008 — video [laptop] & open action.

[argents]

Who: Banagher Links (argents) & you!
When: February 25th
Where: Public city library, then going home.
What: General CR wrap-up before the boss battle.

( VIDEO )

I missed classes for a few weeks, and now it feels like I'm never going to catch up. [ Illustrated by the fact that it looks like his eyeballs are about to fall out. He's parked in one of the corners of the public library, visible in the background, not working this time, but studying. Kind of. His workspace is littered with papers and packets, but most of them don't look very touched. Instead he's been playing a fruitless game of connect-the-memory-dots. ] So I tried to find out more about one of my first pulses instead. Something called "Laplace's Box". The same as this guy.

[ A networked wiki link for the 18th century mathematician. ]

Which doesn't seem like something that'd start a war, does it? I know what knowledge is capable of, but still. A lot of the concepts are close to things I remember... but they're a lot like clues I can't follow. This, space, the Earth, The Lady and the Unicorn — "to my one sole desire"...

[ SPACE AND UNICORNS AND THE FRENCH, THAT'S ALL HE'S GOT. COMPELLING. Banagher tosses his pen down. ]

I ought to go back to my homework. It's less complicated.

( ACTION )

[ And that's right where he'll be for the majority of the day. Half trying to backwards-research his pulses, half trying to catch up on his schoolwork from when he was out, supposedly 'recovering' from his gunshot injuries. Neither bears very successful results. Unless you count the status of the table he's taken over, which looks unrulier and unrulier as time goes by. Messy meant he was accomplishing something, right?

On the chair next to him, Haro sits in his winter coat, mercifully quiet. Though every now and again, he'll pipe up with a, "No luck! No luck!" ]

Quiet, Haro. They're going to kick you out for being noisy.

( ACTION, CLOSED TO KARL AURION )

[ After he's has his fill of trying to get his brain to comprehend both math and his past-alternate-live, Banagher decides to pack it in sometime during the afternoon and head home. All he'd gotten out of it was a case of deadeye and a headache, anyway. So he stuffs everything into his bag, swings his coat on, scoops up Haro, and heads out.

On his way, he has to pass by a pet shop. Which wasn't out of the ordinary at all, unless he counted who was seemingly on his way in. ]

— Mr. ...um, Aurion?

[ MAN THAT WAS WEIRD WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE MR. LOCKE ]

Comments

action;

[alilyinthemoonslight]

[Lily's head was... okay, there was still a lot of junk circulating in it by after school on Tuesday. Still has a lot to think about, but... She's also got stuff to do. Other things to focus on. Better things to focus on.

Either way, she ends up at the library. Which is not... terribly shocking, nor that unusual a place for her to be. What does catch her attention, as she's wandering down one particular aisle, is that little voice piping up. Peeking her head out around a corner, she spots Banagher, recognition clicking in and... knowing that little voice could not possibly have come from him.

So, she approaches from behind.]

Winter's partner is a little quieter, usually.

[Not waiting for a response, she rounds the table to look down at him.]

Please tell me that's not a fairy, and you're not secretly also a Precure. That might get strange.

[argents]

[ At the sound of the remark from behind him, Banagher tips back in his chair curiously. Balancing it on its hind two legs, all he catches is a momentary flash of dark hair before he has to right himself. His eyebrows raise as he considers her quip, glancing over to Haro and then back again; this is probably the most amused he's been in hours. ]

If you guys are all about magic, then... I'd say we're your opposites. You know what they say about truth and fiction, though.

[ A beat, and he amends his 'greeting' with a real one. ]

Hey.

[alilyinthemoonslight]

Hello, Banagher.

[Her eyes shoot to where the winter coat sits, and she lingers on it for just a moment too long. Still, whatever made that sound probably didn't need to be seen in public, so she just drifts back towards him.]

Is that so? What you can do isn't magic then, is it?

[It was the first thing that sprung to mind. Not that she really wants to think much about his particular abilities in that moment. Nor was it that she's distrustful of him. He didn't seem like the sort to use such a thing maliciously, but she does feel a bit... mentally guarded around him all the same, and sort of hates herself for that very fact. Her emotions had been running on high lately though, so she tries to justify it all the same.

She reaches out for a chair across from him.]

Do you mind? I could probably use someone calm to talk with today after the school nearly burned down.

[A pause, and she gives a look that says to not be that concerned.] Russel can summon a firebird now, apparently. Things happened.

action; this was longer than needed oops

[honestopinion]

[Jamie normally finds himself here at the public library around the end of the mouth for one soul reason, manga. That's right, the bookmobile always comes around the end of the month and hopefully the list Jamie had left the librarians was taken into consideration when they picked out more literature for the young adults section.

This young man has quite a few volumes in his arms when hey now - doesn't Jamie know that guy sitting at one of the study tables? When they first meet over the network he'd seen a video of Banagher, however after mostly exchanging text things didn't inertly click till he catches a glimpse.. Haro! That's his little robot, Jamie knows that guy, how could be forget the single most coolestly coolest thing he's ever seen on the network so far?!!

Holding onto his new issues tightly as he glaces over just to make double sure this is the person he thinks it is before sneaking in.. The older teen doesn't know Jamie isn't a college student, in fact, Banagher is in for a big surprise. What Jamie told him was that he was eighteen and starting college this year, well..] Um.. hi.

I'm ah.. [His voice drops down to a whisper.] I'm Jamie, from the network thing.

[His pride doesn't matter, all if brain is saying right now is 'robot robot real actual robot in the real as in robot real here now robot.' His manga is in a neat stack next to him as he sits across the table from his network acquaintance, wide eyes behind those middle schooler style glasses.]

[argents]

[ Banagher is in for a big surprise, though it occurs to him somewhat belatedly. Mostly because he fails to place anyone he knows as being that young, besides Holly. So when the boy goes to sit opposite him after the brief greeting, he looks a little lost. Idly, he balances his pen in his hand without writing, trying to remember. He hopes the kid isn't mad it doesn't strike him right away — though thankfully, his company doesn't leave him guessing, even if it does make him look the tiniest bit more confused. ]

Hi, Jamie...? [ For a moment, it's visible in his expression that his thought train is slowly stalling. Then, it hits him. ] Jamie!

[ Give him a second to recalibrate his mental image, here. If he's mad, he's hiding it well.

(Spoilers: he isn't.) ]

Sorry, you even said... [ His voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper too. ] ...from the network, but it took me a second. You knew all about the robots, and the unicorn symbol, right?

[ Just... making sure that he's got the right Jamie. ]

[honestopinion]

Yeah! That's right. [Jamie is anything but mad, with how much he's avoided at school or how little social attention he gets outside of the lunch table or his mother hearing anyone remember him and acknowledging him can take as long as it needs!

Besides, ROBOT--] S-Sorry about.. um, lying about my age. [Please don't be mad.. His voice at a whisper again.] You have Haro today with you, don't you?

private; voice;

[stagnantair]

[Gavin hasn't spoken to just about anyone in little over a month. He's been hiding since his first transformation, and had contacted a few people that had something to do with his apartment, but otherwise he'd kept quiet. It was only logical, until something flared up again or his anonymity with the police was reestablished. Still, Banagher's post makes him curious though. He hasn't spoken to him since that day in the hospital... since that night, so he really shouldn't be so abrupt about this. But Gavin isn't really feeling anything at the moment and it shows up in his voice. If it's even recognizable. It doesn't sound happy or carefree or concerned or... anything like he used to be.]

Laplace's Method of judging the stability of the universe proved to be horrible in comparison to modern day knowledge. Calling something Laplace's Box could be a metaphor for something unstable holding something chaotic. It is possible that it refers to a kind of terrible weapon.

[Yeah, hi bro. It's short and to the point, but he figures his reasoning might be helpful in some manner.]

( private )

[argents]

[ A reply sent directly to his number catches him off-guard. Banagher hadn't asked anything entirely worth keeping hush-hush about, even by his own standards. What unsettles him more, however, is the voice that he registers as Gavin's on the other end. Gavin's, and yet... not. At first, anger curls through him, for not having heard from him all this time. Soon enough, concern roils up to overtake it. There's a solid few seconds where he's trying to actually focus on the reply given to him, but nothing about it sits right. The first being —

It sounded like him, but it didn't sound like him.

So Banagher can't help but venture: ]

Gavin? That's you, right?

private voice;

[stagnantair]

Of course.

[Why wouldn't it be him?]

If there is doubt, I'm not sure how I could convince you otherwise. I will assure you I wasn't killed by the Blood Keys and that the police did not interfere with me in any way.

Action

[soulsborderline]

Hey.

[For once, Asuka is relatively quiet. This is a library after all, and she was hypothetically here to write a paper.]

You posted that Laplace question earlier, right?

[On Facebook, clearly. Asuka's finally gotten passable at identifying herself to Network people in real life without sounding suspicious.]

[argents]

[ Looking like he's about ready to close his face up in a book and be done with it, Banagher is (thankfully, he thinks) startled out of his this-makes-no-sense-and-never-will lull. Mostly by the directness of the question. In relation to it being network-only, anyway. ]

...Yeah, I did. Hey?

[ Setting the book flat on the table, he does stop to think she looks familiar. ]

[soulsborderline]

I skimmed my last three years or so of math and science notes and Laplace is all over the place, but no Laplace Boxes.

[She just barrels ahead, quietly. She knows this guy's alright from having seen him around, and more importantly, she's in full theory mode.]

I thought about it, though, and if it has something to do with space travel, I could see naming something box-like after Laplace, especially if it like measured something about orbital mechanics or gravity.

action;

[enchants]

[ This fifteen year old has been picking up books littered throughout the library for the last ten minutes and he's passed by and lingered a few times. Seeing the familiar face from the network piqued his attention, but it's really Haro's chattering that instigates him to investigate. Cat's suddenly hovering a hand out over one of the many books from the opposite side of the table, but gaping at Haro instead of really paying attention.]

Um.. [ He wiggles the fingers of one hand over the nearest book, but tucked in his other arm is a single book on the same subjects - one Banagher hadn't pulled out yet, but probably useless all the same. ]

Are you done with these?

[argents]

[ Banagher's used to turning out people on his peripherals while studying, it was the only way he got by in classes, with his mind's tendency to drift. Especially lately. So when someone approaches head-on and asks him something, Banagher lifts his gaze quickly, blinking some clarity back into his expression. There's a moment as if he doesn't get what he's being asked, and has to look between the book and the boy to draw the connection.

When he does, he straightens, dropping his hand from his chin. ]

Oh, no... I wasn't using it that much, if you want it! [ Which is an earnest enough offer, if not one that tapered off at the end. Mostly because he draws the connection between his gaze and Haro. Briefly, he smiles a bit. ] Sorry, if he bugged you.

[enchants]

No, it's... really cute! [ He pauses a moment to smile at what he assumes in a toy before scraping up some of the books that Banagher doesn't seem to be using. Cat drags them toward the edge of the table into a neat stack he intends to put away. In their place, he shuffles the book from his arms onto the table. ]

I saw your message. This book was filed in the wrong spot. It might help?

[ His attention drifts back to the toy. ] It's got a lot of personality.

[espigeonage]

[Julien is here to return a book on hydroponics, and also to pace a little. The suggestions of lines around his eyes, new since November when they last met, suggest that he's worn out.]

Hey. You look terrible.

[argents]

[ Banagher senses Julien almost instantly, the intent behind the light railing he gets even before he hears it spoken aloud. His pen stops. ]

I've looked worse, trust me.

Action

[buildyourworld]

[ He's looking for some reference books when he chances upon the boy but it's not Banagher or the messy table that draw his attention. It's the round robot on the chair next to him. Almost immediately, without any warning, he stands there frozen as a vision flashes through in his mind.

Several round robots in different colours floats around somewhere.

A corridor, somewhere that looks metallic and sterile.

And their name. ]

Haro...

[ He frowns upon realizing that he has spoken the name aloud. ]

[argents]

[ Despite his best attempts to distract himself, there is a rare little pocket of time during this visit in which Banagher actually starts one of his papers. His luck being what it is, however, that blissful streak of normalcy is completely shattered by the one word spoken aloud behind him. Banagher knew he'd shushed Haro by name a few times, but this was... different.

It felt different.

With his elbow perched on the back of the chair, Banagher is able to conceal how his hands have gone a little tense.

And he manages, smartly: ]

...What?

[Voice]

[dododo]

Laplace's box? Never heard of that. How interesting.

[argents]

Whatever it is, it's nothing that exists here. In this reality, or... life. I still don't know if I believe in the alternate-dimension thing.

But it's important to me, somehow.

action.

[flamberge]

[Cats need food. Cats need a lot of food. And toys. And litter box stuff. And Karl is still in the process of learning just HOW much they need. Answer: a lot. Everything gets used up or worn out too quickly with a playful kitten. He has to admit, though, life has been more fun at home with the little critter around.

But yeah, critter needs things and things need to be bought. This is why Karl's taken to frequenting the pet store as of late. The last thing he expects while musing about whether or not to get more fuzzy balls is to hear someone call his name. A quick glance in the direction of the voice reveals a familiar face, one not seen in a while. Huh, they really do have a bad habit of running into the other at the most random of times, don't they.]

Hello, Banagher. [a beat] And Karl will do fine.

[Mr. Aurion makes him feel old. 43 is not THAT old. REALLY. HE'S YOUNG AND HIP AND THE GRAY HAIRS MEAN NOTHING.]

[argents]

[ Banagher actually makes a face at this offer. He'd always been Mr. Locke, and switching to Mr. Aurion was bad, but Karl might be even worse. So he says nothing for a moment, instead using the... unique circumstance to his advantage. Approaching, he hefts Haro under his arm and nods towards the petshop. Muffled from beneath his side, a chirpy little: "Karl! Karl!" resounds. Of course he would. ]

Hey. Did you get a pet or something?

[ text ]

[seabeast]

what are ye studyin sides your box
for school

[ only talking about the things she's interested, as usual. the mathematics went sailing right over her head. ]

[argents]

I'm supposed to be writing a paper on nuclear energy.

[ IT'S GOING SO WELL. On cue, he adds: ]

This is the word doc I'm using.

[ And it's empty. Echo, echo, echo... ]