Cyrus: Aaaaaaaand he faceplanted against the screen. Oh Baskerville. Bless your little heart. What's this screen made of, anyway...? If it were glass, he would've broken it... Anyway, Bas here's kind of my guard dog, but thankfully he's not as uptight as my actual bodyguards. You have no idea how awkward it is to have someone act like your best friend in public just so that they have an excuse to follow you everywhere without looking like the damned secret service. I've known them since kindergarten and yet I barely feel like I know them at all.
Tiny: *tilts his head looking up at Bas with a confused look in his eyes.* Rawf? Kyris: *to Cyrus* Actually I do know. I am a prince, remember? Having bodyguards around comes with the territory. Tell me, have you also figured out ways to get away from them? *smiles* Oh, do I have stories upon stories about that! Like this one time when Jefrye and I were ten years old. We dyed our hair and put in contacts to change our eye color so we could sneak out of the palace. *laughs* We had so much fun that day! *gets an almost sad expression on his face. Tiny walks over and after sitting down he leans his head against his master's leg* Father found out about it though and was so mad. It took a whole month before I was allowed to play with Jefrye again. No, we shall not dwell on that. Do you have any such stories you want to share, Cyrus?
Allison: Oh, that, um, must've been someone else. Six has more important things to do than look for me. Besides, she's not even a Controller. Maybe they'll turn up again if I wait. *Roll shakes her head and lands on Allison's head again.* You're right, could be dangerous. I'll keep an eye out. Hey, just out of curiosity, can you defend yourself? I mean, you're captured by pirate right now, right? What happens if some less than accommodating people try to kidnap you? Allison: You know, I think that's something I actually can relate to you on. Figuring out that your best friend isn't the person you thought they were, and all. Anyway, you said your dog was part monster? Doesn't that mean that it's feral on some level, or is that insulting to say? I'm sorry if it is.
Cyrus: Ouch. Sorry to hear about that. Friends lying to you's gotta suck. It's what I'm least looking forward to about becoming an immortal, the fact that I may have to to do that to someone else. As for Bas and the others, the dog genes mellow them out. And monsters are honestly too smart to be called feral. ...'Course I say that, but then every once in a while Bas jumps at a screen thinking it's real. The crossbreeds are apparently a huge pain to train though. Shannon's pretty great at is. It's a miracle they only show up in certain spots though. If monsters were just randomly mutating animals like immortals are for humans, there's no way we'd be able to keep them a secret. The town I live in is one of those spots. Cyrus: Wish I did. If I tried to pull that on Scorpio he'd smell me in an instant. Lycan noses are no joke. But I've gotten used to it. They let me get away with way more than you'd think. They're under orders not to report back unless the supernatural is involved. Guess Mom and Dad don't want to be helicopter parents. One time when I was six I tried to do it. I put on a wig and these mustache glasses and a coat so big for me there was more fabric trailing on the floor than there was actually on me. My parents apparently thought it was adorable and let me think I'd actually given everyone the slip. I wandered around town for two hours, and Emma and Scor followed me like ninjas with a video camera so Mom and Dad could watch later.
Kyris: To be honest... I guess I could not defend myself very well. I am a terrible shot and knows very little in the ways of martial arts. But I do have my mind, my intellect, and that has served me well enough so far. Luekas: In that case, how come you didn't manage to fool us long enough to escape then? Davian: He does have a point, Your Highness. Kyris: By the way, Allison, is there a way to block these Controls you've talked about? To prevent them from being used for crime or other such deeds? Kyris: Unfortunately there are occasions when you have to lie. Still, it is definitely best to be as honest as you can about things. Luekas: Sounds a little hypocritical, coming from you. Kyris: I can understand how a heightened sense of smell can be troublesome. Still, that was a funny story. Glad it didn't have a sour ending, like mine did.
Jordan: Hello!? Anyone there!? What the hell just happened!? Cyrus: Oh hey, Jordan! ...Uh, other way. Jordan: "Other way" what? What's this way? What is this place!? Cyrus: No clue. But the screen is right behind you, so you should probably face it. Jordan: HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS!? Cyrus: Stress management and eleven years of emergency training drills. Besides, I'm pretty sure this is a dream. But while we're here, maybe these people can help you out? Jordan: The hell you mean "these people"? Cyrus: ...Yeah, that's probably a good place to start. Guys, Jordan's blind. He doesn't have a clue who or what he's talking to.
Kyris: Hello, Jordan. My name is Kyris. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Davian & Luekas: ... Kyris: Come on, guys. he can't see, remember? He won't know you are here unless you talk to him. Davian: Hello. I'm Davian and this is Luekas. Luekas: Hi. Kyris: By the way, Cyrus, what is it that you believe that we can be of assistance with? And if you pardon me making a very private inquiry, Jordan, were you born blind, or did it happen later in life?
Jordan: ... Cyrus: ...Yeah, uh... Jordan's... had a rough day. Jordan, do you want to talk about it? Vent to some strangers? Jordan: ...One minute, I'm just hanging out with my friends. Thinking about what to do together before summer vacation ends and we go to college. Next second some lady asks me to help her carry something through her apartment door. That's... the last thing I remember. When I woke up, it was pitch black, I was half-delirious from painkillers, and I was lying in a hospital bed. Handcuffed to it. Everyone said that I murdered her. In front of 12 witnesses. She threw bleach in my eyes to try and stop me apparently, and stabbed me in self-defense, but I still managed to kill her. Brutally. They said I was caught on video camera. I thought it was some sick joke. They kept insisting there was no way it couldn't be me, but I couldn't see any of their evidence. It felt like some kind of Orwellian hell. That's when some woman broke me out of the hospital at night and told me some guy had possessed my body and taken it for a murderous "joyride". Then I was being shot at. Then just plain shot. And then I heard wolf growls. And then a bite on my arm. I passed out from the pain. Cyrus: Basically, my clan knew he was innocent and sent one of its strongest lycans to break him out, but the guy who possessed him came back to try and kill him, and she had to turn him into a lycan to save his life. So, yeah. He's... feeling a bit overwhelmed. Alienated from everyone he knew, blind, and also dealing with the changes that come with being a lycan. Frankly I don't have clue one how to help him adjust.
Kyris: *covers his mouth with his hand* By the infinite stars-- That's... That's horrendous! I... I am terribly sorry for the ordeal you have and still are going through, Jordan. But unfortunately, I have no idea how to handle a situation like that. There is nothing in our world that can compare to it. I have had bad experiences myself... Jefrye getting engaged to and later marrying my sister... Father trying to marry me off to Princess Rieke of Ares... but those have all been minor when compared to what you both just told us. You have my utmost sympathy. Davian: I was disowned by my father because I refused to marry the woman he and my uncles had chosen, but as Kyris said, that can't really compare to what you described. Luekas: I guess everyone has at least one story like that, in one way or another. Mine is that my drunk bastard of a father used me as a punching bag every time I did something he found wrong. Eventually, I had enough of it and ran away. Eventually, I found myself on board a pirate ship. That's how I met Davian. The crew attacked the ship he traveled on when leaving Gaea after he was disowned. Hard to believe that was 15 years ago now. Kyris: I think our medical knowledge could have saved your sight, though. I can not make any promises, since I am uncertain how it would work given the fact that your biology was different from ours even before you were turned into a lycan.
Jordan: ...You too, huh? ...How old were you when you ran away? I was about 12 when my dad really started getting awful. I thought about running away once, but at that age... it just didn't feel like something I could do. I didn't think it would accomplish anything. Nothing but leaving mom alone with him. Thankfully she had had enough once he actually started hitting me. Mom packed up and took me with her in less than an hour. Stepdad's been great. Mom and I have been living with him for the past 4 years or so. Well... I was. Obviously I can't go back there now.
Allison: Your lives are so horrible, and you can't even see, Jordan! I'm sorry to here all of this and can't do anything to help... Jordon, if you want, I can attempt to restore life to your eyes. I can still faintly feel the power of Yara in this space, but I don't know if I can fix them, I've never tried to heal blindness. *Takes a moment to compose herself.* There is, but I don't know if your world has it. We have this metal called gold on Yara, and it absorbs and dissipates the energy of Yara. According to Mom, when the Old Gods came into existence, they created gold in an attempt to sever themselves from Yara. It worked, and now the metal can be used to stop Controllers from using Yara's energy, also stopping them from using their Controls. It'll weaken a Controller if it's very close to them, around arm's length, I think, but direct contact will completely stop a Controller. Depending on the strength of the Controller, gold can be less effective and you'll need more to get the same effect, but it will still make them weaker. Gold is very rare, though, so I'm not too worried about coming across it. Do you guys have something similar on your worlds? Something that can stop your superpowers, or your technology?
Luekas: I was 15 when I ran away. But as you can guess he had been at it for years at that point. There never was a question of leaving my mother behind since she died giving birth to me. At least that is what that drunk claimed happened... Kyris: Oh, we do have gold in our world. Quite a lot of it, in fact. But to us, it is just a useful metal since it is a good conduit for both electricity and heat so a lot of our technology has it as a component. As for stopping it... That is actually easy to do. You just need to break it. *taps his glasses and the VR computer activates* Take this for example... This is called a computer. Through it, I can access a lot of information and even make things like those holograms from before. All you would need to do to stop that is breaking my glasses. And if you destroy enough power plants you can basically leave an entire planet defenseless since all electricity would be gone and there is very little technology that works without it. *he deactivates it again* Breaking my glasses would cause me real trouble on another front, though, since I actually need them because of my poor eyesight. *Jefrye enters* Jefrye: I still say that is because you spend way too much time reading. It just has to affect the eyes one way or another. Kyris: I was wondering when you would show up. *to everyone* Guys, this is Jefrye. He is my childhood friend, my brother-in-law, and... *sighs* ... and my ex-boyfriend. ...It's complicated... Jefrye: It doesn't have to be, and you know it. *to everyone* Anyhow, I am pleased to make your acquaintance, everyone. *glares at Davian and Luekas* I hope these two pirate scum hasn't been causing any trouble. Davian: He is also Admiral of the Interplanetary Armada, meaning he is a thorn in the side of every pirate in the system. Jefrye: Funny. I could say the same about you.
Allison: I do know what a computer is, you know. Everyone thinks that I don't know anything about technology just because I live in a forest! Well, I'll have you know that I just bought a television last week, and it only took me an hour to figure out how the remote control works! I wanted to get a computer, as well, but I need to get something called an internet connection, and I haven't been able to figure out exactly what that is just yet. None of the news channels are talking about it, so I guess it must be pretty normal in the cities? Do you need technology to fight against someone? I saw Six on the news, and she's still using a sword; it seems to be working well enough for her. Is there no one on your world that can fight without needing guns and vehicles and the like? Allison: Hello, Jefrye, my name is Allison, and this is Roll. *She curtsies, and Roll does the same before sitting down on Allison's head again.* Are you a sailor, then, or are you a space sailor? I don't think you should be too hard on pirates; they're essential to the Black Market, you know. Davian and Luekas have been very polite.
Kyris: My apologies, Allison. Tell you what, from now on I will try not to explain as much and leave it to anyone who needs clarification to ask for it. As for what we need technology for... Fighting is not the primary use. Mostly it is about making people's daily lives easier in general. Jefrye: Regarding fighting without guns and such, there are occupations that require that kind of training. Militaries like myself, for example. After all, if you are disarmed you still need to be able to fight. Either empty-handed or in some cases with a knife. Swords are a little outdated in our world, but they are still part of the parade uniform. Some still take up swordsmanship as recreation or sport, but as part of military training, it isn't common practice anymore. Jefrye: I am indeed, as you put it, a space sailor. Travel on the planets' surface is actually less common than space travel nowadays in our world. And regarding the pirates... They are criminals and it is my job to see to it that they are brought to justice. No matter how polite they may have been to you, that doesn't change what they have done to people in our world. Sooner or later they will have to pay for the deeds they have done. And you speak of the Black Market as if it is a good thing. Maybe in your world it is, but it definitely isn't in ours. *speaks in a calm inquisitive tone* If I may ask you, Allison, since you seem to have a rather positive view of them... Do you think it is right for them to hold one of both my and their people's princes captive against his will? Forcing his father to pay a big amount of money in order to get his son back unharmed? Not to mention... *gets a sad expression on his face* They have captured the man I love. You expect me to do nothing to save him? Kyris: Jefrye... Jefrye: I am aware that you don't have the same love for me in your heart that you once did, but that doesn't change the fact that I still love you more than anything among the infinite stars.
Allison: No, I'm sorry. There's no way you could've known. I guess I do come across as kind of hermit-y. Allison: But the Black Market is a good thing. Mom always said that it was really important for getting around unjust laws and tyrannical rulers! Of course, kidnapping is completely wrong, and you should probably just give him back, Davian. You seem like a pretty nice guy, so I think you kind of want to, deep down.
Jordan: It's... nice of you to offer, but it's not really a question of "restoring life". I've had healers who can do something like that look at them. They say if it'd happened after I became a lycan, they'd have been better in less than an hour. But since I wasn't born one... I think they said that with turned lycans, whether it's your own healing factor or outside help, you can only heal injuries that either weren't there when you turned, or would've healed on their own eventually if you had infinite time and infinite blood. And the bleach damage on my eyes is neither. ...I just... need to figure out how to move forward. I don't need pity. I need direction. I need to figure out what to do with myself, how to make sense of all these weird changes and senses and feelings, but most importantly... how to do something with my life now that my entire future's... gonna be something else. ...What would you guys do in my situation? Cyrus: I don't know about pirates (I think my parents mentioned them being a thing once?), but technically, any kind of trade in my world is illegal. It's hard to get permission from people who aren't supposed to know you exist. 'Course, that doesn't mean we let people get away with selling everything. Gem poaching is a nasty business. Oh, right, you don't know... well, when an immortal dies, this little gem is left behind. It's magical, and if you know what you're doing, you can use it to enchant weapons, rings, clothing... and yeah, as you can imagine, this can be a problem. See... people with shapeshifting powers can't actually change their clothes with them unless the clothes are magic too. And if that matters to you, the best way to get enchanted shapeshifting clothing is to kill lycans. "Poaching" is a big reason why we aren't better friends with the Karnstein Queendom down south. ...We still use the gems of our fallen friends though, but for stuff like making concealable weapons. Y'know, a little keychain that transforms into a sword, or something like that. Makes it way easier to avoid attention when walking around in public.
Jefrye: Our world is different from yours in many ways. If the government is unjust then I can see how a Black Market can be good for the oppressed public. But our government isn't like that. I mean, while he isn't the ruler, Kyris is still a member of the ruling family. And you wouldn't call him tyrannical, right? In our world, the Black Market is for selling stolen goods or things that are illegal. *Davian and Luekas looks at Allison with surprise, then breaks into almost sinister laughter.* Davian: Yeah, that is not gonna happen. I certainly never expected to come across an opportunity like this, but now that I have there is no chance I'm letting it pass me by. Kyris is going to make me and my crew more money than any venture we have embarked on in our entire career. And I also happen to enjoy his company. Luekas: *glances at Kyris then folds his arms* You should keep your eyes on the prize, Captain. Davian: *smirks as he eyes Kyris from head to toe* Oh, believe me, I am. Luekas: *sighs* Not exactly what I meant... *looks away and mumbles to himself* You are going to get us all caught, Davian, I just know it. Kyris: Well, I am terribly sorry we are unable to be of better assistance. There just isn't anything in our world that is like what you are going through so I am unsure what I would do in your situation. If I may make a suggestion, although you have probably already considered it... Is there possibly others in your own community that you can talk to? There must surely be others that have had to face the ordeal of going from human to lycan, right? But if we were to talk about dealing with trauma in general... I admit to not handling it well. When Jefrye's engagement with my sister was announced I broke up with him and then spent a long while curled up in my bed crying. Jefrye: You never told me about that... So that's why you didn't attend the wedding ceremony... Kyris: You really thought I was in a state where I would be able to sit through that without making a spectacle of myself?! Still, eventually, I had no tears left to cry and had to face reality. I moved on. It was difficult but I did it. I distracted myself the best I could with various experiments and research until I could once again look back at the relationship we once had without my heart breaking all over again. Davian: Well, when Father disowned me I did have to think about what to do next. I took as much money as I could and went to the spaceport. I felt like I needed to get some distance between myself and the life I had known up until that point. Thought it would help me think. Before I could really do that, the ship was attacked. The pirates saw my braid and knew I was a noble. *chuckles* Imagine their surprise finding out I was not worth ransom. The captain decided to put me to work to pay back for my keep up until that point and since I needed a way to make a living anyway I agreed. Eventually, I had enough money stored to get a ship and crew of my own. I guess I got too busy staying alive to think about what I had lost. Luekas: Becoming a lycan gives you abilities you didn't have before, right? I think I would put effort into learning how to master them. It is not only useful in the future but can be a helpful distraction when you might need it. Kyris: These gems... They are not the physical form of their souls or anything like that, are they? I think using them like that would be rather disrespectful if they are. Still, it sounds quite fascinating that you can use them for so many different things. Gems in our world are just valuable and often used for jewelry. Davian: But if every trade is illegal... How do you and others in your community make money? I'm sure you need them for something. It is impossible to make everything yourself. Kyris: Actually, it is quite possible. Well, depending on how technologically advanced their world and their community is.
Jordan: Right now they're trying to teach me to use my stronger ears and nose to make up for my loss of sight. They say I'll get the hang of it eventually, and that it'll be better than being a human with eyes, but... they're really just guessing. I don't see how they could actually know that. Cyrus: You'd be surprised what immortals know. Kinda comes with the territory of getting to be centuries old. Jordan: That... man, that doesn't feel real to me. That I could live forever. Cyrus: It's cool, right? Jordan: I... don't know yet. Cyrus: I guess I could've worded that better. I was talking about how my entire community is a secret society operating without the government's knowledge or permission. Kinda has to be. So almost everything we do is technically illegal. Hell, a lot of the stuff we do feels similar to being a criminal empire. Meeting in secret, using code, making fake identities... the human government wouldn't be happy with us if they knew we exist. But it's the only option we have.
Kyris: There is no doubt at all in my mind that you will succeed, Jordan. Just keep at it and you will learn. And think of everything you will get to experience. Changes in technology and other areas. All the time you could possibly need to really deepen your knowledge about pretty much every topic you want. Jefrye: Watching people you care about that aren't immortal grow old and die. Kyris: That was unnecessarily pessismistic. But I have to admit that there are both positive and negative sides that would come with being immortal. *to Jordan* Still; I have faith in you, Jordan. I know you will figure it out one way or another. Kyris: I have to agree. As you said, you have no other option. At the moment, anyway. Who knows what happens in the future? Which you have quite a lot of, right?
Allison: I- you- how can you say that?! Don't you know? Don't you know how much it hurts to be torn away from your family? Don't you know what it does to the people that love you? I thought that it was just a heat-of-the-moment thing, and you hadn't really thought it through; but it's obvious that all you care about is money. You're the worst kind of people! ... No, I'm- I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Please don't think that I usually act like that. I'm... I'm sure you're at least treating Kyris well... Allison: *Still calming down.* Mom used to say that it hurts to see your loved ones grow old, but watching everything new that is created or born makes you appreciate life so much more. I don't know if it helps, but she always said that it does.
Jefrye: No, Allison, you don't have to apologize at all. Because you are absolutely right. They are horrible people. But I assure you that in the end justice will be done. *looks at Kyris* And you have no need to be afraid. I promise that everything is going to be alright. Soon you will be back home where you belong. Kyris: *gets a pensive look on his face* Where I belong... Davian: Are you and I really that different though, Jefrye? If you strip away the details what it comes down to is that at the end of the day we are both just making a living the best we can. *to Allison* You are right that I care a lot about money, but consider this. It isn't just me. I have 50 crewmembers that expect to be paid and considering the risks of our occupation that is no small sum. If I fail to deliver what they expect of me I will have a mutiny on my hands. And there are some crewmembers, Luekas included, that think that ransoming Kyris is too risky and that we should just kill him instead. Luekas: Well, because of him there are a lot more ships after us than ever before. And I rather not get executed just because when it comes to Kyris you start thinking with your-- It is just too many risks involved for my liking, Captain. Kyris: I think that is because even if the situations are different it is still comforting knowing that there are others out there who are also going through rough times and that they understand at least the emotional part if nothing else. At least, that is how I feel right now.
Allison: Yeah, I agree. I work as a sort of healer for this nearby town, and every time I get a new patient is a whole new person to talk to! *Pulls Roll into a hug.* Even with an army of friends around, they just can't quite compare to a living, breathing person. It definitely makes you feel less alone. Allison: Even still, it's just too horrible. There's other ways to make money. Mom always said that her crew took on jobs to hunt down other pirate crews, or corrupt officials travelling by see, or even just robbing the occasional city official! I mean, I know that they were different than the others, but Mom always said that pirates back then had a bit more self respect than that. What do you think happens when you give Kyris back? I might not be the smartest, but I do know that your world sounds like it has a lot more technology than mine, and we already have tracking chips and stuff like that; spies use them all the time on the television. I bet that, as soon as you leave with your money, there'll be a whole fleet of ships after you, and there'd be no ocean in space that'll be safe for your crew! ... *After a moment, she hangs her head.* I'm sorry, I think that was too harsh, but it's true. The only thing that can come out of that kind of situation is pain for both sides. Even your First Mate thinks so.
Davian: That’s right. He is my First Mate, and a good one at that, but I am Captain and that means that I make the rules. Still, you are right about there being other ways to make a living. However, after Father disowned me, I found myself on this path before I had any time to think about what to do next. And now there is no turning back anymore. If I had been able to choose, I think I might have made use of my musical talent. Kyris: *smiles slightly* You do play the piano beautifully. Davian: Thank you. *to Allison* Anyway, about what happens after the ransom has been paid and you thinking there is no safe place for us. There is actually. One of the planets has become lawless and thus every pirate crew in the system has made it their harbor. If there are ships after us, they would have to deal with an armada as big as their own. Jefrye: You sure about that? I think you know just as well as I do what happens if the other crews learn that yours is the only one we are after.
