it's a newwww dayyyy.

[crittersheep]

WHO: you! and you! and others too!
WHERE: everywhere all over
WHEN: Day 25, mid-day

[ Well! It's been an eventful day for some so far. Between trips into the mist and innocent handshakes for kitchens, what else could possibly go wrong today?

who knows but the day is still young. so what're y'all doin' today. ]

Comments

[wants_the_phd]

If you're trying to trick me into touching the "Rose-power endowing crystal statue", I've already done it. I had to in order to get a key for the door.

But if you want me to go hit it again, I can.

[it would ironically turn her powers OFF, but she doesn't know that.]

[finalbows]

Then you can, in fact, summon the blasted vine.

[wants_the_phd]

Why are you so invested in me doing magic?

If all you needed was a vine, you could do it yourself. Or just levitate the thing you're working on into the right position or something. I know you can. You don't need my help for this.

[finalbows]

_{[ the frustration melts off into an oily smile. ]}

It's true. I don't need it. And you, clearly, don't need magic you already possess. You are doing, just, fine, for yourself, so far as I can tell.


I merely want to see you do it.
Just like you want to know more about the limbus.

Because in either of them, we both happen to see... what, I wonder.

[wants_the_phd]

Well, depending on how the limbus works, what I see is food stability and a very specific resource that's completely unobtainable to anyone else in this world.

[finalbows]

Pah, pah, pah, I was looking for the word potential, but that, as an example shall do, yes.

...what do you see those powers as, if not potential, I wonder. A trick? A trap~? Is magic accepted to be used, when it is within an object, and not innate? You've been party to ritual magic already. Is forbidden magic defined, then, within the self, or without? Where does it stop, and where does what could be considered changes to our very biology begin...?

To me, magic and biology are inseparable. It is as denying oneself the flexing of a limb.

1/2

[wants_the_phd]

[She's quiet for a moment, weighing how much she does and does not want to talk about this.]

[wants_the_phd]

The Emperor who reigns over my world is a god-king. He is all-knowing and all-powerful. The great arbiter of our past, our present, and our future. He is our beginning, our end, and everything in the middle. He is the father and grandfather of our entire species.

To align yourself with any sort of religion or cult, to attempt sorcery or wizardry, or to have any sort of ideas or beliefs that would challenge the Emperor's place at the top of our social hierarchy or attempt to emulate his social, political, or divine power, is a serious crime. So is attempting to act above one's station. Even talking about it openly can get you sent directly to a reeducation camp at best.

Yes. There is magic everywhere here. There's no getting past it happening to or around me at this point. But it's not my job to persecute others. The best I can do is keep from engaging with it, myself.

[finalbows]

Hm.
An effective method of securing his power, I suppose.

_{[ he wants to try tonforce her to summon a vine so bad now thanks but also... a stronger urge to coexist beside this person simmers behind his typical sadism. ]}


Those Thistles I've seen you toddling around near will be able to tell you more about the limbus, by the way. That Thornlord might not even want anything for the information, if you just ask outright.

[wants_the_phd]

[Whatever, she's used to sadists. How do you think she got this paranoid]

..."The Thornlord"? Is that ...Lupin?

[finalbows]

Who else?

[wants_the_phd]

...Alright. I'll ask him.

Thanks.

[finalbows]

Hmhmhmhmm. My pleasure.

And, Azdaja...
Best of luck, maintaining that precious plausible deniability of yours....

I'm sure a god will be very sympathetic to it...
If he can even hear you, out here.

[wants_the_phd]

[Laughs]

If he could, none of us would still be here.

But thanks anyway, Vivi.

[finalbows]

<sub>[ GOD-EMPEROR AIN'T WATCHING, AZ, DON'T YOU WANNA PARTY--

he gets back to work.
he proves the vine thing was a total lie by just going ahead to fix the knot ]</sub>