[Second day of Week Two/Three Mingle]

[professorwolf]

Hello, sorry, Lyall here. Do all of you recall that vision I had of the dividing wall between us during the last month or so of liminal space? How it was a very literal sign of what was to come?

It's happened again. I had another one. And it's being about as persistent as the first one, so I'm guessing it's important. I can share it directly if anyone would like me to, but in summary, I believe there's something out there beyond the reefs. I saw dark water, well below the level of the reefs, and a large, pale, diseased something. All I saw was a wall of flesh, that was then obscured by bubbles, and then it went even darker. Like it dove away.

I don't know if we need to find it to stop it, or find it to help it. But I do think we need to find it, if just to keep it from coming here.

... also, I am still making earplugs, for those who are finding the noise difficult to bear. I'm not sure if it will help entirely, but it can't hurt. If anyone wants to try and distribute them to people who trust them and might need them, please let me know, I'll get you a few pairs.

Comments

[professorwolf]

So are you suggesting we do... nothing? Investigating is the only means of getting more information, at this point. It isn't as if I can control my visions to politely ask for more details.

[He huffs a sigh. He doesn't have any psychic protections (odd, that), so his reply is simply private.]

Certainly. I'm on the beach on the south side of the island, or I can meet you in liminal space in a few moments.

[theflyingone]

I am saying we should be discreet in our investigations, something that is lacking among us. You forget that there are many young, inexperienced, or simply brash Travelers who would like nothing more than adventure without consequences. Even disciplined footsoldiers are not fit for stealth. [ He is thinking of Eren, though Eren is Infiltrating at the moment. ] Even if they do not fear death, the leviathan may turn on the rest of us for disturbing it. Need I remind you that there are children here? I have half a mind to suggest we sail the innocent away on our boat with members of both crews to man it, and smuggle them provisions made in Liminal.

[ Private, Psychic Protection I. He is disappointed to see that Lyall does not have psychic protection, but he doesn't bring it up. ]

I will come find you.

[ Sure enough, a tall man can be seen striding up the beach. Altaïr has stowed his hood and long, sleeveless overtunic away, looking more like someone who has spent time at sea. His blades remain, however. A bit of sailcloth is twisted about his head to keep the sun off, the end of it shielding the back of his neck. His dark hair is very short, a few weeks grown in after his burns were magically healed. He casts distrustful looks at the ocean and the treeline. ]

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

Ha! Very amusing.

[theflyingone]

The death of children, or being careful?

[ He's linefacing pretty hard, if that's the case, but he usually takes the time to hear people out. His psychic "voice" does not raise. ]

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

You're quite young, aren't you, darling? And I can tell you're not familiar with our Randolph Lyall. [His tone is still amused, and there's practically an audible wink at the last statement.]

[theflyingone]

[ And he thought Jay was the only one calling everyone "darling." He can almost see, in his mind's eye, someone winking at him roguishly. On the other hand, he is also uncomfortably reminded of when Al Mualim used to call him "child" when irritated, but it's not enough to put Altaïr off just yet. Age is not a crime, and neither is not knowing someone well. ]

Familiarize me, then. I am listening.

[ It's short enough to be challenge as well as request, but, as he said, he is listening. ]

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

[Tick-Tock is the sort of man who generally behaves as if everyone likes him, even if he has bountiful evidence to the contrary, so he seems unaffected by the implied challenge, and instead he takes the request at face value.]

Don't mind if I do! Though, where to start to give you a proper picture? I would say his most prominent traits, in my personal experience, are a clever, quick mind, an uncommon amount of common sense, and a truly impressive sense of compassion - quite the kindest man I've met here. He was a teacher in this life, and a professor in another, from what he's told me, and it's quite easy to see when you talk to the man or watch him interact with young people. I quite envy his patience; I think I've yet to see the man truly lose his temper.

More than that, he's quite fiercely loyal to the people he cares about or those he considers his responsibility. He's very practical, and doesn't shirk from what needs to be done to protect those people, though I would also say he has a strong moral and ethical sense. It does make me worry about him at times, but he manages quite well - he's often a quiet but firm voice of reason in all the other chatter, I've found. And ridiculously humble, but good people often are, aren't they? [His tone is very warm, and a little wry when he says this last.]

And lest you think I'm simply madly biased because he's a dear friend, ask anyone here about him. You'll hear much of the same.

[professorwolf]

Come now, Nigel, you're embarrassing me.

[He does sound awfully embarrassed, there.]

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

Yes, there's that humble bit I was talking about. [amused again] And besides, it's all quite true.

[professorwolf]

Painting me quite so prettily might just make you seem biased, you know. I do still have my faults. They just aren't, I'll admit, usually related to being reckless.

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

Precisely. They aren't relevant to this conversation. [And of course he's biased!]

[professorwolf]

You are ridiculous, Nigel, honestly.

[But he sounds as fond as he does embarrassed now, at least.]

[theflyingone]

[ He has to wait quite a while for Tick-Tock to finish, but he can be patient. ]

Somehow I feel like I am getting to know you as well.

[ He's still internally rolling his eyes at Tick-Tock finding his lack of familiarity with another Traveler amusing, but ultimately he cannot turn his nose up at such a nice stack of information, bolstered by Tick-Tock's earnestness. It's almost heartwarming, if Altaïr didn't have giant sea monsters and missing people on his mind. ]

If what you say is true, then I may rest easy that this man, at least, will not do anything rash. [ He can't speak for every other Investigator, he doesn't know all of them well enough yet. ]

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

[Ah, but Altair, he isn't amused by your lack of knowledge - it's your assumptions and the brash way you seem to think you can make decisions for others. That seldom works out well, here.]

Certainly not. And I would recommend listening to him - he's quite familiar with how all of this works.

[theflyingone]

[ He's going to hold off on any definite decisions and actions until they have more information on these potential threats. Whether anyone else will, he has no idea. ]

Are you referring to his visions? [ Of course the man would be familiar with how his visions work, he's the only one who has them... ] Or reconnaissance?

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

I'm referring to everything. Jaunts and how they work. How to be unobtrusive and how to be careful. What's expected of us. And what people will and won't listen to.

[Action]

[professorwolf]

[Lyall doesn't bother responding to the lecture, though it does make lower his opinion of the man a bit. He's standing on the shore in what passes for upper middle class apparel for a Palamo native, sans jacket and shoes since the shoes keep filling up with sand on the actual beach. He's small and slight, and has glasses. He nods in greeting as Altair approaches.]

Good afternoon.

[Always time to be polite, yes?]

Re: [Action]

[theflyingone]

[ There is a reason Emperor chose Altaïr. If no one calls his attention to his rudeness, intended or not, he will gladly plow forward and get the job done, stepped toes be damned. Anyway, Tick-Tock's testimonial was enough to assure Altaïr that Lyall will, at the very least, not lose his head over this bit of bad news. ]

And to you. [ His voice is calm and level, but his eyes dart restlessly at his surroundings, agitated, though not at Lyall. Not an excuse for being overly opinionated, but it certainly did not help matters. ]

I have some bad news. I do not want to cause a panic, so I am not telling everyone just yet... I found one of the missing, dead. Stabbed in the neck, buried on the beach with two metal spheres. From which ship the spheres came, I do not know.

[professorwolf]

Metal... pardon? As in, entirely encased in metal?

[He frowns, imagining that, thinking it over, then surmises:]

That was definitely not on the Cornu, not metal casings of that size. We would have seen them. So it's either from the Pulao, something local, or something magically or liminally created. Can you lead me to him-- to the body? I may be able to smell something you couldn't. Werewolf, and all that.

[theflyingone]

Not in metal spheres, just weighed down by them. They are smaller than a head, solid iron with no opening... I can show you better than I can describe. The Cornu does have some, but so might the Pulao, if our ship is meant to be a model of what supplies ships carry.

[ He leads him down the beach. He hardly suspects the Professor is referring to suffering from lycanthropy the disease, as he seems to have no visible symptoms and be totally in control, a master of himself like the scholars Altaïr grew up with. Lyall must be referring to an actual supernatural ability. This might have come as a shock, except that Altaïr already knows two vampires and several cannibals. He asks matter-of-factly, ]

Your lycanthropy is not communicable, is it?

[ He eventually stops at a shallow, freshly dug hole below the tide line. Gulls circle curiously. Already the tide is threatening to wash away the evidence, the thin layer of sand he'd thrown back onto the scene moistening. He grabs a nearby piece of flat driftwood and begins scraping the sand off. Antibiotics are after his time, so he takes care with touching dead bodies. Two round shots start to reveal themselves first. Cannonballs are after his time as well, so he had not yet put two and two together regarding the large guns on deck. ]

[professorwolf]

Oh, yes, those are cannonballs. All right. They were probably to weight him down in case the tide washed him up again.

[He shakes his head, falls in beside and half a step behind Altair, and answers the question readily:]

It is communicable, but only intentionally. I can't turn anyone by accident, there's a-- well, a rather messy ritual, I suppose you might call it, that has to take place. And it isn't always successful. Most of the time the other person winds up dead, instead. I've never actually done it before, nor do I plan to.

[theflyingone]

[ Well that's a relief. There's a dead body on the beach and a few more missing, shady sailors, jumpy native leaders, and a large sea monster that's probably the source of mind-control wailing every night, but at least he doesn't have to worry about accidentally becoming a wolf. ]

Tube...? [ he mutters, going off the Latin and Greek he knows. ] The deck guns. Yes. I had thought they were for Greek fire...

[ He brushes most of the sand off the corpse of a male sailor equipped with a pistol and a small sword. The gulls above circle faster. ]

When people went missing, I thought they were taken by whatever is producing that Song. But such a precise kill—see the stab wound in the back of the neck there—and leaving the body on land instead of way out to sea, it seems more like the work of humans. [ He would know a great deal about stabbing people in the neck. ] But why these weights... This is the only body on the island, it is not like the others...

[professorwolf]

Yes, I can smell oil from the knife. Metal, so probably not one of the mermaids, you're right.

[Lyall glances over at Altair, looking up from sniffing with interest, walking a circle around the body.]

What others?

[theflyingone]

The other missing people. Search for them all you like, they are not on the island.

[ He stares intently at a spot of sand several feet away, then turns to Lyall as he seems to pull himself out of a reverie. ]

Can you pick up the trails?

[professorwolf]

Regrettably, there aren't any trails. Mostly likely that means whoever it was left by way of the ocean, since I can't track across water like that, which suggests someone from the Pulao.