studying speaking to the dead

[00:25] Jude Cirque says, "Well then."
[00:25] Jude Cirque says, "While everyone is here..."
[00:30] A huff of a breath exhales a short burst of air. Sighing as a means of calling upon attention to himself, the Cirque looks on, a sharp gaze shifting betwixt both Olivia and Majin with an anticipating demeanor.

"I've a peculiar project currently in the works," he announces, a passing side-eye upon Majin indicating a peculiar hint at to the gentleman's specific inclination. "And for this, I've involved the use of an older item within my collection."

From the tuffs of his coat would hands pull free a peculiar board, tri-folded as it is unbound and set across the table before them.

A familiar visage, archaic and perhaps even esoteric in nature does it propel itself as the board of the dead beams its visage to the duo. "I've found something within my interests that lies hidden within the machinations of this item. Be it its runes, the material, what have you."

"If any of you are interested, I do hope to inspect its inner workings for said project."
(Jude Cirque)
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[00:30] {Item} You drop Oujia Board.
[00:38] As the Ouija board was pulled forward, the Okabe himself had slipped out of the chair and taken a seat upon one of the nearby cupboards.

For a moment he squinted, stuck parsing the object as distant memories from a far-away past flooded his mind.

The trip to the café on the mountain--

"Mm... Tonak."
The words escape his lips without time to properly understand it; as if some long-suppressed urge to do so had bubbled to the surface.

"Oh yeah... This shit lets you talk to the dead or somethin', don't it?"

For a brief moment, the Okabe recalls all whom he knew from his school days... Who now sat six-feet under.

Their souls strewn about the cosmos, be it to Hel or Avalon.
He'd likely never know.

Save for his dearest departed.

"How's it even work?"

Despite his own pedigree in witchcraft, the machinations of spiritmancy were still a distant subject to him.

Curiosity was certainly apparent.

"I don't mind sittin' around while y'figure stuff out."
(Majin mir Okabe)
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[00:39] Olivia Kalogera exclaims, "No, let me get you a chair..!"
[00:46] After bringing a chair for her best friend the occultist, she, too, found herself captivated by the inner workings of the board.

"To commune with the dead?"

Always (self)-interested in the topic of souls, the idea seems to captivate her.
(Olivia Kalogera)
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[00:53] "A bridge between the living and the dead. Yes." A clarification poised to the two of them as hands grace the aged board with a care for fragility.

There, the finger lays upon the stone focus, appraising its smoothness as he continues on. "Simply put, through partial understanding over the ether, it is able to bridge communication with the dearly departed. Though it seems more proximity-based, I wish to make do with its current abilities and surpass it to home on specific souls that have passed."

To speak with those that had long passed. Perhaps to a layman it seems like an impossible task. Yet as the faint blues upon the eyelids of the Cirque shimmer, it was clear that an avid spiritmancer like himself had a sense of direction on its usage.

"Just like before, the stone focus allows the dead to spell out responses and all that," he faces Majin, intent. "I wish to see if how it functions is due to runes, its make-up, or if its something completely different."

"I had presumed just studying it closer might do, however if any of you have suggestion at how to research this further, I'm all ears."
(Jude Cirque)
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[01:00] A bridge betwixt the living and dead...

"Hmph."

The idea of such a thing seems too far off, perhaps ironic considering the dealings he had involved himself with, to ever truly be able to satisfy a particular itch that ate away at him.

Never to be scratched.

"Not sure how much I exactly... Believe stuff like that."

"How would it form a connection with somethin' all the way in the spiritual plane without a massive amount of mana to compensate."

Perhaps the fact that the board's nature was so simplistic; the simple movement of a dial from letter to letter aided by mortal hands, simply guided by the spirit's message...

Did it cut down on the requirement of energy enough to truly create something so simplistic?

"Well."

"We could use my magatama. It'll give you an exact outline of its properties and how it functions."

"Y'wanna do that?"
(Majin mir Okabe)
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[01:08] "Well, it would not bring them back," he assures. "Moreso, it gives one only moments to speak to the departed. But of course, after having used this for years, it has more nuance than that."

He buckles upon his seat, almost primed for further speech.

"From what I can gather, one cannot speak to those that had long passed on. Returned to the star, fell back to the cycle of Yggdrasil, cursed to an eternity in Hel, however else you'd call it." By no means had those that long moved on can still be spoken to. A time-sensitive notion, kept only to those that were within a certain frame. "I've only been able to speak to spirits that are either bound to this plane for whatever reason or those that had just recently died."

Of course, it does push for an amount of mana, yet how little he had needed to push for it remains unknown to him. "Perhaps the fresher the soul, the easier it is to contact." He shrugs, stillunsure of its machinations.

There were a reason why he had wished to understand this item's specifics.

"Well, I do believe that'll be the most expeditious way to get the information needed," he chimes, nodding upon the suggestion of the usage of the empowered charm created by the Okabe. "By all means, let's uncover this item's secrets, shall we?"
(Jude Cirque)
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[01:20] Drawing a connection to only the recent dead.

"I see."

Naturally, forming a connection to a departed soul bound unto Antares would be impossible.

Alas.

"Hmm... Perhaps."

With his permission given to make use of the magatama for the analyzation, the Okabe slowly drew it forth from his cloak, his scarlet eye scanning over the runes held on its surface.

"I'll need y'to watch closely."

"The results'll display themselves in the ether that appears from it, so y'can figure it out from there."

Crimson ether sparked from his fingertips, enveloping the pendant before soon blanketing the Ouija board in its entirety. Every inch covered in a veil of Hel's magic.

The board was slowly converted into ether, the runes temporarily dissolved and fizzling away -- Something which could be reverted effortless with the slightest impulse of the Okabe.

But in this state, its full composition and nature was laid bare.

All for the Cirque to inspect.
(Majin mir Okabe)
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[02:03] For the first time he had witnessed the fabled magatama prove its true power, it had been nothing but a surreal experience within itself.

The unraveling object churns as the very fabric of its creation reveals itself like the blueprints to a machine. The unerring magic that had made all this possible churns, revealing the secrets that had been what he were after.

Brimming with power, the Ouija Board shows itself.

"This is... interesting." Whether he had meant the machinations of the magatama or what they had discovered upon the spirit board itself remains unanswered.

Yet it were clear that there was more to the discoveries than initially presented.

The machinations of contact. Its nuances. Perhaps the creator of this item had not wished for one to witness its secrets, yet here they are, unveiled.

Pulling free a clipboard and a pen would Jude made do to swiftly scribble upon the resulting notes of the time, enamored. "So this... is how this works..." Impartial to the revelation itself, it were clear that such a secret was, hopefully, to remain a secret betwixt the two of them.

"Yes... I think I understand... Well, in a more layman kind of way. This will need further studying."
(Jude Cirque)
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[02:10] Cygnus says, "Father. My box of fruit snacks is missing and I-"
[02:10] Cygnus says, "I see."
[02:10] Cygnus says, "You are busy. Very well."
[02:13] Cygnus occupies himself with the scattering of paraphernalia littered upon the desk over yon.
(Cygnus)
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[02:16] As the power of the magatama continued to flow freely, the Okabe's features held a stern focus upon them.

That blanket of crimson held firm, not allowed to break from place as the Cirque observed and continued to take notes upon notes on his clipboard, ensuring that not the slightest detail would escape beneath the divinitative powers of the Masakados.

Yet in time... As Jude finished his observations...

It trickled away.

What was left in the tide's wake was none other than the board itself, in completely pristine condition.

It looked more polished than it had before they began.

"Huh... S'pretty neat."

Whether or not he was speaking of the magatama's influence itself, or of whatever they had discovered about the board was difficult to discern.

"Doesn't seem like it's too hard t'replicate either."
(Majin mir Okabe)
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[02:26] Time drones on. The machinations that held this moment of clarity vies to keep the fizzling essence coalescing whilst the duo's careful inclination to observe pushes forth.

The secrets to speaking to the dead.

Perhaps the limitations were too much to bear, yet clear loopholes skirt just enough... enough for the intended purpose to come forth.

"I believe with proper preacclimation, I think I can work this sequence into the final intentions," he hums to himself.

Slowly, on cue, the piece shifts once more. From its unmaking, it swirls and reforms, returning to the board it once was, practically seemingly untouched.

"Not hard to replicate as is, but of course I intend to use this in a differing context of course," he responds, tucking the notes had for this investigation away before facing back. "I thank you for your help, I don't think I would've understood its machinations without you."

A proper presence of gratefulness, praised now for the outcomes presented.
(Jude Cirque)