped inside. She could have come in uninvited, but that would have been extraordinarily rude and she had at least been taught better than that. "I see your in the middle of something, so I'll be quick. I only came to see how you were faring after your incident."
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Post by demikara on Sept 12, 2020 14:12:08 GMT -6
Tyrus stumbled when Carter pulled him back and made a face, not pleased he had needed the help. "Come in for a bit." Tyrus offered. "We're just getting set up so Carter can work from my place, for awhile. He drove up, and pinged the wards, so it must be the mirror wards that are down. Carter, I'll need you to take me out there later today so I can reset them." He could set the wards himself later. He already had perimeter stones buried around it after all. Setting up wards based on those was the work of seconds.
"And I'm still blind. I'm taking the week off work, though I'm going to try and stay on top of emails at least, with Carter's help. I'm hoping you were right and that my sight will return within the week." He smiled to her, glad that she had come by at least. She was perhaps the only one who shown brightly enough with magic that he could make out more than just vague shapes for. "Can I get you something to drink?" Or well, could Carter get her something to drink at least. It grated having to have help just to pour a drink, but it was what it was. They hadn't yet navigated a meal and he wasn't sure how they were going to manage that one at all. He supposed they'd find out.
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Post by littlekreen on Sept 12, 2020 17:40:48 GMT -6
Carter looked over and saw Tyrus' face when he tried to nudge him clear enough of a table so she could get by. That didn't go over so well. Maybe there were some books he could read about it instead of his normal dry technical manuals.
Wasn't quite what he was going for but tried to smooth it over though changed his tone of address between them knowing who Catherine was, "Whenever you'd like to go check on them; I've got a full tank of gas in the truck. I'm not used to this kind of assistance but I'll get the hang of it so Mr. Rahal can get along with his day to day business."
A head in a dark red scale of flowing color slunk out from under the table as Cruor left the bag behind. He'd already paid his dues to the council for a long time now but that didn't mean the warden didn't make him nervous. Sat on the floor on his haunches Cruor had grown a foot since then to the current height far outstripping many of his own kind. He wrapped his tail around his legs and tried not to make eye contact with Catherine.
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Post by Circe on Sept 12, 2020 18:13:07 GMT -6
"A week off from the institute... aren't you a lucky boy." Catherine joked, knowing full well how hard it had been to get him to take time off otherwise. Her own job was similar, but she had at least made an effort to push back on the insanity that the Council had tried to mandate into being her problem. "But seriously, I hope taking the week off is really time off. Not just moving your office to your house." She added glancing across into the study. It looked like that's what he had been doing, and in her opinion was not a day, much less week off.
"I'm sure you will, Carter. Gods know that the good doctor here impatient and anxious to get back to his patients." Catherine replied to the other, offering a deceptively human and disarming smile. Considering the public nature of her position as Warden, a subtle glamour to alter certain features like teeth was often necessary.
Glancing over at Cruor, but said little, only raising an eyebrow slightly before returning her attention to Carter. Such small draconian species such as he weren't often seen outside of the fae realm, however to mention it and peer curiously at the creature would have been childish and ill bred behavior. "I think checking on the wards during daylight might be best. I can sense that the magic is still there, but after that it's anyone's guess. I'm not a ward specialist." She suggested, surprised that they had even been down this long and nothing had happened.
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Post by demikara on Sept 12, 2020 18:38:28 GMT -6
"Just e-mails. I'm hoping mostly relaxing will help some." There had been no change yet and he was doubting that there would be much of a change at all for a few days at least. Maybe his vision would return suddenly, if he was lucky, it would happen between blinks. He doubted that, but he could hope for the best at least. "The adjustment is still very jarring. I appreciate you coming to check on me." He hadn't been expecting it. The mage led the way to the living room for them to sit down for a bit. "Carter, could you get us some iced tea?" It was at least something to hold, even if they didn't drink much of it.
"I'll just raise a proximity ward around it tonight. Everything else can wait for daylight." Though he didn't quite need daylight right now, did he? That was going to be interesting. He wondered if he'd know what time of day it was in some other way.
There was no telling. He certainly didn't know how he would or how he'd tell anything or do anything at this point. He was entirely dependent on Carter right now and he didn't like it at all.
But it was nice to have Catherine come visit. "How was your day? I haven't heard the news yet."
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