[Bastet's sitting on the couch with Mugen on her lap. She's wearing a robe over her nightclothes and her hair is pulled back in a long braid. She'd left the door unlocked after speaking to Cara.]
[She does, propping her spear up against the doorframe and taking a seat in one of the chairs. She's a little nervous about this, but it's also something she feels a need to do.]
It's about the Guard. With--what's happened recently, and the animals getting more active anyway for winter, I think we should do some kind of patrol to make sure that people are safe from predators.
[Bastet nods, listening as Cara speaks. She's silent for a moment, one hand stroking Mugen's fur.]
We don't really have enough people to add another patrol, kiddo. We've been short on manpower for a while now, and none of the applicants we're getting have worked out.
[To be honest, the last attack sounded like Tree death, and quite frankly, she held no confidence that any of them could stop that. But she wouldn't say so.]
But I'll talk to Snap; he may be able to spare some people. We can at least stick to the edges of the residential area.
[Cara nods slowly... unfortunately, it's not a surprising answer. There wasn't exactly a flood of volunteers when Bastet announced Guard positions were open again.]
Yeah... I kind of figured. Still, just keeping things away from the houses would definitely be a good thing.
There've got to be a least a few people in the Adventurers who are good at taking down monsters. I know not everyone knows how to fight them, but it probably wouldn't take more than four people at a time.
[Bastet gives Cara a faint smile meant to reassure her.]
I can think of a couple.
[Kiba and Victory, specifically. Dash might be interested as well.]
We'll see what we can do, all right? We want to help, but we've got to be realistic about our resources.
[The animals generally stayed out of the residential area, unless they were specifically sent to kill someone who'd found out too much. But if they had the manpower, and it made people feel safer, maybe it would be worth establishing.]
[Cara still isn't too clear on the difference between an animal attack and a Tree-induced animal attack--she knows it's suspicious, but all the conspiracy type of stuff is still something she has to work her head around.]
All right. I know we're undermanned and it'd be tricky to sort out.
[She smiles back a little and gets up, not wanting to keep Bastet awake.]
[Cara heads to the site of THAT TREE with Fullmetal and a farmer named Ramen with her... she's got her spear with her and is generally looking very serious. This is not a good tree.]
Be careful--if the tree does anything weird or if you think it's going to, get away from it.
[For his part, Fullmetal is no more suspicious of the apple tree than he is of any other tree here, although the rate at which it grew does seem odd. He glances over at the obviously uneasy Cara before turning back to the tree.]
It seems pretty stationary to me. Has anyone see it move or do anything strange since it started growing here?
[He still has his doubts about the dangers of a tree.]
[THAT TREE IS GOING TO TURN INTO AN EVIL OVERLORD AND START RAMPAGING AROUND AT ANY SECOND, JUST YOU WATCH. Glaring at that tree.]
Well... no, but you can never be sure with trees. It could be something else too, like the apples will turn people into monsters if they eat it or something. It's not natural.
[Ramen, meanwhile, is just calmly taking a clipping of the tree and inspecting it.]
[Nope, still not convinced there's anything seriously evil about this tree. Weird, yes, but 'weird' covers many things in Edensphere, and frankly a quickly growing apple tree is pretty low on the list of concerns.]
Corrupt into...
[He stares at Cara for a moment, completely speechless for a moment.]
I think you're letting your imagination take over.
[It creeps her out. But the fact that nobody else seems to be worried about her is starting to make her feel a little self-conscious. At least, more than irritated.]
Um... maybe. But it's still pretty strange, and it can't hurt to make sure it's safe.
[It would help if she could explain at all why the tree is giving her such a bad feeling... but apart from paranoia she isn't actually getting any other kind of bad vibes from it.]
[Well her nightmares do tend to involve forests for some reason... maybe Fullmetal has a point though. It has shown a remarkable unresponsiveness to Ramen's inspection.]
It could. But... I guess it's not doing anything. So far.
It's just weird how it grew in that spot overnight, and how fast it's growing.
[He sighs; at least he's made a little progress with the girl. She seems a little less insistent that the apple tree is bent on hellish destruction or general torment of Edensphere's residents.]
The growth rate is definitely weird, that's true. It would take an incredible amount of energy to do that.
Energy or magic, one of those. I mean... I know Edensphere does a lot of weird things, but this just seems suspicious.
[After all it is right on top of the place where the bookstore used to be, and it's an apple tree. It's just really weird and creepy that it would happen like that.
Also, it is not pretty when trees go bad. She doesn't need Edensphere to tell her that.]
[His head snaps back to look at Cara when she mentions 'magic'. He intrinsically knows that magic is not something that exists outside the realm of slight of hand and clever illusion; basically, that so called 'magic' could never have caused a tree to grow this quickly. There would be a perfectly logical explanation for it.]
I doubt 'magic' has anything to do with it...
[Although he's incapable of changing his facial features, scepticism is clear in his voice.]
It seems like something that's possible with alchemy, but [he pauses and tilts his head a little] I'm not sure it's such a good idea.
[Transmuting a non-living thing was already difficult enough, complicating it by adding so many different elements sounded like more effort than it was worth. Not to mention the fact that something about transmuting a living thing bothered him on a profound level.]
I don't see how a tree is any more suspicious than half the stuff that happens here. Being born in a goo cocoon is weirder, in my opinion.
[She's a little puzzled by his reaction to the mention of magic. As far as she knows a lot of things here have to do with magic.]
I dunno, it seems like it could be magic to me. Whatever kind the Tree uses to do all the other things that it does. But I don't know much about alchemy... I wouldn't want to mess around with it trying to make trees, though.
[She frowns at the tree. She is still skeptical of your skepticism, Fullmetal.]
Maybe. I'm still not sure about it, but as long as it doesn't... change.
[Was totally going to say 'as long as it doesn't try anything' but... yeah.]
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no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 05:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 05:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 05:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 05:15 am (UTC)[She knocks on Bastet's door a few minutes later with her spear 'cause you never know when nocturnal animals will want a snack.]
no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 05:22 am (UTC)Come in.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 05:30 am (UTC)It's about the Guard. With--what's happened recently, and the animals getting more active anyway for winter, I think we should do some kind of patrol to make sure that people are safe from predators.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 05:46 am (UTC)We don't really have enough people to add another patrol, kiddo. We've been short on manpower for a while now, and none of the applicants we're getting have worked out.
[To be honest, the last attack sounded like Tree death, and quite frankly, she held no confidence that any of them could stop that. But she wouldn't say so.]
But I'll talk to Snap; he may be able to spare some people. We can at least stick to the edges of the residential area.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 06:08 am (UTC)Yeah... I kind of figured. Still, just keeping things away from the houses would definitely be a good thing.
There've got to be a least a few people in the Adventurers who are good at taking down monsters. I know not everyone knows how to fight them, but it probably wouldn't take more than four people at a time.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 06:34 am (UTC)I can think of a couple.
[Kiba and Victory, specifically. Dash might be interested as well.]
We'll see what we can do, all right? We want to help, but we've got to be realistic about our resources.
[The animals generally stayed out of the residential area, unless they were specifically sent to kill someone who'd found out too much. But if they had the manpower, and it made people feel safer, maybe it would be worth establishing.]
no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 03:36 pm (UTC)All right. I know we're undermanned and it'd be tricky to sort out.
[She smiles back a little and gets up, not wanting to keep Bastet awake.]
Sorry about how late this was again.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 06:04 pm (UTC)Don't worry about it. It's worth pursuing; we just need to figure out how to make it work.
[She walks Cara to the door, meaning to lock it behind her.]
I'll keep you posted, all right?
UNRELATED QUICKLOG
Date: 2009-10-14 09:57 pm (UTC)Be careful--if the tree does anything weird or if you think it's going to, get away from it.
A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS
Date: 2009-10-15 01:03 am (UTC)It seems pretty stationary to me. Has anyone see it move or do anything strange since it started growing here?
[He still has his doubts about the dangers of a tree.]
DAMN YOU LJ
Date: 2009-10-15 02:02 am (UTC)Well... no, but you can never be sure with trees. It could be something else too, like the apples will turn people into monsters if they eat it or something. It's not natural.
[Ramen, meanwhile, is just calmly taking a clipping of the tree and inspecting it.]
Second time .---.
Date: 2009-10-15 02:09 am (UTC)Corrupt into...
[He stares at Cara for a moment, completely speechless for a moment.]
I think you're letting your imagination take over.
Wth, failjay
Date: 2009-10-15 02:24 am (UTC)Um... maybe. But it's still pretty strange, and it can't hurt to make sure it's safe.
[It would help if she could explain at all why the tree is giving her such a bad feeling... but apart from paranoia she isn't actually getting any other kind of bad vibes from it.]
FAILJAY FAILS AGAIN
Date: 2009-10-15 11:54 pm (UTC)There's no problem with checking on it but... Turning people into monsters? It sounds like you're going to give yourself nightmares!
[He looks over at the tree, Ramen casually poking about at it. So far, no signs of malice.]
DUN DA-DA-DUUUN!
Date: 2009-10-16 12:35 am (UTC)It could. But... I guess it's not doing anything. So far.
It's just weird how it grew in that spot overnight, and how fast it's growing.
FAILJAY MARRIES FAILBOAT, WROLD IMPLODES.
Date: 2009-10-19 09:16 pm (UTC)The growth rate is definitely weird, that's true. It would take an incredible amount of energy to do that.
*FAILTANIC THEME SONG*
Date: 2009-10-19 11:41 pm (UTC)[After all it is right on top of the place where the bookstore used to be, and it's an apple tree. It's just really weird and creepy that it would happen like that.
Also, it is not pretty when trees go bad. She doesn't need Edensphere to tell her that.]
NEAR, FAR, WHEREEEEEVER YOU ARE, I BELIEVE THAT MY FAIL WILL GO OOOON
Date: 2009-10-20 12:59 am (UTC)I doubt 'magic' has anything to do with it...
[Although he's incapable of changing his facial features, scepticism is clear in his voice.]
It seems like something that's possible with alchemy, but [he pauses and tilts his head a little] I'm not sure it's such a good idea.
[Transmuting a non-living thing was already difficult enough, complicating it by adding so many different elements sounded like more effort than it was worth. Not to mention the fact that something about transmuting a living thing bothered him on a profound level.]
I don't see how a tree is any more suspicious than half the stuff that happens here. Being born in a goo cocoon is weirder, in my opinion.
I'M FAILING, JACK!
Date: 2009-10-20 02:44 am (UTC)I dunno, it seems like it could be magic to me. Whatever kind the Tree uses to do all the other things that it does. But I don't know much about alchemy... I wouldn't want to mess around with it trying to make trees, though.
[She frowns at the tree. She is still skeptical of your skepticism, Fullmetal.]
Maybe. I'm still not sure about it, but as long as it doesn't... change.
[Was totally going to say 'as long as it doesn't try anything' but... yeah.]