Kuja's Desert Palace, for Telrim and Regulus

[3rdangel]

They'll arrive in a rather richly decorated bedroom. The top sheets and the pillow coverings have already been stripped from the large four-poster bed, with reason that it was quicker than trying to clean up the layer of dust under the circumstances. The discarded bedding is in a pile on the floor for now

Comments

[in_the_cracks]

Telrim gives a grunt of agreement as she helps shift their burden toward the bed. She manages to steal a few glances around herself along the way. "Good idea."

You'd want to be careful of casual callers, there's no telling what intentions they might have- oh wait. Well, at least she has the grace to keep her motives ulterior.

[3rdangel]

Once the unconscious boy has been deposited on the bed - Kuja, it seems, had a thing for silk sheets - Mikoto will start to head for the door. "The lab is two rooms over, but lacked a reasonable place to keep the subject. Kuja sealed off one of the specimen rooms. I can only hypothesize he was working on another project before his death." She has no intention of unsealing that room for now. Whatever was in it is most likely dead.

"The scanning and treatment equipment is portable. I will retrieve it. Do you wish to see the lab or monitor the subject?"

Mikoto has some understanding of ulterior motives. In fact, she distrusts altruism and fully expects Telrim has her own reasons for assisting. It doesn't bother her in the least, as long as it doesn't become a threat to her. And, in that case, she's secure in her ability to defend herself. She knows, though, that being taken by surprise or suddenly outnumbered can make a great difference.

[in_the_cracks]

Once he's down Telrim straightens up and takes a proper look around. She notes the objects, the architecture, the colours... although what she primarily notices about them is their dustiness. The playbook catches her eye just before Mikoto speaks.

Telrim follows her to the door as she replies. "If it'll only take a few minutes, I should probably take a look at the lab. So I'll know where things are if we have to find them in a hurry."

She pauses then. "...'Subject'?"

[3rdangel]

The main color of the building itself seems to be dark wood and silvery metal, the latter with patterns that seem to be just below the surface. At first glance it would look old fashioned, at second futuristic with a veneer of being old fashioned. Surprisingly, this manages to look slightly less anachronistic than a renaissance faire held in a space station. The decorations tend towards whites, silvers, blues, and a surprising amount of lavender, often in rich fabrics. Kuja was rather hedonistic

[in_the_cracks]

A tendency toward sensory hedonism is something Yeerks share with the late Kuja, whether or not individuals care to indulge it. Telrim strays along their path to momentarily touch the fabrics, the metal, examine the patterning in the latter. Which is why she misses exactly what Mikoto does to open the door: lucky for her that it's not complicated.

"Still, 'subject' seems a little... cold." Which she knows might be a bonus for the emotion-shy Genome, but that doesn't mean she's going to play along. "What might his name be, then

[3rdangel]

The primary difference in Terran technology was their habit of blending technology and magic to the point where it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. That most worlds separate the two has provided Mikoto with some slight amusement over, from her perspective, the last two years.

"Based on the tattoo, someone suggested he belonged to a group called the 'Death Eaters', and most likely would be killed on sight if returned to his universe of origin. A damaged and mostly unreadable crest attached to his clothing suggested to another person that was called by the first that he might be Regulus Black. If this is accurate, he has a brother named Sirius, and his family believes he is dead."

She takes the two items from the lab back to the bedroom as she speaks. Touching the sphere to the cuff, both items light up as faint etchings in the smooth metal surfaces glow. She lets the sphere hover in the air, touching it to seemingly 'pull' out a holographic scanning display. The cuff is placed around Regulus's right wrist.

[in_the_cracks]

Telrim gives a last slightly longing glance at all the tools as they leave. But she can't... yet. Besides, she has to watch how Mikoto uses them closely.

"Death Eaters..." she echoes, drawing a blank on that. Intriguing, though. She folds her arms as she studies the display. "His family was almost right. I wonder what he did to make himself so unpopular. ...Is that all the equipment?"

She allows a certain amount of naive surprise to colour her tone.

[3rdangel]

"It was suggested he must have failed in some way. There were two other names mentioned, as well as reference to a 'Harry Potter series'. I will have to check the Nexus Library later." It's all unfamiliar to her. She's never had much interest in fiction.

"It is all that is required at this time," Mikoto says, instructing the device to run scans by tapping at the holographic screen. "I would not be surprised to find other projects hidden away."

The text displayed is in Terran, but some of the illustrations might be understandable. The scan is very thorough, showing both genetic information and physiology alongside current status. It even notes the probability that Regulus's parents were second cousins. Mikoto also has it show and analyze the recently-healed injuries.

"He is not carrying any infection," she comments. Another few taps and the cuff placed on Regulus's arm glows slightly. "His current condition is primarily due to blood loss and exhaustion. I have instructed the medical computer to begin alleviating the former through

[in_the_cracks]

Ah, failure explains everything. "He's another... a fictional character to someone else?" Telrim views him with slightly more interest, remembering the name for later. The scanner earns some respect from the Yeerk for looking at least as thorough as anything her people have, and somewhat more portable. She leans closer to see the images of the injuries and wishes she could read the text.

"That's a relief." She means it. Proper quarantine procedure would slow them down. "He'll need a while to rest and eat. But hopefully he won't be too scarred by whatever he went through."

A thoughtful look at the boy. "He might be too exhausted to move once he wakes, but even so... do you think there's any chance of his being dangerous?"

[3rdangel]

"It is not uncommon in the Nexus," Mikoto comments, as far as the 'fictional in another universe' thing is concerned. Further information was definitely needed, and one idea occurred. Approaching a section of the wall that is comprised of that silver patterned metal, she touches it. The patterns beneath the surface glow slightly, and a few moments later a holographic screen hovers half an inch from the section of wall. She has this other computer scan her PINPoint and begin a self-update procedure to communication hardware.

"Estimate of mental trauma is difficult without knowing exactly what happened to him." She studies one of the readings, which is an indication of magical ability. And notes something else as well. "As for danger... It is possible, but there are multiple possibilities for containment if he is hostile, delirious, or both." She runs a further scan of that 'tattoo'.

"There is some kind of enchantment connected to the marking on his arm." Further information was most definitely needed.

[in_the_cracks]

"What are you doing?" Telrim blinks, wondering if all the metal sections have that capacity, and if not, how one distinguishes them.

Maybe it's magic, her host suggests, and she responds with a ripple of gloomy 'laughter'. It's unknown in her world - which she's sure makes it nonexistent, so where it's concerned the Yeerk soldier feels completely out of her element.

Well, not entirely. Danger and prisoners- or 'subjects' are much the same anywhere. Confirmation that Mikoto has a means to handle the former is good news - well, as long as it's not going to be turned on her.

"I don't know much about magic," she says apologetically. "But he had some belongings with him, didn't he? Perhaps they could tell us more."

[3rdangel]

"Updating communications with a scan of the PINPoint hardware so I can attempt to access the Nexus Library's computer records from here."

She nods at mention of belongings. "Not many. His ruined clothing, and a small wooden item." She isn't sure what it is. It looked like some kind of small pointer for presentations to her. She goes to unwrap the bundle, showing Telrim the wand. "It has some kind of enchantment. Scans might be able to determine what it is for."

She unfolds the still-damp robes, casting float on them so they hang in the air as if from an invisible hanger, for easier inspection. They were once rather well made, mostly black with some silver and green trim, and a small decorative crest about where the breast pocket would be on a shirt. The crest is now torn and stained, with only some of the letters at the bottom edge readable. 'T--j--rs P-r' The uncertain letters could be either o's or u's.

[in_the_cracks]

"Ah." Telrim nods understanding, though that does bring to mind the question of how much information they should tell the boy they have, later...

The Controller almost smiles. "It looks like a wand to me. In, ah, my universe's stories, wizards use them to cast spells."

She looks at the robes then, reaching out to touch them, fingering the tears. Good quality clothes, if an unusual kind. "Interesting that he has a family crest. Very old-school aristocrat, if his world is anything like Earth."

[3rdangel]

Mikoto has thought of that as well, but mentally filed it away as something to decide after they have more of an idea who they're dealing with.

The mention of wand use interests her. "Interesting. I sensed magic from him, however, as well as from the wand. Perhaps it acts as a focus. The first of my brother's Black Waltzes often used a bell to aid in spell channeling." A moment later, she adds, "It should be kept out of his reach until we can be certain he is not hostile."

Mikoto nods, and then examines the Dark Mark more closely. She frowns as she holds a hand less than an inch from Regulus's arm. "Perhaps the intention with this was to design wards that only those with the marking could pass. There are some aspects of it that remind me of access spells for wards."

[in_the_cracks]

"A focus? Hmm. I wonder how reduced his abilities will be without it." Telrim is intrigued by the hint at how the power may work. And in full agreement on the matter of keeping the wand elsewhere.

The filters that guard Yeerk pool entrances base their identifications on DNA and biosigns: interesting to consider the potential for a magical alternative. "So it's more than a visual signature. Like a... chip or something."

She nods at the wand. "Should I put it in the lab?"

[3rdangel]

Mikoto nods. "It could act as a recognizable energy pattern, if they are capable of sensing it. I have encountered universes where people are capable of using magic but without an innate sense of the presence of it."

"As for wand use... unknown without further study, but it will be interesting to find out," Mikoto says. "I would like to have the computer scan it for analysis, and then it can be placed in the lab." She'll touch the wall panel again, knowing a scan won't interfere with the communications upgrades. As soon as the scan is complete, she'll give Telrim a nod.