Nikolai in the Heliquary
Random oddness with Nikolai, minor personal plot points.
Also, for being a relatively new place, the Heliquary is getting quite a LOT of log-exposure. Which means it's popular!
The Heliquary
[edited out were side conversations between Lachrym and Grace about Besax]
Squizzle says, "Speaking of dangerous mustelids, hello, Nikolai."
Darkon waves to Nikolai, then bounces over and gives him a big hug!
Lachrym says, "I'm sure that he can change his size at will now."
Nikolai stagges in, and falls over at Darkon's enthusiasm.
Grace waves a couple of forelimbs in greetings to Nikolai. "I gift my name Grace." She then turns her attention back to the conversation.
Darkon giggles. "Ooo, that's a neat new look, Besax!"
Nikolai raises eyebrows. "Confusion becomes you, miss, but I don't believe, at least I don't quite think that I resemble the infamous or just famous Bonobianeater tentacle thing, hm? Though twisty curly graspy appendages could be interesting experiment, hm, yes, hm."
Lachrym looks down to Darkon. "What are you talking about a neat new look?"
Darkon giggles some more, and says, "Aww, no need to joke, Besax. I can tell it's you! You musta used alot of fur dye, though. But the coat's a nice touch. Looks alot better than the old one you normally wear."
Squizzle looks up at the wires streaming out from Nikolai's skullcap. "You seem to have several appendages about you already."
Lachrym says, "If I were Besax, you'd be dead by now.""
Darkon starts looking through Nikolai's pockets. "Where you hiding your tentacles? In here? In this one?"
Nikolai shakes his head to Squizzle, the wires bob and furl on their own. "Ah, but no graspy pre-chicken-sile reaching type, these dits and dats being required for continued streaming of self to backup, hm?
Nikolai swats at Darkon's hands. "Ai no! Don't touch things, mess up many, might explode, caution, danger, pockets deeper than hands go, too many things to discover, hm! Stop!"
Darkon giggles. "Ooo, explodey things? Where? I haven't seen explodey things since... Since I got shot and the Beast's bits went explodey!"
Grace cocks a questioning forelimb toward Nikolai. "You send memories in a continual river to your backup?"
Nikolai cocks his head to Grace. "Da, arachnilegs. Essential for DATA! In case of fire, break glass...errr, rebirth. No loss of time or patient building building of knowledge and informative information.
Nikolai pulls a large vial of pink liquid out of one pocket, and stashes it in an inner pocket out of Darkon's reach. "Hm, not do for that, safe hidden keep it locked away...er, not in THAT pocket at least.
Darkon asks, "What if there's glass spreading all over the place? Then what? What should I break then?"
Grace click-drums, "I wish to know how you do this, Nikolai."
Squizzle winces and jumps back a bit. Just the sight of anything pink puts it on edge nowadays. Like Little Albert with John B. Watson's white rats.
Nikolai glances to Grace, trying to keep his pockets closed as he does so.
Darkon ooos, and asks, "What was that pretty pink stuff, mister ferrety? Was it pop? Can I have a drink?"
Nikolai waggles a finger at Darkon. "Ah, no no no, elf-creature, it needs more, ah..." he glances at Squizzle, "...discreet testing. No need to be loose again, no I don't think so indeed, hm. "
Darkon sniffsniffs, and starts crying. "You won't let me have a taste? It looks so yummy! You're a big meany!"
Nikolai's gaze wanders back to Grace. He taps his skullcap. "Brain mind scanner uplink thingy goes back to...perpetual mindstate elsedimensional thought simulation simulcra...thingy. Queried upon immediate death minus several quints for data-time-stamp reference, new brainbody-soul Standing Wave imprinted upon new self-versionbody.
Nikolai sings softly, humming to himself, 'Along the blattered roading lies, the careful jinx of our disguise...for not to sleep is one demise, the better teeth to eat the skies...'
Squizzle says, "What sorts of experiments have you been doing recently, Nikolai?"
Darkon continues crying, barely stopping for breaths, clearly subscribing to the spoiled kid method of persuasion.
Squizzle says, "If you're still working on a counteraction to the Strangevirus, then, uh..."
Nikolai mutters, "Nutshell bounded, king of my space not infinite..." He looks up at Squizzle. "Uh? Counteraction agent crossinfected countervirus still viable, yes, hm, something needed? More information must be gathered."
Squizzle finds itself mechanically walking over to Darkon to curl up with her again. "... then... I think you'll find... that Besax's recent behaviour... will interfere with testing somewhat."
Nikolai tosses Darkon something slick and shiny, a sphere within a sphere that pulses with light.
Darkon ooos, and catches the shiny object. She rattles it around, and pokes at it, and stares at it, trying to figure out just what it is.
You say, "Hm, Strange change in the air? Besax who is obviously not-me but said elfgirl thinks I might be, he has fooled with the nature of things? What is your inherent implied or explicit meaning, infosquirrel? "
Nikolai nods to Grace. "I shall divulge much, later to you, if curiousity extends to that length."
Smoke and haze cling to Lachrym as they slip outside.
Grace click-drums, "I think my curiousity will grow to fill the length."
Smoke and haze cling to Grace as they slip outside.
Squizzle shakes its head. "It seems that Besax has taken over StrangeWarp, after a fashion. Spreading his tentacles all over the place. Even if you managed to neutralise the Strangevirus, you'd still have to deal with him. Or them. Whichever it is."
An apron, of the type worn by young girls of the Victorian period on Earth, appears on the elfgirl for a moment, just long enough for her to put the shiny object in her possession into one of its pockets.
Nikolai glances at the elf. "Curiosity informs me as well, perchance finding out what that is will be of service to me too, hm? I'm just as ignorant..."
Nikolai eyes Squizzle, eyebrows raised, whiskers twitching.
You say, "Taken...over? Indeed indeed that is news, much difference sudden change, abrupt action. "
Darkon giggles, and says, "Ooo, I know what it is... It's a shiny. Like a glitterglass."
Squizzle nods, slowly. "Unfortunately so. I doubt that such will go on perpetually, but in the meantime... well, I suppose you can try to get a sample of the Strange to experiment with, but I suspect that investigating the library itself is out of the question for the immediate future."
You say, "Besax is infection like Strange? Only rumours, having never thankfully met him, I don't know what I wish to do anymore...Strange no longer Strange, catastrophe building into wishful thinking. Hm. Finding hunting searching for mountains will burn up roast maim destroy time..."
Squizzle says, "Well, not an infection, but there is clearly more to him than the ferret face he presents to the public."
Darkon giggles, and says, "Besax is a big silly demon... I oughtta go fuck him."
Nikolai fiddles with his everpresent datapad, talking half to it and half to himself and half to the air. "Entry, new entry log data point Besax, file search all data dump to data, hm, hm yes, hm. Nasty tentacle creature, oldoldoldOld one. Architects of madness and desire and future and past and fear, Fear oh fear. Oh dear, dear.
Darkon wanders over, and out the door.
Smoke and haze cling to Darkon as they slip outside.
Squizzle shaks its head. "No, no. Don't let fear overtake you. That's the sort of thing the Architecture thrives on."
You say, "If counterStrange exists, counterBesax farther extrapolation of concept, work towards linear solution to problem or nonlinear farking about to discover what to do, what to do..."
Squizzle says, "I suspect all you have to do is continue your investigation, and wait patiently for Besax's grip to loosen."
Squizzle says, "For the Strange is a jealous virus, and not likely to submit to Besax's will for long."
You say, "Curiosity and the will to KNOW infects me as surely as the wind ever will and should. I should sample while this Besax is in operation and also when/if he is dethroned. "
Brief idly interval.
Jeremy enters, minor smalltalk, the best part was these lines.
Nikolai taps Jeremy's tail. "Also notforget mentioning mood for Bottom, hm?" He grins mischeviously.
Jeremy says, "Bottom's the easy way out. Everything eventually comes out through Bottom. u.u"
Squizzle says, "I don't think he meant that kind of bottom, Jeremy."
You say, "Eventually comes on Bottom, hm, yes. "
Nikolai points a scanner-looking device around the room.
Squizzle looks up at Nikolai's fiddling. "Do you have an idea?"
You say, "Readings...ambient mental-distortion substances here. Many many thought enhancer mindblowers. "
You say, "Might be able to use, hm, yes, combine here, mix there, potentcy multiplied. "
Squizzle says, "Most of them are quite potent already."
Squizzle says, "Darkon had a rather severe bad trip, earlier."
Jeremy says, "I don't know if you should, like, add psychoactives to your makeup, Nik."
You say, "Hmm hmm? Not internally mind-affecting, perhaps no, but extrapathy. Outwardly outside of mind flashes of cognizance senses pooled and warped into displays. You are an open book, I can read your mind from over here....it's written on your face, hm. Bright spiralshadows in blue. "
If anything was written on Squizzle's face, it would be "Confusion". It considers that. "You've tried some of Helix's wares?"
Jeremy says, "I haven't. I really don't... want to lose my sense of continuity."
You say, "Have wandered in while owners slept. No. But considered adding to them. Yes. For experiment, make drug to broadcast rather than introvert falling into self-same trip into inspace. "
Squizzle says, "You're one of those television-science-fiction fans who's obsessed with continuity, eh?"
Jeremy growls at Squizzle. "For my life, yes."
Squizzle jumps back a step from Jeremy. "Er... excuse me. I didn't mean to offend."
Jeremy sighs, rubbing the back of his head, little cloud ejecting from his muzzle, and sweatdrops, "No, it's okay."
You say, "Continuous continuity, ah! If only. Linear I am and am not, moving in fits and starts. "
Jeremy says, "And you're starting to give me a fit, Nikolai. What exactly are you up to? c.c;"
Nikolai sucks samples of dust and smoke in from various parts of the room. "Up to? Reasons for forcing though that I am up to anything? Why ask, hm?"
Jeremy looks at Squizzle pleadingly. u.u
Squizzle says, "I think Helix prefers to develop new items on his own. Their own. Whichever. But perhaps he... they... would agree to work with you. You'd have to ask him. Them."
You say, "Ah yes yes. The Helix-duo does have lab, hm? Yes, hm...samples needed...hm. "
Jatayu's ears perk.
Nikolai gets a wild look, and darts towards the lab.
He enters the lab, steps back out shortly.
Squizzle shakes its head. "I said you'd have to ask..." Then it notices Nikolai just left. "Oh, never mind."
Nikolai frowns. "Pfft! Not properlab, nothing there to see, nothing to hear, nothing to...sample. Steal...er, borrow.
You say, "Sadly lacking in experiments of tangible or material or mental sort, suspect only when Helix there is active stations. "
Nikolai produces an invisibility device, Jeremy offers to test it. Later on, he drops and loses it, Nik goes looking.
Nikolai bumps under a table. "Hm! Got...aha. Here here, yes." It somehow doesn't strike him that he's now also invisible.
Jeremy says, "Yes, you have it. And it has you."
Nikolai stands up, knocking one table over.
Jeremy says, "PoultryGoose!"
Nikolai suddenly appears, his hand moving away from the on switch. "Wha hm? Odd appellation, that. "
Squizzle winces. "Look out--" But already some containers have fallen off the tipped table and broken. "Oh, no..."
Nikolai steps in one of the spilled substances accidentally, leaving a large pawprint.
Squizzle is surrounded by some powder that was stirred up into a dust cloud by Nikolai's footstep. Ahhhhh-CHOO! It blinks a few times, eyes watering.
Nikolai sits down on a couch and holds his foot. "Ahhhhhh. This, this curious curious acclimation becomes itself in recursion, yes. Feedback centers into more and more and more, wanting more always... *KNZZT*" He sneezes as well.
Jeremy keeps to a wall.
Nikolai coughs. "Minimal maximal planetary intergalactic planetary intergalactic..."
Squizzle looks sort of vague, and then giggles a bit at 'acclimation' and 'recursion' and the 'intergalactic's. "Ooh that felt *good*. This must be that... that stuff... that sesquipe--" It grins ear to ear, laughing.
You say, "Sampling afraid I got too much sesquipedophile yes hm hm, extreme machinations fade out again before night I disinfect or reset or, ah yes, ah yes, overdose hm hm...purge. "
Nikolai scoops up the liquid on the floor and starts to ingest more of it.
Squizzle giggles and fidgets, and finally falls over on its front, woozy. "Sesquip... that again. Yeah. Machin..." It squinches its eyes tight, cackling and occasionally coughing.
Jeremy says, "We should probably get out of here... c.c;"
Nikolai grabs some other bottles from a nearby table and downs their contents too. As well as pouring some of the dusty powder into one of the liquids, making it fizz before he drinks it.
You say, "Force a force ah cascading out of control and combinatorics ooooh. Combine mix and remix, more more more more~ "
Nikolai's body twitches, convulsing from the volume of the overload.
You say, "Mind everywhere and nowhere and AHHHHH! Burningbeautybrightfireknowledge it's beautiful falling everywhere constant I KNOW EVERYTHING AND NOTHING coming into being flower opening it's not that gold, not as golden as memory, no, brighter, faster! "
Squizzle rolls over and grabs at the nearest stable object, which happens to be Jeremy's foot. "It's all too much... for me to take... the combina-pffffffft. Hee hee."
Nikolai folds in on himself, and finally collapses of toxic shock. Foam pools from his mouth and runs onto the floor.
Jeremy mrps! Drug crazed squirrel!
Jeremy runs! The maddness! @.@
Jeremy goes home.
Jeremy has left.
Nikolai, strangely, also walks in from the red door almost at the same time as his other self falls over. Barely missing Jeremy.
Nikolai prods the fallen corpse with a toe. "Alas, unstability warped inloading made for cautious upstream. I wanted to know what it was like..."
Squizzle giggles inanely... then the thump of Nikolai's body against the floor seems to awaken some low-level programming which overrides the drug's effects. It jumps up and runs over to collapsed Nikolai's side. "Oh, no!"
Nikolai taps the squirrel's shoulder from behind, standing just behind Squizzle who is still staring at his previous version.
Squizzle looks up at Nikolai, not too suprised actually, but slowly nods. "You didn't make it, huh?"
You say, "Necessity forced restart. Quickest method, barring very unique input just prior to lifegasp expiration. Alas, but I no more mourn for postversion body than I would for failed experiments. "
Squizzle nods. "I suppose that's the most pragmatic solution, yes."
Nikolai prods at the body again. It folds up and vanishes. "Silly extreme way out, but felt needed at the time. AGGGHH...." He holds his head for a moment, then the feeling passes.
You say, "Ah me, ah well, ah free, minor newversion pangs, schisms from...no, hm, can't think of him, no no. "
Squizzle blinks at Nikolai's cringing. "Feedback?"
You say, "There is, ah, always discrepencies in upstream (SHARP uncontinuity MADDENING unsense), ironed out usually, no matter, no matter! "
Nikolai waves the matter away as if swatting a fly. "To the lab I return to work to safety and...hm! To synthesize understanding of worlds places planets universes and their gut workings and puzzle peices.
Squizzle nods. "I'd best be going as well. I think I'm needed in the Museum... excuse me."
Squizzle says, "Fare well, Nikolai. And good luck."
Nikolai had to restart his reinstantition system somehow, and would likely have not been in condition to make it back to his lab to reset there. Dying through overdose was the 'easiest' way out.
Also, for being a relatively new place, the Heliquary is getting quite a LOT of log-exposure. Which means it's popular!
The Heliquary
[edited out were side conversations between Lachrym and Grace about Besax]
Squizzle says, "Speaking of dangerous mustelids, hello, Nikolai."
Darkon waves to Nikolai, then bounces over and gives him a big hug!
Lachrym says, "I'm sure that he can change his size at will now."
Nikolai stagges in, and falls over at Darkon's enthusiasm.
Grace waves a couple of forelimbs in greetings to Nikolai. "I gift my name Grace." She then turns her attention back to the conversation.
Darkon giggles. "Ooo, that's a neat new look, Besax!"
Nikolai raises eyebrows. "Confusion becomes you, miss, but I don't believe, at least I don't quite think that I resemble the infamous or just famous Bonobianeater tentacle thing, hm? Though twisty curly graspy appendages could be interesting experiment, hm, yes, hm."
Lachrym looks down to Darkon. "What are you talking about a neat new look?"
Darkon giggles some more, and says, "Aww, no need to joke, Besax. I can tell it's you! You musta used alot of fur dye, though. But the coat's a nice touch. Looks alot better than the old one you normally wear."
Squizzle looks up at the wires streaming out from Nikolai's skullcap. "You seem to have several appendages about you already."
Lachrym says, "If I were Besax, you'd be dead by now.""
Darkon starts looking through Nikolai's pockets. "Where you hiding your tentacles? In here? In this one?"
Nikolai shakes his head to Squizzle, the wires bob and furl on their own. "Ah, but no graspy pre-chicken-sile reaching type, these dits and dats being required for continued streaming of self to backup, hm?
Nikolai swats at Darkon's hands. "Ai no! Don't touch things, mess up many, might explode, caution, danger, pockets deeper than hands go, too many things to discover, hm! Stop!"
Darkon giggles. "Ooo, explodey things? Where? I haven't seen explodey things since... Since I got shot and the Beast's bits went explodey!"
Grace cocks a questioning forelimb toward Nikolai. "You send memories in a continual river to your backup?"
Nikolai cocks his head to Grace. "Da, arachnilegs. Essential for DATA! In case of fire, break glass...errr, rebirth. No loss of time or patient building building of knowledge and informative information.
Nikolai pulls a large vial of pink liquid out of one pocket, and stashes it in an inner pocket out of Darkon's reach. "Hm, not do for that, safe hidden keep it locked away...er, not in THAT pocket at least.
Darkon asks, "What if there's glass spreading all over the place? Then what? What should I break then?"
Grace click-drums, "I wish to know how you do this, Nikolai."
Squizzle winces and jumps back a bit. Just the sight of anything pink puts it on edge nowadays. Like Little Albert with John B. Watson's white rats.
Nikolai glances to Grace, trying to keep his pockets closed as he does so.
Darkon ooos, and asks, "What was that pretty pink stuff, mister ferrety? Was it pop? Can I have a drink?"
Nikolai waggles a finger at Darkon. "Ah, no no no, elf-creature, it needs more, ah..." he glances at Squizzle, "...discreet testing. No need to be loose again, no I don't think so indeed, hm. "
Darkon sniffsniffs, and starts crying. "You won't let me have a taste? It looks so yummy! You're a big meany!"
Nikolai's gaze wanders back to Grace. He taps his skullcap. "Brain mind scanner uplink thingy goes back to...perpetual mindstate elsedimensional thought simulation simulcra...thingy. Queried upon immediate death minus several quints for data-time-stamp reference, new brainbody-soul Standing Wave imprinted upon new self-versionbody.
Nikolai sings softly, humming to himself, 'Along the blattered roading lies, the careful jinx of our disguise...for not to sleep is one demise, the better teeth to eat the skies...'
Squizzle says, "What sorts of experiments have you been doing recently, Nikolai?"
Darkon continues crying, barely stopping for breaths, clearly subscribing to the spoiled kid method of persuasion.
Squizzle says, "If you're still working on a counteraction to the Strangevirus, then, uh..."
Nikolai mutters, "Nutshell bounded, king of my space not infinite..." He looks up at Squizzle. "Uh? Counteraction agent crossinfected countervirus still viable, yes, hm, something needed? More information must be gathered."
Squizzle finds itself mechanically walking over to Darkon to curl up with her again. "... then... I think you'll find... that Besax's recent behaviour... will interfere with testing somewhat."
Nikolai tosses Darkon something slick and shiny, a sphere within a sphere that pulses with light.
Darkon ooos, and catches the shiny object. She rattles it around, and pokes at it, and stares at it, trying to figure out just what it is.
You say, "Hm, Strange change in the air? Besax who is obviously not-me but said elfgirl thinks I might be, he has fooled with the nature of things? What is your inherent implied or explicit meaning, infosquirrel? "
Nikolai nods to Grace. "I shall divulge much, later to you, if curiousity extends to that length."
Smoke and haze cling to Lachrym as they slip outside.
Grace click-drums, "I think my curiousity will grow to fill the length."
Smoke and haze cling to Grace as they slip outside.
Squizzle shakes its head. "It seems that Besax has taken over StrangeWarp, after a fashion. Spreading his tentacles all over the place. Even if you managed to neutralise the Strangevirus, you'd still have to deal with him. Or them. Whichever it is."
An apron, of the type worn by young girls of the Victorian period on Earth, appears on the elfgirl for a moment, just long enough for her to put the shiny object in her possession into one of its pockets.
Nikolai glances at the elf. "Curiosity informs me as well, perchance finding out what that is will be of service to me too, hm? I'm just as ignorant..."
Nikolai eyes Squizzle, eyebrows raised, whiskers twitching.
You say, "Taken...over? Indeed indeed that is news, much difference sudden change, abrupt action. "
Darkon giggles, and says, "Ooo, I know what it is... It's a shiny. Like a glitterglass."
Squizzle nods, slowly. "Unfortunately so. I doubt that such will go on perpetually, but in the meantime... well, I suppose you can try to get a sample of the Strange to experiment with, but I suspect that investigating the library itself is out of the question for the immediate future."
You say, "Besax is infection like Strange? Only rumours, having never thankfully met him, I don't know what I wish to do anymore...Strange no longer Strange, catastrophe building into wishful thinking. Hm. Finding hunting searching for mountains will burn up roast maim destroy time..."
Squizzle says, "Well, not an infection, but there is clearly more to him than the ferret face he presents to the public."
Darkon giggles, and says, "Besax is a big silly demon... I oughtta go fuck him."
Nikolai fiddles with his everpresent datapad, talking half to it and half to himself and half to the air. "Entry, new entry log data point Besax, file search all data dump to data, hm, hm yes, hm. Nasty tentacle creature, oldoldoldOld one. Architects of madness and desire and future and past and fear, Fear oh fear. Oh dear, dear.
Darkon wanders over, and out the door.
Smoke and haze cling to Darkon as they slip outside.
Squizzle shaks its head. "No, no. Don't let fear overtake you. That's the sort of thing the Architecture thrives on."
You say, "If counterStrange exists, counterBesax farther extrapolation of concept, work towards linear solution to problem or nonlinear farking about to discover what to do, what to do..."
Squizzle says, "I suspect all you have to do is continue your investigation, and wait patiently for Besax's grip to loosen."
Squizzle says, "For the Strange is a jealous virus, and not likely to submit to Besax's will for long."
You say, "Curiosity and the will to KNOW infects me as surely as the wind ever will and should. I should sample while this Besax is in operation and also when/if he is dethroned. "
Brief idly interval.
Jeremy enters, minor smalltalk, the best part was these lines.
Nikolai taps Jeremy's tail. "Also notforget mentioning mood for Bottom, hm?" He grins mischeviously.
Jeremy says, "Bottom's the easy way out. Everything eventually comes out through Bottom. u.u"
Squizzle says, "I don't think he meant that kind of bottom, Jeremy."
You say, "Eventually comes on Bottom, hm, yes. "
Nikolai points a scanner-looking device around the room.
Squizzle looks up at Nikolai's fiddling. "Do you have an idea?"
You say, "Readings...ambient mental-distortion substances here. Many many thought enhancer mindblowers. "
You say, "Might be able to use, hm, yes, combine here, mix there, potentcy multiplied. "
Squizzle says, "Most of them are quite potent already."
Squizzle says, "Darkon had a rather severe bad trip, earlier."
Jeremy says, "I don't know if you should, like, add psychoactives to your makeup, Nik."
You say, "Hmm hmm? Not internally mind-affecting, perhaps no, but extrapathy. Outwardly outside of mind flashes of cognizance senses pooled and warped into displays. You are an open book, I can read your mind from over here....it's written on your face, hm. Bright spiralshadows in blue. "
If anything was written on Squizzle's face, it would be "Confusion". It considers that. "You've tried some of Helix's wares?"
Jeremy says, "I haven't. I really don't... want to lose my sense of continuity."
You say, "Have wandered in while owners slept. No. But considered adding to them. Yes. For experiment, make drug to broadcast rather than introvert falling into self-same trip into inspace. "
Squizzle says, "You're one of those television-science-fiction fans who's obsessed with continuity, eh?"
Jeremy growls at Squizzle. "For my life, yes."
Squizzle jumps back a step from Jeremy. "Er... excuse me. I didn't mean to offend."
Jeremy sighs, rubbing the back of his head, little cloud ejecting from his muzzle, and sweatdrops, "No, it's okay."
You say, "Continuous continuity, ah! If only. Linear I am and am not, moving in fits and starts. "
Jeremy says, "And you're starting to give me a fit, Nikolai. What exactly are you up to? c.c;"
Nikolai sucks samples of dust and smoke in from various parts of the room. "Up to? Reasons for forcing though that I am up to anything? Why ask, hm?"
Jeremy looks at Squizzle pleadingly. u.u
Squizzle says, "I think Helix prefers to develop new items on his own. Their own. Whichever. But perhaps he... they... would agree to work with you. You'd have to ask him. Them."
You say, "Ah yes yes. The Helix-duo does have lab, hm? Yes, hm...samples needed...hm. "
Jatayu's ears perk.
Nikolai gets a wild look, and darts towards the lab.
He enters the lab, steps back out shortly.
Squizzle shakes its head. "I said you'd have to ask..." Then it notices Nikolai just left. "Oh, never mind."
Nikolai frowns. "Pfft! Not properlab, nothing there to see, nothing to hear, nothing to...sample. Steal...er, borrow.
You say, "Sadly lacking in experiments of tangible or material or mental sort, suspect only when Helix there is active stations. "
Nikolai produces an invisibility device, Jeremy offers to test it. Later on, he drops and loses it, Nik goes looking.
Nikolai bumps under a table. "Hm! Got...aha. Here here, yes." It somehow doesn't strike him that he's now also invisible.
Jeremy says, "Yes, you have it. And it has you."
Nikolai stands up, knocking one table over.
Jeremy says, "PoultryGoose!"
Nikolai suddenly appears, his hand moving away from the on switch. "Wha hm? Odd appellation, that. "
Squizzle winces. "Look out--" But already some containers have fallen off the tipped table and broken. "Oh, no..."
Nikolai steps in one of the spilled substances accidentally, leaving a large pawprint.
Squizzle is surrounded by some powder that was stirred up into a dust cloud by Nikolai's footstep. Ahhhhh-CHOO! It blinks a few times, eyes watering.
Nikolai sits down on a couch and holds his foot. "Ahhhhhh. This, this curious curious acclimation becomes itself in recursion, yes. Feedback centers into more and more and more, wanting more always... *KNZZT*" He sneezes as well.
Jeremy keeps to a wall.
Nikolai coughs. "Minimal maximal planetary intergalactic planetary intergalactic..."
Squizzle looks sort of vague, and then giggles a bit at 'acclimation' and 'recursion' and the 'intergalactic's. "Ooh that felt *good*. This must be that... that stuff... that sesquipe--" It grins ear to ear, laughing.
You say, "Sampling afraid I got too much sesquipedophile yes hm hm, extreme machinations fade out again before night I disinfect or reset or, ah yes, ah yes, overdose hm hm...purge. "
Nikolai scoops up the liquid on the floor and starts to ingest more of it.
Squizzle giggles and fidgets, and finally falls over on its front, woozy. "Sesquip... that again. Yeah. Machin..." It squinches its eyes tight, cackling and occasionally coughing.
Jeremy says, "We should probably get out of here... c.c;"
Nikolai grabs some other bottles from a nearby table and downs their contents too. As well as pouring some of the dusty powder into one of the liquids, making it fizz before he drinks it.
You say, "Force a force ah cascading out of control and combinatorics ooooh. Combine mix and remix, more more more more~ "
Nikolai's body twitches, convulsing from the volume of the overload.
You say, "Mind everywhere and nowhere and AHHHHH! Burningbeautybrightfireknowledge it's beautiful falling everywhere constant I KNOW EVERYTHING AND NOTHING coming into being flower opening it's not that gold, not as golden as memory, no, brighter, faster! "
Squizzle rolls over and grabs at the nearest stable object, which happens to be Jeremy's foot. "It's all too much... for me to take... the combina-pffffffft. Hee hee."
Nikolai folds in on himself, and finally collapses of toxic shock. Foam pools from his mouth and runs onto the floor.
Jeremy mrps! Drug crazed squirrel!
Jeremy runs! The maddness! @.@
Jeremy goes home.
Jeremy has left.
Nikolai, strangely, also walks in from the red door almost at the same time as his other self falls over. Barely missing Jeremy.
Nikolai prods the fallen corpse with a toe. "Alas, unstability warped inloading made for cautious upstream. I wanted to know what it was like..."
Squizzle giggles inanely... then the thump of Nikolai's body against the floor seems to awaken some low-level programming which overrides the drug's effects. It jumps up and runs over to collapsed Nikolai's side. "Oh, no!"
Nikolai taps the squirrel's shoulder from behind, standing just behind Squizzle who is still staring at his previous version.
Squizzle looks up at Nikolai, not too suprised actually, but slowly nods. "You didn't make it, huh?"
You say, "Necessity forced restart. Quickest method, barring very unique input just prior to lifegasp expiration. Alas, but I no more mourn for postversion body than I would for failed experiments. "
Squizzle nods. "I suppose that's the most pragmatic solution, yes."
Nikolai prods at the body again. It folds up and vanishes. "Silly extreme way out, but felt needed at the time. AGGGHH...." He holds his head for a moment, then the feeling passes.
You say, "Ah me, ah well, ah free, minor newversion pangs, schisms from...no, hm, can't think of him, no no. "
Squizzle blinks at Nikolai's cringing. "Feedback?"
You say, "There is, ah, always discrepencies in upstream (SHARP uncontinuity MADDENING unsense), ironed out usually, no matter, no matter! "
Nikolai waves the matter away as if swatting a fly. "To the lab I return to work to safety and...hm! To synthesize understanding of worlds places planets universes and their gut workings and puzzle peices.
Squizzle nods. "I'd best be going as well. I think I'm needed in the Museum... excuse me."
Squizzle says, "Fare well, Nikolai. And good luck."
Nikolai had to restart his reinstantition system somehow, and would likely have not been in condition to make it back to his lab to reset there. Dying through overdose was the 'easiest' way out.