Rune Drawings on the Heart [8/6] Master Runework/Mert Dev

[16:15] Ardith takes another sip of the pungent herbal tea. As much as she despises its taste...it's started to grow on her. Her aura of occult grows a little less turbulent.

"So. Where we doing this mess?"
(Ardith)
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[16:16] Eshmun Hirai says, "Well...It's a magma lodestone, but I have a feeling you don't want it spurting energy constantly and heating up."
[16:16] Eshmun Hirai says, "So no-go on Volcano."
[16:16] Eshmun Hirai asks, "Your lab?"
[16:17] Ardith says, "Sure."
[16:17] Ardith says, "My lab works."
[16:19] The lab feels a lot emptier since the cages against the wall have been emptied. They stand their vacant, doors ajar. The rest of the lab? It's about the same as it ever is, except maybe the papers are a little more disheveled than average.

Better that the work be done here. All her kit is in attendance, after all. No lugging required, and she takes up the box from where it's hidden and sets it on her disorganized desk.

"So I guess at this point the expedition'll be me, you...and whoever's feeling plucky enough to go that we trust."
(Ardith)
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[16:22] Having a feeling that this will take a while, he quietly pulls a chair from the other room. Placing it down in a corner nearby, they took a seat and crossed legs, "Oh? Well, there are a few choices of who we can bring in the end...Obvious ones being Ely, or Mert. Though I'm not too sure we could easily find someone with a want for knowledge like us." Pausing they actually thought on that for a moment, before four different names popped up in his head.

"But...If I were to think up some, Yandir, Loretta, Setsuna, and Narissa...All could be solid choices."
(Eshmun Hirai)
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[16:26] She considers each name in turn as she clears a space on the desk, setting up a an opaque bottle, a horse-hair brush, and piling up a stack of notes.

It's the last one she takes over to the chalkboard, leafing through several of the sheets and deciding on a few particular runes to draw enlarged on the slate. She gets a feel for each edge, each curve, and cements its purpose into her mind.

This won't exactly be a speedy process. There is little room for error with something like this.

"I could tolerate Yandy. He's good in my book. So's Narissa. Setsuna...Her connection to the Emperor makes me wary."

It's probably only a matter of time before the Qilin realizes she's an abomination of some kind in the eyes of her Emperor. That more people haven't picked up torches and pitchforks is a blessing, but not one she expects to last too long.

"You know I ain't trust Mert though. Ely'd be fine."
(Ardith)
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[16:31] "I know you don't trust Mert...But in a matter like this, is that you should trust the fact it's kind of up to us for him to live right now." As dark as it may sound, it was the truth of the matter. Without what Eshmun was giving? Mertaisyl was so far doomed to die in a few years. Either that, or fall back to necromancy.

"I'm glad Yan is good...I've taken him up as a disciple actually, he is learning beneath me on different matters. Though I'm more of a...Teacher that teaches when it comes up, bring him to meeting, let him listen in." Slowly now, their fingers would interlace in front of him, body growing very still...As he already knew this might take a long while, and they were ready to let Ardith have concentration when it really started.

"Setsuna is...Should I just say, they haven't fallen yet? Their outlook is ever-changing, but they have not given in to despair like some do." In fact, he really only trusted the Qilin as much as he did because of his knowledge of their past life. After all, her blackboard was never cleaned by a star...Instead, she just started again.
(Eshmun Hirai)
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[16:39] "I know, I know," she grumbles. She glances between board and page, drawing another one of the runes enlarged on the board. Three in total take shape, and the Accursed gets very picky about the details, mumbling to herself.

"At least me, you, Yandy, and Ely if he wants to come. Maybe one or two more. I don't want to bring a whole army tromping into ruins. They ain't known for being super safe."

She squints at one of the runes, correcting a curve to make it more shallow.

"Either way, there's rumored to be more powersources I can draw from to fuel my studies and evolution. Might not need 'em...but it'd be ideal. Or there are refined runes that've been lost to look for.

"Don't think I've ever seen Illaron as please at something I'd done as I'd seen him earlier though. Was kinda' nice..."
(Ardith)
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[16:44] "Mmm...We'll see, dealing with an expedition can end badly if we bring too many sometimes." Having dealt with many expeditions actually, not many have ended too badly. But that didn't bother him from actually warning of the chance.

Eyes glanced at the board, looking at the runes that were very slowly taking shape. Though they knew little about these things, it always helped to know more information on everything in general.

"Oh? Well...If the expedition was any time soon, I might just fully agree on us waiting on this, get something finer. But we are on a time-limit." If only there wasn't that damn time-limit, then everything could be done easier, but still, four years was a good amount of time.

"Oh? I'm happy for you, what'd he compliment?"
(Eshmun Hirai)
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[16:48] "Yeah. I dunno if it'll be soon enough. This takes priority, and there's some other prep work I can do in the mean time...Who knows, might not even need any other pieces. Then we could go just to go."

It all requires more research, more refinement. She pauses, takes out another smaller box from the desk, and puts it off to the side. Ardith gestures to it with a nod.

"That'll be the first piece of what I'm planning. Need to find a nature magi who can keep their trap shut...Probably Ark."

There were other options for nature magi, but the Kaor was the most likely to be supportive of her end goal.

"As for what he was so happy about..."

Ardith returns to the board, putting the final touches and finials on the last run. When her voice is heard again it's not aloud. It's projected, perhaps a bit painfully, within Eshmun's mind.

'That'd probably be this.'

Her lips don't move to speak, but they sure do to flash him a smirk.
(Ardith)
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[16:54] Nods are given, though he actually pauses at the small box put to the side. They didn't actually know what was inside, and they also didn't know any nature magi that were trustworthy to Ardith. Barring Knossos, who he trusted, but only with his own matters.

"Ark is a good choice...But this piece still didn't tell me what it'd be for." Smirking at the fact, their stilled body actually kept from chuckling. Laughter was probably a bit distracting in a scenario like this after all.

As soon as a voice speaks in his mind however? Surprise flashes in his eyes. Extreme surprise, as he stared wide-eyed, for a solid few minutes.

"Did you just...Do what I think you just did?" The smirk is noted, and his own smile grew even bigger. It was such a surprise, and also something that was so welcome to him! Seeing his companions pushing forth, was a truly great privilege.
(Eshmun Hirai)
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[16:59] Her smile splits all-too wide, a giddy expression, as she finishes the final rune and sits down into her chair.

"Y'know, other than Illaron...you're the only one that seems to be impressed? Not that I've gone around using it everywhere, y'know."

Still, had been such a great achievement, a culmination of her efforts and proof that even something greater still was possible. It's nice to see the rare few whom share her excitement.

The rest of them? Well, the rest of them are nothing to her.

With one hand she flips up the lid of the smaller box, displaying its contents. "The piece is inside the box. Dummy."

It is. It's not the box itself. Who would even think that? That's just silly. But the important part on the inside of the box is there. A tree branch steeped in, who would've guessed, occult. It's dappled with thorns that ooze a strange liquid.

Eshmun gets to inspect it, while Ardith sets to work with the horsehair brush and her finest ink, finally placing the first of the linework onto the heart at her desk.
(Ardith)
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[17:01] {Item} You drop Dread Ebony x1.
[17:05] {Item} You picked up Dread Ebony. Dropped by Ardith. .
[17:11] "What...It's telepathy, you are literally throwing your thoughts into my head without my permission!" Seeing the final rune and their body sitting down, he finally gave out a hearty laugh that had been held back. Who were these shits that looked down on such an accomplishment?

It actually annoyed him a bit, this was a culmination, a breakthrough! Who looked down on such a thing?

"I love that, now you can whisper sweet nothings into my head without people knowing!" Cackling at his own joke, they'd already be looking at the box...Only to immediately say upon seeing it, "I'm pretty sure that thing is super poisonous." Yeah, its thorns looked like they could easily pierce the skin, while even the mist that floated off the obvious poison drips...It was just all poisonous.

Not actually able feel the occult off of it, because of how used to it he was exactly, they began looking it over, "I bet I could use this thing to make an amazing tonic, get me a white lotus flower, add some Fae dust...Yeah, that'd be absolutely great." Instead of falling to the idea of making a poison, he thought of creating a tonic from it, something that was very like it when taken in large doses.

"But...I bet you have an idea on some sick ink, or something else?" Seeing that they finally had the heart out, he'd pause, voice dropping an octave. Looks like it was game time, "So...Is the telepathy one way, or can I try to speak in your mind?"
(Eshmun Hirai)
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[17:16] The occultist can't help but beam. Damn right. It's an accomplishment. At least someone else can see that, and his joke gets him a well earned snort of laughter. She stifles it so her brush hand doesn't jump and mess up her rune work. Each carefully laid stripe of ink sizzles against the magmatic heart, bubbling like tarry oil.

That must mean it's working. Right?

"It's handy. I've been able to talk with Illaron's hatchlings, my new lil' brothers and sisters, and whatever demons are in the Dreadwoods too. And...people I guess. Less interesting usually."

She examines the first rune, comparing it to the one on the board. The work must be satisfactory enough as she dives into putting down outlines for the second. More sizzling, hissing, and popping ink.

"Old man Tot gave it to me. It made him sick just to be near it. I got a few ideas...actually, something you could help me with.

"I'm thinking of trying to use that poison on myself. See what it does. Y'know. Be a guinea pig."

Eshmun is a treat as usual. A fellow scholar that knows when to keep his voice low. Unlike her.

"One way. Buuuut...I've been thinking of maybe making tattoos to fix that. Short distance telepathy. Not like the transceivers Illaron can make, but good for covert, close range talking. Like in big meetings or ambushes."
(Ardith)
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[17:18] Ardith says, "And if Ging's ring works...other things might be possible. "
[17:18] Ardith says, "Confidentially, between us."
[17:31] "That does sound extremely handy, talking with people in secret." By now, they had fallen almost completely silent, though with how clear sounding their voice always was, in such a silent room, it was definitely still able to be heard.

"Tot huh...This thing define-...You want to use it on yourself? Ardy, if you do something like that...I really want you to do it in front of me, as I'm an alchemist and also I want to see what it'd do." They were worried about their safety if they took it, but also he wanted to see 'what' it would do at the same time.

"Maybe our matching tattoos can do the telepathy thing? It's an idea, would be interesting if they can do something other then nothing."
(Eshmun Hirai)
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[17:37] There's a soft little huff from the Accursed, a little puff of air as she finishes the hissing, spitting linework of the final rune. The ink starts to set into the lodestone heart and the Accursed begins tugging off her gloves.

Not one, but both. Her hands are pale, probably because they're always in the damned gloves, but on her left hand there is a sparkling, scintillating ring inlaid with a colorful gemstone. It doesn't take a scholar to know what that gemstone is either.

"That's the plan. If it ends up melting my insides, I figure you can keep it from reaching my liver."

Getting gutted by an angry mob? That's a terrible, ignoble way to go, and she loathes the idea. Dying or getting hurt because she used herself as a guinea pig? That's comedy.

With her fingers bare, she brushes them against the heart, providing it with heat from skin contact. It comes to life and throbs like any heart ought to, and the ink seeps into its pores with each pulse.

"...Okay. It hasn't blown up. So I'm assuming I did that right."
(Ardith)