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inigo [ou]

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Yeah, hello and greetings to all of us on the Voidtrecker Express. My name's Lan Jingyi for those who don't know me, and I'm still Lan Jingyi even if you know me.

( he did cup his fist to bow to the camera, but now he's waving a hand in front of himself, as if dismissing the . )

Do any of you know practical forms of practising this CPR stuff? I get the idea, and since technically we aren't supposed to go around using our energies on each other without being careful I get why it's important, but how do you practise any of this practically?

( someone fully reviewed the First Aid course after pulling together in the wake of the most recent one day exhaustion of mission assistance. only the CPR stuff is just taunting him when there's enough people mortal here he doesn't want to actively injure them worse if it ever comes up, thanks. )

Second, if anyone is................................................ of a spiritual persuasion, and is up for working with me on something involving truth telling, let me know.

( he reaches to turn off the ICP from live recording, then pauses, and pulls his hand back to point at the screen. he doesn't really think any of this is an issue, and mostly he's handling the 'don't yell at me randomly' part, but: )

Right! Third thing, I'm going flying in the garden carriage 'tonight', which means if you run through and use weather you get to deal with dripping dragon, that's not on me. Also no peeping, or shouting, both are annoying, thank you, goodbye.

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( he waits, and eventually, is rewarded with a hand that basically flutters into his, from his perspective. he doesn't do anything beyond allow a slight twitch of his fingers when there's contact, because he's weighing if he needs to talk through this, when he had with Tidus... maybe that's wiser. )

Qi for me is energy I track that's both from me and that I take in from the world around me. There's energy in everything, and if I refine it, I can use it for myself, stuff like that. When I share energy with someone who isn't a cultivator, I'm very, very carefully taking some of my internal energy and introducing it to your system.

( he waits until now to take the barest, thin trickle of his energy, reaching out mentally to brush against Idia's energy, but at the specific point of the centre of his hand. )

You'll have to accept it in, and the most you should feel is a little warmth like what you can feel right now... are you feeling it? The reasons this is dangerous are a lot of what you were saying, but even more of it is intent. If you don't trust me, if you don't trust what I can do, if you fight me when I'm giving you energy, any of that can hurt either one of us. It's not as dangerous as what happens with Ryo and how he heals, that would probably kill you both if you fought him or pulled away before he was done.

( he thinks that's about right, though Ryo would have to be the one saying it. it's more or less the impression he retains anyway. as it is, he's waiting for Idia to give some indication that he can go on, and that Idia's system itself isn't set to attack friendly-to-neutral energy brushing up against him. )

[Oh. Oh... huh, ok... interesting. While Idia's hand was still shaking at the start of it, he does seem to calm down with the realization that this wasn't much. Though he's still not fully trusting Jingyi wouldn't just, he doesn't know, grab his hand and pull him or something like that. It's something that would happen back at Night Raven College... but right now...] So would making such items then cause issues for you, provided how many and how potent they would be?

[But right, ok, this accepting it... which he has no clue how to do! But he can try not to fight it? Right? Though... it's difficult to let his guard down at all, a moment of weakness back at school was a sign for anyone to use it against Idia. Showing weakness there was asking for trouble, so in the back of his head he's still expecting this to take a turn for the worse. But he's trying! Though the trying to relax may only make him more stiff without realizing it, trying to force himself to just go along with this.] T-this really has no system equal to what my world has. You know... other than just... eating and stuff to take in energy.

( he watches Idia not entirely relax so much as change how he's tense. he doesn't bother wondering why, given he thinks it's fairly straightforward: trusting someone who is very different from yourself, in culture and experiences, is difficult. he hasn't struggled with the trust so much, not on most things, but he has in specific areas. not entirely without his own blundering playing into it too.

he starts to let that small, thin trickle of energy flow into Idia's own energy, guiding it carefully, his eyes focussing on Idia's hand. his answers are more distracted now as he's paying more attention to his 'work' than to the conversation, but he more or less responds appropriately, tracking the flow of his energy as it circulates through Idia's system. warm, in this manifestation, but also because this isn't a person with developed meridians, and Jingyi has to keep a close watch on what happens to keep things safe. )

Mm, no, but I was thinking to work with hard candies that were done, see how much they can hold, that kind of thing... anyway, isn't eating how most things get energy? Cultivators can get it more directly. The best of the best don't even eat as much, but who wants to give up food, it's pretty great. Especially chicken.

( no, he can't be distracted at the thought of chicken, but he can also... be hopeful for more chicken in the future. )

[That's... actually rather nice. It's like a full body handwarmer!] I wish I knew about this when we were on that- [Oh, well... that planet that's not there anymore... you know... lets move past that.

Idia also quiets back down as Jingyi clearly seems to be focusing, choosing to sit there silently and just focus on what was happening. It was also getting a bit easier to relax step by step. His guard isn't totally down, but if Jingyi had wanted to do something he would had by now, right? However just more questions fill Idia's head, he doing his best to just shove them aside for later, and not just reach out for his tablet to start typing them out at the same time. No, focus on what is happening, observe it, then comment on it later.

Though right now it just seemed like a nice warming technique. This had to just be one step, right? A starting point. Can't jump up to higher levels when you have no clue how to use it safely... but all it does is make Idia want to know more, and he's curious...] Can you work it to enhance the potential of mana or refill it faster?

( when you can act like a one person heater, only in a very unconventional way. he breathes out, blinking and looking back up at Idia's face as he cuts off the flow of energy, leaving what felt like a safe amount in Idia's system, still circulating, maintaining that warmth that will slowly fade. the boost to energy itself remains behind, not so much making his heart beat faster or anything go haywire: more like being smoothly made aware of having so much more energy to do than one did moments before. however one chooses to contain or guide that energy, that Jingyi has no idea. )

Huh, Mana? You'd have to describe it to me, and I'd have to figure out the feel of it. If we can do that, then we can try, see what happens. Is there nothing to work on that in the whole communal supplies stuff?

( he only pays enough attention to know some of the healing supplies there, since he largely plans to use little of it himself. granted, maybe he should be carrying more around for the rest of his friends... he can store things in his qiankun pouch as much as he needs to, right? )

Ugh, refill faster is more likely offhand, increasing potential either goes for making it more effective, or writing seals people activate, talismans and stuff. What do you use mana for?

[Idia looks to his hand he's brought back as Jingyi moves back, flexing his hand at the remaining feeling that lingered through him.

There's a lot of potential in that. He's not sure quite what yet, but it's a good start. Hmm, would the candies also have to work in stages? To build up peoples abilities to use them? Start with a warming one until they were used to it before moving onto the next? And even if it's only warmth, could that be a resource to use for cold weather missions? Ideally Idia wished he had a doctor here during this, to be able to do a range of tests to see what happened because of this. Actually, you know what, on another target, not him, he doesn't want to be the experiment...]

Hm? Oh, [Yes, refocus, a wave of a finger to bring his skull around and to float just above his hand as a ring of fire sprung forward from it to circle around the floating computer.] Mana is the primary resource wizards from my world use to produce magic, however it's a limited source that needs time to replenish between use. More powerful wizards tend to have a larger pool to draw from, but they also have to balance that with using more powerful magic. [It would be only something he should have access to in regards to those from his world, the temptation of too much magic use and blot accumulation for the two new comers would be too risky. Not that Idia so far has had a need to boost his mana, but it's an interesting future idea. Right now he would rather just hang out at the back during missions, not face forces head on.]

( jingyi leans back, his tail returning to a ticktock flopping to the outside of the booth's table. watching that skull, too, commenting offhand: )

Looks like what demonic cultivation should...

( for many reasons, not the least being what respect paid to remains should be ends up crossing over with images of the dead, or what should be at least connected to the rest of a body. not that he thinks so literally, but it's a thought that comes to mind. )

So you want to refill the pool faster, but mana, is it something around here? Does it replenish in you naturally, over time, so there'd be some way to give you the right kind of energy so that it replenishes? How does that deal with the stuff that happens from magic going all not-great?

Hm? [Idia asks as he allows the fire to fade away, but only to cycle through other elements, blending into water, then to leaves and vines, and finally a purplish black energy, before those too vanished into nothing.] Elemental magic is considered demonic in your world? [No accusation or anger behind it, just sounding curious to learn details.

He then mulled over the options as he answered.] I would be curious to know if it's possible. If we have a mission where I burn through all my mana I wouldn't be able to do much, [Idia clearly is not one capable of physical attack or defense. He does curl his lip up at that thought though.] Not that I should get to the position as Orange... [Though he has been involved in some rather violent stops already... as much as he had hated it.] It refills naturally over time, those who push themselves too much can take days to recover if they're not careful. I don't believe it comes from an exterior source, at least none any different from stamina or similar that just require rest and food.

['the stuff that happens'? Oh!] Oh, blot? A-ah, I, ah, I don't... really gotta worry about that. [Idia's tone dropping low as he answers, hunching back into his shoulders as he curled around his legs again, hugging them to him.]

Elemental? ( a blink. ) No, just stuff dealing with resentful energies. Making use of the dead's energies to do stuff. Really, the truly demonic cultivation destroys others' spirits forever. They can't reincarnate.

( There's not enough left for them to be able to, left outside the cycle of all things, all energies. )

What I'm familiar with is called that, but it isn't really that. Then you also do stuff like absorb the energies of the dead, or people's deaths, to make yourself stronger, it's not good stuff.

( Which is an incredibly vague way of talking about it, but delving into true demonic cultivation versus the accusations levered at Wei Wuxian takes time and nuance. He doesn't presume something of his world holds that much interest to anyone not from a parallel of it. )

Orange gets dragged into things too. ( He shrugs. ) Better to train so we're all prepared, right?

( Either way, mana sounds like it could be a form of energy; maybe qi can help with it regenerating faster, or be used as mana? Ugh, a headache of his to try and figure that out at the drop of a hat... easier to make candy and be done with it as energy boosts! Plus that sounds more amusing and less potentially disastrous. )

Oh, is that related to your clan's skills? The reason why your clan runs around cleaning up blot messes and rewriting people's memories?

( Which does unnerve him, but in a distant sense. Idia's clan isn't on Lan Jingyi's world, and his memories are not the one's in question, so everything is fine and nothing's terribly not okay. )

Resentful energies? [Really?] Was it because I did fire first? [Resentful 'energies' felt like it was something that would fit into blot more than magic in Idia's world, or at least negative emotions. Magic wasn't good or bad, it was up to who used it and how.] Hmm, I mean, one of our Greats in my universe is the God of the Underworld, but the basic magics don't have typical interaction with the dead. [Was there others who did do stuff with it... well... magic in Idia's universe worked on anything a wizard could imagine, so who knows what some would think up to do with it.]

Well I'm certainly not a fighter... [Idia grumbled out, well aware of his lack of physical abilities. It was never a field he was interested in and had no intent on learning it. He hated physical activity. Worst case Idia has and still plans to just hide behind whatever team was supposed to be guarding Orange at the time. That was their job, let him stick to Orange stuff.

Idia... hates talking about this, he really does... especially considering he was here to try and stop Jingyi from talking about what he's already told him, only to keep adding more to it...] Our curse, [He grumbles out softly.] We... ah, we... we burn blot, it's why we were placed to watch over those who fall to it. [It's a horrible fate to have... all these wizards who can do whatever they want, train to be whatever they want, but the Shrouds were the ones always cleaning up their mess. Testing to find better ways to prevent blot, better ways to recover from it. Containing those who couldn't be saved... Idia hates it all... but he's accepted it.] W-w-we're the most resistant to it.

Nah, it's because skulls aren't respectful images to portray in elemental magic, it's a desecration of the whole of a body.

( because it misses all the rest of the body... it's a thing, okay. he says this levelly, not making it an accusation so much as stating what is fact to him. )

So I wondered if it was formed from resentful energies. It's one of the forms a decently strong one can take.

( like this explains too much. he tilts his head listening to the blot burning, squinting after this explanation. )

Most resistant doesn't mean immune. So what, it gives you time to work out how to null this whole blot issue, but I don't think you also only use blot? Unless burning it uses it? Or just renders it not harmful to others, and the whole, clean up people's messes and memories thing your clan does. Which you will not do to me, ever.

( he says this, looking idia dead straight in the eye. it's not a suggestion. for jingyi, this is never something allowable. ask a certain ancient pain in his ass about it sometime, elidibus learned what even peeking through his memories without permission earned as a response. )

Still, does that mean you have to burn the blot from the two new guys who just showed up, if they do magic that creates it? What does that actually do to you?

[Oh... Oh!] Oh?! You mean this? [Idia grabbing his computer and holding it in his hands, the skull instantly going still as it registered he was holding it.] I mean... I guess I can see that. I did kind of base it on Hades and his designs... but it's just a computer, ah, I mean I made it. [A bit of pushing and prodding here and there before Idia removed the face plate of it to show the insides to Jingyi, the circuitry lighting up as it went about it processes, and encircling around a blue gem.] It's just a tool.

[Idia's quiet as he drums his fingers nervously against the sides of the computer.] I-I-I know it's not, ah... full immunity... [All too well...] And no, it just... burns it off without any benefit. [Though any sad thoughts Idia had towards that was side tracked for a moment with Jingyi's determined look, Idia staring back at him, before a hint of a smile and a low chuckle.] I couldn't even if I wanted to, I don't have access to the Lethe system here. I can't go wiping anyone's memories without it... And that's hardly the first thing I would try and get from STYX if given the chance.

[A sigh as Idia moved on, placing the skull computer down on the table top and leaving it there, it sitting still rather than moving to hover like normal.] No, the way STYX aids in blot recovery is done via magical tech unrelated to the Shroud curse. The curse is only meant to protect us, not others. [It may be weird to use the words 'curse' and 'protect' together, but it was only one element of it...] As long as they keep their use to their normal rate, and use their wands, they'll be fine. I doubt either of them are a real threat with overblotting, it normally only happens to the most powerful of wizards, and Ruggie and Sebek are not those.

( he plants his hands on the table to really lean forward and stare inside the whole thing, making an oooooh sound that didn't indicate he got what all the circuitry did, but that he understood the function of having it all.

he looks back to Idia to ask: )

What would be the first?

( If he had the chance to get something from Sticks. the computer being set on the table means Jingyi reseats himself, tail flicking in the area to the table's open side. )

Assume missions will mess that up. These places we go don't play by our home logic, right? Some are so against us their simple energy resists us existing there. So what happens, do you have that magical tech you mention in case one or the other goes blotty?

[Hmmm, what would be his first? Well... Ortho, clearly, but after him... hmm, it's a good question.

One totally shoved to the side as Jingyi spoke, Idia's attention turning to those questions and... Oh gods... Ugghhhh, he was right, wasn't he? Ruggie and Sebek shouldn't be a risk of overblot at all normally, but this train and its stops aren't normal! They should be fine, unless they arrive on a world where they send their magic and blot levels haywire somehow. There's a low sound of frustration from deep in Idia's throat as he slapped his hands over his face, his mouth still visible between them as it pulled back into a very toothy snarl and he hissed out a long, drawn out, 'fuuuccccckkkkk'. He rarely swears out loud, mostly it stayed in his head, or in shit talking online when he had the chance back home, telling scrubs to get good and all that. But this...

This is going to be so much more work for him! And to do it in a way without telling either Ruggie or Sebek.

Fuck!

Idia let out a groan as he dragged his hands down his face, fully slumped in his seat and looking ready to just give up on everything.] ...I'm going to have to buy blot recovery items from home... or the materials to make them. [This suddenly got so much more complicated than he had thought!]

( he snorts at the drawn out cursing, the translation for that one easy, direct. )

Duties of being an heir. Sucks to be responsible, doesn't it?

( rhetorical question, because it is what one does, regardless. there's a need, idia clearly must rise to meet it. )

Do they need to be so special? Remember that whatever's true on your world, we're in Voidtrecker Express space. Different people have all kinds of stuff and solutions. Plus, you need to warn those guys, however annoying you or they find each other. Even ignoring what your curse thing does, you still are someone who wields magic, you may as well bring it up as a concern you're dealing with. Even if they won't know what kind of dealing with it means to you compared to them.

[There's just a groan to confirm Idia's answer to that question.

Then considering this all.] I'm not sure, I haven't exactly been investigating blot while I've been here... [Hmm... maybe he will have to start doing so. UGH! That's not fun! Idia just wants to make his toys, and his new tech ideas, and his games, not... actually doing his job.

Idia reaches out for his computer again, fiddling around to reassemble it and allowing it to float back up to bob in the air next to him as he waved a hand to bring up a couple of holoscreens to type on and read off, taking notes as he thought out loud.] I guess I can start investigating it, or if anything is similar to it. I'm not sure if I can entirely find blot recreated from other worlds, but maybe elements of it. It seems the concept of negative energy crosses over multiple universes, so maybe there's a solution in that somewhere. Oh, does your world deal with that? It sounds like it does.

[Then to the topic of telling Ruggie and Sebek, Idia's lip curling up with that.] Oh yeah, I really want to spell out exactly who I am, that's why I'm here telling you to keep your mouth shut about everything I've said. [The sarcasm dripping off each of those words. Why would he tell them?! How would he? 'Hey, so I'm the big boss of a secret organization that deals with blot and I'm going to be monitoring you from now on to make sure you don't drown in blot or become a threat to anyone else.' Yeah, not happening. Sure... he may be able to go about it another way, the caring third year looking after the first and second year student... but that is so not Idia. It would be so OOC of him! He can't do it!

Then mumbling to himself.] I should make some trackers to put on them... [He's not sure how he would put them on them... but it's not a bad idea.]

Stop sounding creepy...

( said with a partial almost smile and a sigh. )

If it's any consolation, you'd just be telling people from two worlds like but not actually yours, so then if they remembered anything they'd get to go mess with another Idia, until you all changed their memories there. Or something.

( but he's leaning back, tail thwapping against the floor in a set, slow rhythm. )

Negative energy is a thing, yeah. Not the same as resentful energies, you can be alive and filled with negative energies. Resentful energies means the ones that linger after death, stuff that ties a spirit to the living world, instead of just things that might come from one person. If you were giving off resentful energies, you'd be possessed, back home.

[Jingyi had a point, it wouldn't be him that would have to put up with it if they were able to actually go back with their memories intact. And even if they did, Idia really had no love for himself, so why would he for another version of himself? He's got his own shit to deal with without dealing with the idea of cleaning up the mess for another him.

So the more important factor, if ignoring the other 'him', was,] Yeah, but until they leave I have to put up with them. I don't want to explain all that. I don't know how to start. [Well, Idia did, but only in STYX setting. And there it really didn't matter, you just told them enough to keep the patient calm and to make them follow along with the experiments. It's not like they remember any of it afterwards anyways.

Idia still jumps at that tail thwap the first few times, but realizing what it was and that it kept a stead beat, he gets used to it until it becomes background noise.] What about negative energies that take on a form all by themselves after killing the person they come from? [Had Idia explained Phantoms yet to Jingyi? He's not sure. Maybe. Really, it was a lot to cover. And... Jingyi was actually doing well to understand it, despite the differences between their worlds. It's not like Idia has one of the STYX scientists to bounce ideas off here, though Jingyi wasn't doing poorly at it.] Phantoms are a manifestation of Overblot. If not stopped they feed off the hosts magic until it runs out and the wizard's body disappears. [A bit of an angry sigh from Idia as he considers his own way of phrasing it.] The hosts just act as a flowerbed for the Phantom to bloom and taken nutrients from.

You explained it all to me, and I have no idea about your world, how hard is it to explain to people who get how magic works there?

( said with a squint, not so much an accusation as pointing out that explaining to a stranger is only easier for emotional load, not for explanatory load. he can get it, but also, sees no point avoiding a problem that only is a problem out of... well, that. not wanting to find a way to start a conversation.

jingyi is not someone who suffers from that to ooften. )

Mm, not that. You die and can leave all your energies behind as a big negative thing that has its own form, but unless you killed yourself, doesn't work like that... oh.

( A pause, and he glances away. )

Unless you qi-deviate, though it's not the negative energies necessarily causing that.

( he's looking back at Idia when it comes to flowerbed Phantoms. )

So there's no way to salt the flowerbed's earth, huh?

It's not that they won't get it, [Well... Sebek may not? Idia's not sure how much he knew, the Briar Valley which Sebek was from wasn't exactly known for the knowledge of technology, they didn't even have electricity! But magic they knew, so maybe... Then again, that wasn't the point of this all,] It's them wondering how I know so much about it! I don't want them asking those kind of questions! [Idia does not do well under pressure like that...

But whatever, moving on.] How is that normally dealt with? Or is it so rare there is no system in place for it? [Honestly, Idia's not expecting having to deal with actual Phantoms here, well... short of a random stop ruining that all, and he really doesn't want to spend points on the tools and charging stations that he could get from STYX to deal with Phantoms. So who knows, maybe how Jingyi's people deal with their... negative energy beings might help. However, Idia would rather focus on it from another angle; prevention.]

Ideally a wizard would never overblot to create a Phantom, that's why we use gems to channel our magic use through. Once it happens... it's rare for the wizard to be saved... though they been managing to do it somehow at Night Raven... [Idia's... still not quite sure how that is happening, how the five who have overblotted so far have recovered from it, that shouldn't had happened without outside assistance. But... it did.

Then him muttering to himself.] I still don't understand how Night Raven has had so many overblot in the first place... it's supposed to be a rare event, not just... anyone able to do it. [A long, annoyed sounding sigh as he slumped back in his seat.] Too many troublesome children causing problems for me...

Tell them you've been studying up on it? I assume as an heir you've had to study.

( it's what heirs do, he's pretty sure. you always study more and work harder unless you're trying to outrun your duty, in which case you didn't study at all and probably went around visiting wine houses or something. )

Ah, qi deviations? If someone's on hand, they send their energy into you to try and calm your energies down and keep you from destroying yourself.

( nothing about it is simple or safe, but it is the only way to deal with it, and there's no real system to watch out for... it's not so common, all things considered, but he's heard it was once an issue. maybe it would be again? maybe it was in different sects? maybe it had been before the recent war... but his understanding of that comes with complicated memories and some revisions he's not even aware of. )

I dunno, maybe your Night Raven is purposefully making it happen. Sounds like a mystery for solving when you're back home to last, oh so elderly child.

They don't know I'm an heir! That's the thing! [Idia barking that out as he straightened for a moment with that need to lash out, again, more at the situation than Jingyi himself, before resettling in his seat once again.] It's not my fault no one seems smart enough to realize I'm part of that Shroud family... [Idia doesn't know how or why, but he's not against people not realizing it. He's guessing most wouldn't even consider he was part of such an important and wealthy family, they just assumed he was some shut in, and that worked for Idia.] Plus it's a secret organization, all people know the Shrouds for are being rich based on our oil and rare metals businesses. Most don't look beyond that. [An aggravated sigh out.] Most focus on the Jupiter Company anyway, not us... by design. [The Shrouds were designed to stay in the shadows, after all, not to stand out.

Mulling over that information and... Idia dismisses it,] Once a person overblots it's unlikely they will recover from it, so treatment during the process is ill advised without specialized tools, and by the time they would get to them it's normally too late, then all that can be done is containment. Prevention still seems my best option... [Which Idia can do. He'll just have to keep a close eye on those other two while they are here.]

Ehhh, [Idia signed out, an unamused look shot Jingyi's way with that last comment,] I can't see why they would want to... it doesn't benefit them anyway... whatever. [But he's right, it's not a problem for Idia right now, not while stuck here.] Not my problem now.

So work on prevention, you know what you need way better than I do.

( he's not particularly concerned, but also: he... doesn't have reason to be, as far as he knows. maybe if he ends up becoming close friends with either of the new guys from idia's world, but who knows? not him, that's for certain.

more things he's not fussed over, one way or another. )

I didn't say they wanted to, but someone else might, with them as a focus. You never know, and you won't, 'cause you're here for now anyway.

( another pause. )

We good, then?

Yeah, we are... [Assuming of course Jingyi keeps to his word.] As long as you keep quiet. [It's not said as a threat, more as if Idia assumes this will somehow fall through and not work at all. Nothing personal to Jingyi, Idia's not calling you a liar... just all too use to stuff not going his way.

Oh, also, as Idia shuffles himself out of that seat.] Let me know if you go ahead with that candy idea. It sounds interesting.

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sadly picture darker than wanted, but best screenshot I could get

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