FJ Tissant, natah, Sabina talk. Part 2

Sabina	    Sabina  "Ah. I feel that would have been a issue regardless of this initiative."
	Sabina	    Arkalest    "It'd be even more so now.."
	Sabina	    Sabina  "I must admit my ignorance then, how does this make things worse?"
	Sabina	    Arkalest    "It would be seen as us picking back up the pace and bringing ourselves back to speed- Threatening their area of competence."
	Sabina	    Sabina  "Ah. And how would you like me to best deal with the issues that come about of that fear?"
	Sabina	    Arkalest    "I would like for you to spend more time developing your knowledge of the region before addressing this."
	Sabina	    Sabina  "Of course ma'am."
	Arkalest	"if you have any questions pertaining hat I just said, feel free to ask them."
	Sabina	"Do you have any suggested reading materials and areas of study I should look at in particular?"
	Arkalest	"A Conspiracy of Wasps by Holmer Saedis, a local AR author. It will be enlightening about the current situation, but be sure to follow that through with more readings and viewings of news"
	Sabina	nods "I intend to subscribe to some of the NM News feeds as well."
	Arkalest	She nods. "I neededn't tell you to watch out for the quality ones. "
	Sabina	nods
	Arkalest	"Anything else?"
	Sabina	"Not on the present topic, though I have something I wish to discuss with about the Instrument."
	Arkalest	 "Go on.."
	Sabina	"It started after I spoke with Natah, I went to meditate on this course of action. And. . well I fell into a deep trance, that wasn't so strange, it's happened before. But it was when I started to dream. I dreamed of a beach covered in. . ash and mud. I could see 13 others hanging in the sky on crosses, some of the previous Keepers. And when I turned around, I saw my home, but worn and old,...
	Sabina	...covered in the same muck and ash. And then I . . heard a voice, the Keeper before my teacher, we spoke. It took some prodding to remind him of who he was, but he was fully conversant." [Tuissant? Is Natah cleared about the other Instramentalist? I spoke with her as well, before I spoke to the Keeper.]
	Arkalest	[They are in the know. ] "And this is....Interesting. Not fully unexpected, but interesting nonetheless. "
	Arkalest	Tuissant closes her eyes and taps her fingers together. "How did the environ feel to you?"
	Arkalest	"Was it hostile? Welcoming? Indifferent to your presence?"
	Sabina	"Neither, it simply was. But it felt, unclean, profoundly unclean and wrong. The other Instrumentalist was there, in a sense and we spoke. She agreed that it wasn't as it should be."
	Arkalest	Tuissant's eyes widen for a moment, and her lips set in a straight line.
	Arkalest	Then in something that is almost certainly not a smile. She raises two fingers and traces a triangle. "I must check on something, but- While I do that, Natah will give you a sort of..Lesson:"
	Arkalest	The Delphian turns thheir attention to you. "Its wrongness was not in the geometry of the place, was it?"
	Arkalest	"Did space appear distorted?"
	Sabina	shakes her head.
	Sabina	"Not that I am aware of. It was more. . Imagine standing in a defiled shrine. The much was part of it, but I think there was something deeper running than that."
	Arkalest	"And perhaps it was. The Instrumentals are peculiar in the fact that their interface draws heavily upon thhe user's psyche and intellect to create a host of symbols they can read."
	Sabina	nods
	Arkalest	The Delphian extends a hand, pointing at your wrist. "What you saw was possibly your brain showing you icons associated with death and decay."
	Sabina	"I see."
	Arkalest	"It is another reason why  most of all non-Delphians are eventually lead to madness when using it. Your neural architecture can not simply interpret what you are being shown."
	Arkalest	Meanwhile Tuissant is leaning back, staring in the distance as she taps her thumbs together. Natah places a finger against their own temple. "And it is why it can not be simply fixed through neurosurgery."
	Arkalest	"You may  think of the Instrumental as simply being silent for the vast majority of time, but it is still conducting a vast interplay with your neural matter."
	Sabina	"Unseen but not unworking."
	Arkalest	"Indeed. it is why it is so quick to the draw, so to speak."
	Arkalest	They lower their head. "Moreover, with the matter of the psionic imprints, it appears that your ancestors share the same viewpoint to an extent."
	Sabina	"Not unexpected, each Keeper is apprenticed under the previous for several years of training, barring unfortunate circumstances."
	Arkalest	"Were there any buildings that did not feature in your clan's history? I assume the answer is "yes."
	Sabina	"There was a sort of monolith in the distance. But that was it."
	Arkalest	"it may be a particular traumatizing or important memory, the echo of which was trasmtited down the line."
	Sabina	"I can only trust your judgement in this manner, though the Instruments history is something I intend to look into."
	Arkalest	Tuissant's unsmile widens as she snapcks  back to reality. "oh, interesting." She closes her eyes, looking satisfied as she crosses her arms and leans back on the chair with the face of someone who just complete a job.
	Arkalest	"Very, very interesting." She lets herself  sigh happily.
	Sabina	"There's another thing. The 13 Keepers on the crosses were. . ones who had choosen to not pass on, and instead enter a sort of mental stasis. For what reasons I am not 100% clear on, perhaps they simply did not wish to do, or else felt that they would remain until they would be called upon again."
	Arkalest	"That was perhaps the Instrumental showing it had stowed them away for further reference."
	Sabina	"I cannot say for certain. Ma'am? May I ask you a question?"
	Arkalest	"Mmhyes?" She cracks open an eye.
	Sabina	"Why do you think the Instruments were created? For something as rare as they are I do not think they were easily made, even in the Ashen Age, so surely there was a purpose. I wanted to know if you had a opinion on the matter."
	Arkalest	She exhales. "Tools."
	Arkalest	"To create tools to create tools."
	Sabina	nods, contemplating the answer. "Thank you ma'am."
	Arkalest	"Mind you, this based on evidence such as the one provided by our gracious guest- A mixture of quantum entanglement and psionics."
	Arkalest	her unsmile widens. "And you don't find that in normal construction tools."
	Sabina	"No, I would expect not."
	Arkalest	"We can only guess at what was the end result of the chain involving Instrumentals, but I can tell you withsome certainety- And Natah can back me up here- That their current destructive reputation is somewhat false."
	Sabina	"How so?"
	Arkalest	She draws a circle with her finger. "Would you consider all nucler reactors bad only because improper use of one caused a meltdown?"
	Sabina	"I would not, though I would worry about those in the hands of people who do not understand or maintain them properly."
	Sabina	"Or, of course, intend to misuse them."
	Arkalest	She nods. "Which is why our little friend downstairs is something to keep  hush hush about."
	Sabina	"I've not even hinted at our friend downstairs."
	Arkalest	"Putting aside the ah, the ethics of implanting- or rather, growing a living, thinking being around an Instrumental, her presence confirms that there's someone out there who is ready to cross some boundaries."
	Sabina	nods
	Arkalest	"And we /need/ to identify them, as this kind of resources do not promise anything nice."
	Sabina	"Is that going to be our next  case? Or will that be handed to another team?"
	Arkalest	"The latter, for now."
	Sabina	"I understand, I was merely curious."
	Arkalest	"Anything else?"
	Sabina	"One last matter. The glaive is a. . . psionic symbiont. I wanted to ask you if you think it would react poorly with my Instrament if I were to activate it."
	Arkalest	She shakes ehr head. "Not really."
	Sabina	"The armorer who created wasn't sure and there is no precedence for this in my clan's history."
	Arkalest	Natah raises a hand, and you see what appears to be blue ink creep over it."Symbionts do work with hem, as far as I know."
	Sabina	nods "Thank you for letting me know then Natah. Do you have any advice on Psionic Symbiots?"
	Arkalest	"You may want to talk to Ikris about this, actually. I may be able to scrounge some information about them, given enough time."
	Sabina	"It's alright Natah, I won't ask you spend your time on this when I can do so just as easily. I will speak with Ikris about this, and Mirah as well."
	Arkalest	She tilts his head. "It won't be a problem."
	Sabina	"If such is your desire I will not deny you."
	Arkalest	Tuissant raises a hand. "As an aside, you may want to talk to irene about new feeds."
	Sabina	"I have been meaning to invite her over for some tea. Thank you for the suggestion ma'am."
	Arkalest	"Do not tussle her too much."
	Sabina	"I had all intentions of being nothing but a courteous hostess ma'am."
	Arkalest	She tilts her head.
	Sabina	"She asked to met again, I intend to take her up on that. And I've not hosted anyone since I've gotten here."
	Sabina	"Er," She glances at Natah "Not hosted anyone formally I mean."
	Arkalest	They nod. "I can confirm that."
	Arkalest	"It's not that I don't trust you, it's a matter of manners."
	Sabina	"Ah, how so?"
	Arkalest	Tuissant sighs. "Try as I might have, Irene has always been a...Problem child. Too fast of a mentla development."
	Sabina	"I had gathered that she is a . . . difficult person to interact with. Given what you said just now I do not intend to judge her harshly given that our initial meeting did not go as either of us had intended."
	Arkalest	"Indeed."
	Sabina	"If you do have any further concerns that you want me to be aware of. ."
	Arkalest	"Nothing you haven't already notice. "
	Arkalest	"Do keep in mind she prides herself on her itnellect and you'd be fine."
	Sabina	nods. "Is there anything else ma'am?"
	Arkalest	"Not really."
	Sabina	"Thank you both for your time." Sabina stands up and bows again "Please have a pleasant day."