Speaking of future visions

[youandyoualone]

Does anyone know of a dark-skinned and horned people in any of the Jaunt worlds we have been to? As Messire Kuzunoha did the night previous, I too have had another prophetic nightmare, such as we had in Harrogate.

'Twas of a battle near a shadowed volcano--and then it changed quite suddenly to the dark, horned person lying on a rocky floor, somewhere in which the light was much better.

Comments

[leftbehindagain]

I guess it'd depend on whether you want a lot of surface information or a few details.

[youandyoualone]

I could see cases in which I might wish either.

[leftbehindagain]

Fair enough. [This is where it becomes apparent that Naoki doesn't think like a spy.]

There's also the chance that spreading it so thin it covers an entire large room would net you a lot of background noise and nothing actually useful.

[youandyoualone]

[It's fine. Delaunay will think like a spy enough for both of you.]

Mayhap. Again, we shall have to experiment.

[leftbehindagain]

True.

[That level of stress test might take more than one person, though.]

[youandyoualone]

I have told Alcuin of the skill. I am sure he will aid us if I ask.

[It is some time later when he adds,]

I have an idea of another ability that may be related. Do you remember how Armin Arlert placed his mind inside the network when his body was destroyed in a way that the Arcana could not remake him until the Jaunt was over? Perhaps this is related to that.

[leftbehindagain]

...I don't remember that, so presumably it was during Harrogate. [He hasn't been able to bring himself to do that particular archive-dive so far, and he's not sure he ever will.]

You might be on to something there, whether this turns out to need liminal components or not.

[youandyoualone]

It was indeed during Harrogate. The young fool decided 'twould be best for him to investigate the events at the sinkhole on his lonesome. He was arrogant enough that he did not bring back-up. And because the villain was no longer the Ghostly Emperor's Grand Vizier, but the malicious god who possessed her, he was murdered first for his troubles and then had his spiritual body devoured. It was only his ability to place his mind directly onto the network and sustain himself in such a space that allowed him to advise us with his dearly bought intelligence later.

... it is not that I am ungrateful that he did, mind. It is only that it doesn't change the fact that he was still a fool to go alone--and that it broke Alcuin's heart when he thought Armin was dead.

[leftbehindagain]

[Ghostly... Emperor? Probably Zed getting up to shenanigans, if Naoki doesn't miss his guess.]

He tells me to disregard his friend's choice to be de-infiltrated if they were separated for that jaunt and then he pulls that stunt?

[youandyoualone]

He did what?

[leftbehindagain]

Eren-san asked to be de-infiltrated if he was separated from his friends, so that he could try to join them. It's not a choice I would have made, but it wasn't my choice to make, and I couldn't in good conscience withhold his ability to make it for himself. [Eren has in fact thanked Naoki for doing that, since then.]

Armin-san got upset when I wouldn't back down from that because he didn't want his friend in danger. After admitting he knows Eren-san well enough to know he would have wanted the chance to try to get there, even if he failed.

[youandyoualone]

Elua's balls.

[It's not that Anafiel might not have done the same thing in Armin's place, both the desperate attempt to protect his friends and recklessly putting himself in danger instead of asking for another's aid. He very well might have. This, however, only makes his frustration with Armin Arlert increase.

Anafiel Delaunay doesn't like himself either.]

[leftbehindagain]

[Naoki does not ask whose testes those are.]

I am not going to deny someone the ability to make their own decisions. Not if it's in my power to give them that chance.

[youandyoualone]

[It's his god's. Medieval man swears medieval style.]

An admirable philosophy.

[One he should have followed more often. Ah well. He is dead and the is naught he can do about it now.]