And the branches to hands (Open)

[closedcircuit]

Who: Ky Kiske and OPEN
Where: The island
When: July 12th
What: Ky wakes from his coma, and needs a minder (or a sparring partner)
Style: Use what you're comfortable with.

Waking up from a sleep coma is never a pleasant experience: there's always the residual taste in his mouth, the fear that he's missed something that would have benefited from his presence, and the sinking fact that he's still in Vatheon, instead of where his duty truly dictates he ought to be. This time is worse (much worse, though Ky wouldn't acknowledge that part of it), because he'd woken up and found that not only had Sol gone posting to the SFC about science, of all things, but that when Ky tries to contact him he can't, in that particular way of the bubble letting people know someone has gone.

He can't figure out if he should be glad or not about the news, knowing what Sol might do in their world, but he also can't stay in his apartment and think about that, so he doesn't.

He grabs Fuuraiken and heads for the island instead, to run through some sword forms, to try to find reassurance in the constancy of magic and the sharpness of the blade.

He finds himself having to stop frequently, more out of shape by the coma than he'd thought. Or perhaps he should have eaten something before heading straight to do this, but he needs to keep his mind off of Sol being gone. He stumbles in a step, takes a breath, and tries to keep going.

Comments

[copesetic]

Albert's been spending quite a lot of time up on the island lately. It feels more natural than the city below the water, less closed in despite the curve of the bubble still looming on the horizon. He also tends to run into people less up here, something for which he's a little grateful. he plans on leaving as soon as he can so there's really no use in forming attachments.

But he can't help but be fascinated at the way this man moves with the sword. True, it seems he's rusty, but as one who's seen the measure of war with guns and missiles, a sword fighter is something of a novelty. It wouldn't do much to protect someone on a real battlefield, not in his age, but the blond seems to be dressed as some sort of paladin. It could be that technology hasn't progressed to the point that Earth's has.

After seeing a gout of lightning racing across the flat of the blade, Albert reassess that estimation. Perhaps the sword is mechanical in some way, emitting a powerful electric charge when used in a specific manner. An odd progression for the technology to take, but not illogical if the science developed in a certain way.

Because what could it be, other than science?

He's so intrigued that he doesn't realize he's staring quite openly. Hopefully Ky doesn't mind...

[closedcircuit]

Ky's aware enough that he's been joined -- he's a little out of it still, but not that much, or he never would have allowed himself to touch his blade in this state, or reached for the magic that requires so much of his control -- but he finishes up his form first, flowing into the final moves with a bit more comfort, the pulse of the lightning in his blood pushing him through the movements.

Since he doesn't want to send the charge towards where it might hit anyone, for the final move Ky lifts his sword, sends a burst towards the sky, not fast enough to look quite like a lightning bolt in reverse, but the idea is there.

Then he lets his sword drop to his side. Vatheon isn't very hostile, and this man doesn't seem to be inclined that way (and the sword can be raised again if it has to be).

"Can I help you?" It's politely said, if a bit awkward, as if the man were just looking for directions and decided to stop near a sword-fighter for it.

[copesetic]

Whoops. Albert runs a hand through the fringe at the back of his head self consciously. "Sorry, I didn't realize I'd been watching for so long. That's an interesting ability you have."

If he's caught, he may as well be honest about why he was watching. The guy doesn't seem to be angry that he has an audience, and if it does turn out that the blond is hostile, Albert can handle himself. He'd just rather not.

[closedcircuit]

Ky's certainly not aggressive, and he relaxes his grip on the sword at the answer to the question. This man seems friendly enough, and curiosity about the other inhabitants of Vatheon is no sin.

"Lightning magic seems even rarer here than it is on my own world, it's true." Ky's face is open and earnest. He doesn't recognize this person, and he's not opposed to making some new connections.

[copesetic]

"Magic?" Well. That's a new one. As far as he's concerned, magic doesn't exist. The supernatural is only the scientific before a discernible explanation can be found.

He doesn't want to offend this guy though, even if he has the suspicion his leg is being pulled. "I can't say I've ever seen the like."

[closedcircuit]

Not making any mention of science is a decent start to not offending Ky, but the man can hear the skepticism at the idea of magic, and it makes him feel some sharp piece of amusement that he suppresses.

"It is what brought you to this city, although mine admittedly takes a very different form." Ky bites back a sigh. "I can't use it to go back home." Perhaps Sol could have used the forbidden sciences to... He wouldn't though, would he?

[copesetic]

"I see. I hadn't thought of it that way." Probably because magic isn't a thing but telling someone that with powers that they deem magical is like telling a devout Christian God is a lie. He's not going to tread there.

"Considering they pulled us all here, I figure they'd have take precautions to make sure we couldn't leave, otherwise that would defeat the purpose." He keeps his smile, but it turns a bit chilly at that.

[closedcircuit]

Exactly, don't be rude. (Not that Ky would be terribly polite himself if the subject came up, so it's probably better for everyone that things stay as they are, except that the other topic the man brings up is no less appealing to him, putting his thoughts as it does in mind of Sol.)

"Some people do leave, but it seems as though they pick those as arbitrarily as they picked us to be brought here in the first place."

[copesetic]

"Possibly to keep us all on our toes." He sighs. "In the mean time, it's all we can do to look for our own ways out. May I ask where you're from that magic is so prevalent?"

That's as polite a way he can think to ask as any.

[closedcircuit]

Ky inclines his head. What if that's what Sol did, then took it without any thought of anyone else? It seems like the sort of thing he might do, but Ky doesn't know what his power truly is.

"Earth, but I'm given to understand that my Earth isn't necessarily the same as others."

[copesetic]

If it had been earlier in his stay, Albert may have been surprised or confused by the answer, but after talking with Walter at length he just takes the assertion in stride. "It's likely. As far as I know there's no real magic on the Earth I'm from."

And y'know, maybe there is some alternate Earth out there where magic instead of science governs the world. It's definitely a possibility, he guesses, but he finds it unlikely. More accurate that perhaps there's an alternate Earth in which Humans evolved to control the forces of nature and it could be explained through scientific means, but it really amounts to the same thing. "Just card tricks, things like that."

[closedcircuit]

"It must be very strange for you to be in this place, then. As far as I've been able to tell, it's quite common from a number of worlds." Ky may be seeing a biased sampling, particularly with those who volunteer to help out with the Defense Force, but he knows the coral helps people to continue to be able to use their magic, and it seems like so many people need it for that.

He can't imagine not having his own powers, but he can picture how much that would reduce his effectiveness. "But most people are friendly enough, so I hope you haven't run into any trouble."

[copesetic]

"I haven't really encountered much like your magic so it hasn't been all that strange so far save for getting pulled here in the first place," Albert's sample has been biased the other way; most of who he's run into have been high level scientists or technicians. Or teenagers. Or both.

"How long have you been here? If that's not too invasive."

[closedcircuit]

"Have you been here very long, and gotten to know other people well? Some, I've noticed, are more cautious about showing their magic, or simply don't have a very flashy sort." Ky will freely admit that his makes for a nice show, beyond the substance to it.

"I've been here for over a year and a half, now."

[copesetic]

"A long time, then. I arrived less than a month ago." He frowns. The more he meets people, the more he finds have been here for quite some time, and that's not exactly good news. "Hopefully it hasn't been too unpleasant. I'm fairly wary of these curses to tell the truth. Everything I've heard since coming here is unsettling but seeing people in one piece after so long is something of a comfort."

[closedcircuit]

"The unpleasantness...varies." This man doesn't know him, almost certainly doesn't know Sol, and that makes it a little easier to confide in him. "People who aren't here any longer just go back to the worlds they came from, as far as we can tell. But I've suffered...little enough by the way of serious injury or trauma." And he's totally over the rest of it, so that's what matters, right?

[copesetic]

"That's good." It's a lame reply and he knows, but he's really not certain of what else to say. Well, except they haven't exchanged names yet. It would be nice to know, in case they have cause to band together should a curse prove worse than has happened before.

"I'm Albert, by the way. Albert Heinrich." He offers his gloved right hand to shake, inwardly pleased that he can introduce himself more casually as his name instead of his number as he usually does in times of strife. Maybe it's strange, but there's something about all of the denizens of Vatheon being strange and foreign in the first place that make him just a little less concerned with which moniker to use.

[closedcircuit]

"Ky Kiske," Ky says, and he's never really learned to work without a title, which is part of why he doesn't stop there. "Co-commander of the Vatheon Defense Force.

He reaches out his hand to shake the other man's, his skin still buzzing with a small amount of static that he's too attuned to for it to register as anything as out of the ordinary.

[copesetic]

He'd thought the energy had simply been centered around the sword and the hilt had to be insulated somehow, so it doesn't occur to him there would be a static charge strong enough to be noticeable left. Unfortunately, in this case, he's dead wrong.

The moment he clasps hands with Ky there's a bright lance of electricity that arcs from Ky's hand to Albert's like a Tesla coil, burning a long tear in the thick glove in which he'd been hiding his fully metallic hand. He clasps his left hand over it quickly, but it's already too late. There's no way Ky didn't see.

[closedcircuit]

Ky opens his mouth to say something else, but claps it shut again when the lightning arcs, when it's clear that there's no flesh under this man's glove, that perhaps there's no man there at all.

Ky steps back, quickly, sword ready to be drawn in an instant. "Explain yourself," he asks, demands.

[copesetic]

The frown that crosses Albert's face is not only deep but frustrated. He'd started to believe that maybe people didn't care so much about cyborgs and aliens and whatall here, given that anyone who'd found out about his condition so far (which are admittedly few) had taken it in stride and moved on. Apparently he was sorely mistaken given the blond's battle-ready posture.

With a small but weighty sigh, Albert removes the tatters of the glove to reveal his metal digits, the fingers glinting dully in the sun. "I'm a cyborg, the result of technologic manipulation on a human being."

He'll explain more if Ky asks, but it's not a topic he's fond of or terribly comfortable with if the look on his face is any indication.

[closedcircuit]

Ky doesn't shift an inch, but the look on his face is suddenly something more than simply wary. It's a combination of disgust and pity. This man doesn't look like a gear, but the concept is very clearly the same. (And Ky's known gears he can respect like Sol and if Albert's here, if he's talking here now, clearly has self-determination, then he very likely falls into a category like that, like Dizzy.) At least he's not a robot clone.

"What was the justification they gave for the manipulation?" he asks, and then "Is there a commander who could show up here and demand your loyalty regardless of your opinion?"

It's important to factor in how much of a threat he is.

[copesetic]

"The justification?" He laughs, a chill and bitter sound with no mirth in it. "I was made as a tool of war so they could profit from the conflict. How's that for justification?"

For all he seems to find it laughable, Albert's fists are clenched tightly and his body rigid. This is the last thing he'd intended to share, the very last thing he needed but he can't fault Ky for his wariness or his questions. He would do the same, confronted with an unknown. Assess the threat.

Albert takes a slow breath and lets it out through his nose. "He's dead, though I guess that has little baring on whether he could show up here. But he can demand my loyalty all he wants, it doesn't mean he'll get it. They have technology to disable me, not control me."

He specifically only mentions himself, refusing to give away that any of his teammates are also present in the bubble should these answers not satisfy Ky.

[closedcircuit]

Ky shook his head, letting his hands relax a little at his side, despite the tension. None of it could be directed at Albert, not right now. He knew this sort of situation too well.

"That's a pretty poor justification, is what I think." Ky let sympathy overcome his face for a moment, before he firmed up, decision more or less made. He couldn't hate someone for how they were created -- even if he could retain a certain level of wariness -- only for what decisions they themselves had made, if they were capable of them.

And it was clear what this man thought of his existence as a weapon.

"Should you require any assistance when he shows up, I'd be happy to help."

[copesetic]

He doesn't have time to marvel at Ky's sudden change in demeanor despite him now knowing what Albert is. His words are suspect. "When he shows up? do you think it's likely?"

If Skull can chase them from beyond the grave to here they really will never be free of Black Ghost...