Eagleheart talks with Satsuki

[19:58] Eagleheart whispers: May we talk in private for a bit, Satsuki? I've need for someone who could help me devise the plan fully.
[19:58] Satsuki Shimasu whispers: Ah. Very well.
[20:00] Eagleheart asks, "Would you mind discussing it in the Illuminated sanctum?"
[20:00] Satsuki Shimasu says, "By all means. I have an office suited for this."
[20:04] Satsuki slides into what seems to be a primitive version of a shivel chair, having found ordinary chairs a little bit too restrictive when working at such a massive desk. She quickly brushes her notes and sketches aside and gestures to the chair on the opposite end - not a swivel chair - beckoning someone, probably Eagleheart rather than Tiff, to take it.

Following that, she only stares, seated in front of the massive fresco of her grandmother behind her.

"Yes? How can I help?"
(Satsuki Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:05] Eagleheart says, "I believe that there is a way to neutralize the occultism, and in the very least, stop it from spreading more."
[20:05] Satsuki Shimasu says, "I... am very close to replicating the manner in which Ikkaku sealed his own, actually."
[20:05] Eagleheart says, "And... That would be the way I would do it to Tohru. I wanted to manipulate his mana circuits to tailor them specifically for that. To release tiny specks of holy energy within, until..."
[20:05] Eagleheart asks, "Oh?"
[20:05] Eagleheart asks, "And what was it?"
[20:06] Satsuki Shimasu says, "I believe Tiff knows of the project. We are... leaving for the Maplegrove in literally a few weeks' time to collect the necessary materials for a runic tattoo."
[20:07] Tiff says, "Yep. Mei's told me a... little bit about it."
[20:07] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Tohru is an excellent test subject for it. I have experimented with connecting to mana circuits recently - and have successfully done so."
[20:07] Eagleheart says, "Oh. Yes, actually, Mei invited me for that."
[20:08] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Oh, excellent. If this technique - 'Sunyata,' I've taken to calling it - does indeed work, I would be more than willing to teach what I know."
[20:08] Eagleheart says, "My intent, however, was simply... Nullifying the effect of his own mana circuits. I believe that the problem goes deeper than simply occult madness."
[20:09] Satsuki Shimasu asks, "Oh?"
[20:09] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Go on, Eagleheart."
[20:09] Tiff looks between the two of them as they go back and forth.
(Tiff)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:09] Eagleheart says, "Tohru isn't a bad person, but he isn't good."
[20:09] Eagleheart says, "And the occult madness drove him towards doing bad, and... If we allow him to simply seal the madness, he will remain like that."
[20:09] Satsuki Shimasu says, "So you are proposing a complete nullification of his magic."
[20:09] Eagleheart says, "Not complete, but... Major."
[20:09] Eagleheart says, "Something that allows him to walk around without being a non-magi, and perhaps a soldier, even. It is the only way to allow him to do good."
[20:09] Satsuki lets out... something akin to a laugh - but only a slight one.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:10] Satsuki Shimasu says, "...Fate is genuinely amazing."
[20:10] Eagleheart says, "I am absolutely certain if we simply stopped the occult madness, he would get out--"
[20:10] Eagleheart asks, "What?"
[20:10] Satsuki Shimasu says, "I- I am not laughing at you. I am merely in awe."
[20:11] Eagleheart asks, "Why?"
[20:11] Tiff asks, "In awe?"
[20:11] Satsuki Shimasu says, "A way to... /seal/ magic was one of the projects the Illuminated intended to tackle down the line. I believe... Jiuweihu gifted us all with this same idea - so that at least one of us will see it done."
[20:11] Satsuki Shimasu says, "I will focus on purging occult - Sunyata - and leave this other technique to you, Eagleheart."
[20:12] Satsuki Shimasu asks, "Now then: how can I assist? I am able to connect to other people's mana circuits, though... I do not think you knew that. So... how can I assist?"
[20:17] Eagleheart slowly moves towards the chair. The hammer on his back is quickly put out, levitating within the air, and slowly lands to lean on the table between them both. Tiff is adjusted to land upon his shoulder, as he continues to speak, one hand rising to take off the mask.

Silver irises face forward, almost lost-- Until a soft breeze, accompanied by the same soothing chime he always had, runs over Satsuki. As soon as the breeze touches her face, his eyes seem to finally catch up to her, almost as if they found focus.

"If you haven't heard, I don't have any of these gifts, other than being graced by Order magic. Granted, there are certain things that this achieves, such as a heightened degree of empathy, but..."

He lets out a sigh, one hand rising to massage at the middle of his forehead with the index and middle finger.

"What I intend is to leave the occultism there, and see if there is a way of destroying the influence it has and will have on the person. If it still doesn't work... Well."

He leans in forward slightly, one hand resting on top of the chair. Indeed, now without the mask, the man seems almost devastated. He faces slightly down, even if it's obvious that his gaze is forever lost, wandering around the very random dots he could point at his would-be view.

"I'd have to kill the man. I just brought him in because he came in willingly. He knows he needs help, Satsuki."
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:24] The Kitsune locked eyes with the man as they always did - even though this gesture didn't particularly mean anything to one of the people in this room. "Gifts are... not necessary - Jiuweihu works in mysterious ways, hm?" She seemed entirely convinced that the two pursuing similar research couldn't possibly be coincidence. It was divine urging to do so - certainly.

"I believe... playing with occultism is a dangerous game, Eagleheart," she said after a moment of thought, clasping her hands together on her desk and leaning forward slightly. "Humans were never meant to have demon magic. It... almost always corrupts without fail," she continued - though she soon stopped, waving her hand toward the Order magi. "...But you know that, of course, so... forgive me; I did not intend to lecture."

For once in her life, Satsuki cut herself short.

"It takes a great deal of willpower for someone to overcome the detrimental effects of dark magic. While I can fiddle with someone's magical circuits - and perhaps you will be able to as well - the majority of it will still be Tohru's inner strength. Do you think he is capable?"

Because if he wasn't... well, the alternative Eagleheart envisioned wasn't pretty. Satsuki, however, knew there was another way: "...He does not need to die. Again, give me a year - I will be able to purge occultism. Perhaps that will not solve all of his problems, but it would buy us time. You... will not have to kill anyone, Eagleheart."
(Satsuki Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:36] He shakes his head from side to side, slowly. His body even shakes slightly-- It seems that the mask is part of what made him become the unmoving pillar that he was most of the time, or at least it inspired most of it.

Compared to how he was before, the man overflowed with emotions. Perhaps due to the lack of the mask, it was easy to draw the comparison and label it as such.

Nevertheless, Eagleheart continued. The breeze ran through the room again, and like before, his eyes accompanied that. They didn't lock at her eyes, per say, but it was obvious that he was trying to make eye contact to the best of his abilities.

They just weren't... The best, when it came to control over his eyes.

He still maintained to have, at least, a halfway smile present upon his expression. "I do, Satsuki." He spoke, somberly. "I fear that the problem has taken a deeper root than any of us can ever imagine. We think that solving the problem with occultism will solve the aggressiveness, the brashness, and everything else, but..."

"What if it doesn't?" He spoke, the ever-present smile now not even appearing halfway through. The tone made it clear that what it was in fact was that he was doubting himself, far above anything else. He was questioning if his own trial was wrong.

"We can be wrong, all along. We are still humane, in the end. And I always say... It is human to err."
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:38] Tiff continues to sit idly upon Eagleheart's shoulder. The conversation was interesting but she didn't really want to give her input on who might be right and who might be wrong... espeically if things became a little more... heated.
(Tiff)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:48] On the opposite end of the desk sat the embodiment of cold logic - slightly more unfeeling than she should be, to the point where her wearing her own mask might actually serve to make her more approachable than usual - at least then that neutral, unchanging expression was covered up by a silver skull.

And so, as Eagleheart judged himself, Satsuki only stared, her only movement whatsoever coming from a tail which swayed back and forth slowly and in perfect time, like a metronome.

"Then first I will say this: if you believe that he can overcome that which afflicts him... harbor no doubt. Have complete faith in your patient," she told the Order magi. "...And nothing will go wrong."

She nodded only slightly. Optimism out of the way, she could continue with being a realist. "But I know this: even if the occult is merely a symptom and not the cause, it is still my- our duty to purge it. It is evil magic, regardless," she continued on. "And if that does not solve it... then we can still continue with your plan. My Sunyata exists to cure occult illness. But... restricting someone's magic is... also a means of guaranteeing that they do not hurt themselves or others."

Her gaze remained perfectly focused on Eagleheart, tiniest of smiles on her face. "We are saving people who need our help. While humans are capable of erring... they cannot know that. We must try our best, without hesitation."

But she was rambling now, as she so often did when nobody was there to rein her in. She knocked once on her desk, forcing herself back onto the topic at hand. "But... what if it doesn't?" she asked, repeating the man's own question. "If it doesn't: then we try something else. We can always try something else. There is... no reason to kill a victim, do you not agree?"
(Satsuki Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:02] "This is the problem, Satsuki." He spoke, and even so, his gaze remained steadfast upon the kitsune in front of him. It was almost unmoving, but even if she was nearly expressionless, the man wasn't much different.

Except for the obvious expression of concern within his face. "I trust that he wants to do something, but I do not trust that we can. We can't change people, Satsuki, not if they're unwilling to change that much."

"I lost my momentum, I lost my opportunity, and all that because I was tired. I managed to make him sensible, to make him understand why what he was doing was bad, and then... Gave him the perfect opportunity to simply be alone with his thoughts and get worse, because I was afraid he would hurt someone else." He let out a long sigh, but his gaze didn't leave for more than a few moment, beforeit quickly zapped back to her face, along with the soothing chime, although it was quieter.

"There isn't a something else always, Satsuki. I am trying my best, and no one outside of this room thinks anything else than that we are simply coming up with plans and schematics and possible ways to save that man from what we know to be eternal damnation."

"We'll try our methods. I'll keep him at check, do as much as I can with him... But I will just make simple work to stop him from growing further maddened. If my suspicions prove true, I'm not going to agree to turn him into a lifeless husk or a non-magi."

"It is better to spare him the suffering and send him off to the lifestream, quietly and quickly."
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:13] Satsuki's gaze didn't waver even once: she was someone that never knew doubt. She was someone who never hesitated. She was, in many ways, a model Kitsune; she acknowledged that she had Jiuweihu's blessing of wit from birth, and well and truly used that gift. She wasn't always right, but she always spoke and acted with confidence.

It was her fatal flaw, too - that certainty in her Kitsune superiority. The wisdom bestowed upon her directly by Jiuweihu had aided in curtailing this racial prejudice, but had only inspired her to double down on her relentless conviction. If she said she had a solution, that meant there was a solution - and it wouldn't fail. Doubt was for other people, and the occasional green glow that lit up her eyes for only a second at a time served as a constant reminder of this to her.

"Continue to try your best, Eagleheart. I have spent... years pursuing my technique. Once those runes are on my palm... there is nothing I cannot do. Occult? A mere roadblock."

She was certain that demon magic was the cause, not just the symptom. In her mind, it was always the cause. There were dangerous, evil magi who didn't use dark magic. Some of them even used holy magic. But in the case of an aggressive occultist... she believed it could all be fixed by removing that one problem element.

If not - that's why she had intended to expand her research to reducing dangerous people to the level of a non-magi. If Eagleheart was capable of doing similar, however... as she said - she'd leave him to it.

"You are... better at dealing with people than I am," she admitted. "It is... empathy, I believe; I do have it, but I... struggle to express emotions and feelings. He would probably like your company more than mine. He will, however... be seeing more of me. Very soon."

She blinked, just once. There was something she took some exception to.

"...A lifeless husk? Please do not tell me that is what you think my technique will do, Eagleheart. Give me more credit, hm? It is... far more sophisticated than that. Even without runes, even without mastery, I have... begun to remedy Zhuge Nanyang's condition. I can visualize, and target, and treat another person's mana circuitry. It is... not just a plan, a theory, a schematic."

Her smile expanded ever so slightly. She... seemed to be trying to come across as reassuring and comforting and her usually-robotic voice seemed to be trying its hardest to sound less mechanical, but the jury was out on whether or not it was effective.

"We will not fail. If we do - we will go with your, er... final answer. But it will not reach that point, Eagleheart."
(Satsuki Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:31] Of course, the very aspect of how she behaved at times was certainly off-putting to him, however, this much wasn't obvious. Where she had the certainty in herself, an act that for certain he thought to be borderline dangerously prideful, such as when he saw Nu acting as bigger than the Fourfold officers...

He had no such thing. He knew for a fact he was blessed with the powers of Order Magi, but he thought of that to be nothing but a reason to be even more humble. He was nothing but a student, after all. To question himself was what drove him to improve, to find new ways.

Besides, Eagleheart was almost a living repository of knowledge. Mythos, legends, and many theoretical subjects were easily lit up for him, and every often it did help him quite a lot. After all, he knew that in theory what they wanted to do should be doable-- But the lack of experimental wisdom was what troubled him.

What if it didn't work like they wanted? It often did such.

"It is often harmful to think of such a thing as no more than a roadblock. I understand that it is all about how you won't take it as a problem, but think about it, Satsuki. You're making the subject shallow."

He gestured, slowly. One hand was flat open against the table in front of them, and the other rose slowly. "What I'm saying is that even if we purge all the occultism out of his system, what we are doing is no more than turning him into a non-magi."

"There is pain in being one after you're a magi, Satsuki. You know that. You know the process of turning into one of these is... Horrible, to say the least. It is painful, and constantly so." He let out a sigh, and shook his head from side to side.

"But... I did not mean your idea would turn him into a lifeless husk. Mine could." Again, his eyes jolted to meet with hers. They stared, dead on. It was obvious that he couldn't see, and this much was clear-- But they no longer lacked any sensation of precision that they did before. He was, indeed, looking at her.

The soothing chime ringing around her ear and inside her head made it obvious. He wasn't just doing that... He was examining her, so to say. "We do not know what the effects of both of our treatments is on the long run. We do know that yours is helping with Zhuge's. We do not know if it will help fix someone's mindset."

"That is the problem here. Tohru's mindset might be wrong. He might not ever truly repent for what he's doing, or even stop what he's doing as soon as we remove the occult of his veins, because that isn't related."

"It is merely a coincidence. There were holy magi that did terrible deeds before, even sin magi. I do believe that one of our techniques can work, but mine is... Forced manipulation of his externalization and internalization of mana, while yours simply focuses on the circuitry itself. It is perhaps most useful if both happened at the same time..."

"But it might be also impossible."

Another sigh, eyes closing. His whole posture seemed to relax.
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:31] Tiff whispers: I'm gonna go find Mei and bring her in here.
[21:31] Tiff whispers: Is that ok.
[21:31] Eagleheart whispers: I think the door downstairs is unlocked. If you do, stay outside, we'll be done with this soon... And probably bringing the discussion to you.
[21:31] Tiff nods.
(Tiff)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:31] Eagleheart says, "Tiff needs to leave. You locked the door downstairs, right? Perhaps she'll need for it to be unlocked."
[21:52] Angelo had doubtlessly honed in on Satsuki's most notable flaw, which persisted even into attaining divine Wisdom: an almost dangerous sort of confidence and ambition. She'd not fall to pride, but it was abundantly clear that despite having the best of intentions, despite living a virtuous life, and despite wanting the best lives possible for her people and all those that were truly righteous... she had an insufferably impenetrable ego.

It was a kindness on Fate's part that Satsuki was born on the right side.

"My technique is an adaptation of the same exact one Ikkaku used," she responded simply - her mechanical cadence failing to hide that she had taken at least a marginal amount of offense. "And... he was not rendered a non-magi. Far from it. I am not... taking anything away. I am offering the chance of a new life." Her gaze narrowed just so. "I do not think... Jiuweihu would have graced me with Her presence if this was merely a pipe dream."

Eagleheart's other points, however, Satsuki found valid: not all evil and wrongness stemmed from occultism. That, however, was not the Kitsune's concern for now. She had spent years developing a skill to eliminate dark magic from the world, and she would continue with that.

Tohru was valuable practice for this. Tohru would be the first of many. And, after it was done, hopefully... Tohru would be in a better place, mentally.

"I do not... hate occultists," she said after a pause. "I hate their magic. Whether or not Tohru's madness and aggression stems from his occultism, I will... purge it anyway. I pray that it will aid him. If it does not..." she trailed off.

"By the time we work together on this, I will more or less have mastery working with mana circuits. Together, we may be able to do what would be impossible alone. Very well, Eagleheart, I will work with you, but..."

She blinked just once. "The biggest changes start from within. If you believe in him, I will too. The only reason a person would fear the worst is if they do not genuinely believe, Eagleheart."

What she said earlier was true: she did struggle to establish connections. She was intelligent, there was no doubt about it, but there was still something quintessential that was missing - Jiuweihu had evidently not chosen her for her people skills.

"We are the remnants of Colonial Jianghu. We have survived countless wars. We have had two leaders blessed by the angels. More than a handful of our people, myself included, have been given divine gifts to aid our righteous cause. I have spoken to Jiuweihu - connected in a way no other member of the Illuminated has done on this continent. Forgive me, Eagleheart, but I do not think anything is impossible anymore."
(Satsuki Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:08] "I believe you. It is similar to what turned Ikkaku into a more saint person than he was before, and stopped the growth of occult madness within him. But there is a problem in this." His index finger raised, as if simply to enumerate a random fact that he was going to point out, or perhaps to ask for her to wait a single instant.

"Ikkaku was willing. He wanted to get rid of it, because he recognized it as the problem and acted preemptively. Willingness is something that plays a bigger part in this. While I got him to accept being restrained in here... I do not know if he will accept your option." Plain and simple, the man continued to speak. A deep breath was taken by him, eyes closing slightly.

He seemed to take a moment to think on the remaining subjects, after all, it was part of what he did. He had to think about them, eventually, even if it took a while for him to process it.

"I know you bear no ill will towards occultists and other people, Satsuki. I know this much, and I respect you immensely for that. Truth be told, you're probably one of the people I respect the most in this continent."

"And yes, I know that I only fear that it won't work because I do not genuinely believe. I give this kind of speech a few times a day. I know for a fact that I have my own doubts, and here I am, voicing them."

A pause, and then, he continued to speak. Ever so calmly, ever so serenely. "Because no, Satsuki. I do not trust him entirely. I know he wants to go back. I know he regrets things, but I fear that leaving him alone in that cell might make him too far to be rescued."

"Occult madness overrules conscience, and we do not know if there's a way back. If we get rid of it, will we get rid of its effect? That is why I was going to do my original plan. To nullify the occult mana... So he would result in something without the feelings motivated by that, but perhaps he would end up with something else missing too."
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:18] The Chancellor leaned back as Eagleheart spoke, turning slightly left and right in her swivel chair as she mulled over his words. As always, his points were valid: Satsuki was typically quick to dismiss ideas in favor of her own, but - though she likely wouldn't admit it - she always heeded Angelo's words more than almost anyone's. The respect, then, was mutual.

"While I know, with certainty, that I will be able to remove occult... you are right. It is... a question of willingness. I will speak with him. I will... make him see the Light, if I am able."

She stopped moving back and forth in the chair, the intensity of her gaze renewing. "...What I do is... for the families torn apart by demon magic. For the children that could never know their parents."

For the granddaughter of a beloved entertainer and illusionist who succumbed to her madness and ran off to die - whose only remaining legacy was being the reason the previous Chancellor wrote in a law that occultists couldn't join the Illuminated.

"...So regardless - I will do it. For if there is even a chance, I cannot let it slip. I think... the best thing to do would be to collaborate. I can affect change in the circuits. I know how to force out the occult. If you can nullify the mana... perhaps we can get somewhere."

Or maybe it would do more harm than good, or maybe Tohru's problems didn't stem entirely from the occult. Or... maybe it was too late. But Satsuki simply couldn't be convinced. Sunyata was a flawless technique - and she believed in Eagleheart more than he himself did.

"And... welcome back, Tiff."
(Satsuki Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:22] Tiff had been only sort of paying attention when she had been in the room as the fairy didn't have too much to offer on the matter of healing occultic madness one way or another. Eagleheart and Satsuki each seemed to have their own ideas and thought processes and so she had simply left the conversation to stay between the two of them while she listened. That is until she felt as though Mei had returned from wherever the girl often ran off to.

Tiff believed she might find Mei outside, but instead the girl had disappeared, and after a certain amount of time searching for her, the fairy decided she'd return to the Illuminated building. Of course she... entered through some rather unconventional means but that was mostly due to her impatience.

With Satsuki greeted her, Tiff waved and sat upon Eagleheart's shoulder like before. "Yeah I think Tohru went to sleep."
(Tiff)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:23] Satsuki Shimasu says, "...Ah. Alas."
[22:33] "Hello there, Tiff." The man said, before a single finger moved up and down -- And if Satsuki would pay enough attention, she'd notice the breeze that so often hugged her skin warmly leaving and moving to...

Mimic his movements upon Tiff's head, patting her gently. And then, as his eyes returned their focus on her face, the soothing chime would return to play as sort of a background theme to the whole scene. "Trust me, Satsuki, I've seen my fair share of suffering caused by demon magic. As you see... I'm not Jianghese. My inheritance is actually mixed, but nevertheless. I was raised within demons and azraelites."

"I was... Abandoned by my parents due to the disability of being blind, and too young to become a magi, I had to fend for myself. Perhaps this is why I became a magi after all. However..." He trailed off, opening a slight smile upon his expression. It was filled with utmost happiness, of course, but it was just short.

"I have talked to him. I can continue to do so... And I believe this is how we should proceed with this treatment. If there are any modifications we have to do, we'll do it together."

And then, the man leaned slightly forwards, the right hand -- Made of mythril -- with the palm wide open towards her. "How's that?"
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:39] The Chancellor shook her head slightly - she disapproved of Eagleheart's upbringing, but couldn't fault him for it. Nobody could truly decide where they were born and raised. Satsuki... knew all too much about that. Her own upbringing left much to be desired as well.

Still, she resisted the urge to profess how terrible it must be to live among demons and Azraelites. It was a given, and would have been a bit insensitive, or at the very least excessive. And so she... moved on, opting to completely skirt around the topic.

"Based upon observing your interactions with him... he is nervous, afraid- but it seems as though you were reaching him. Indeed - I would ask that you continue with this, though I know that you would do so anyway."

Her gaze shifted to his hand, but the only response she gave was folding her hands in her lap and bowing in her chair. "That will be acceptable. I look forward to working with you, Eagleheart."
(Satsuki Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:48] Of course, she decided to avoid physical contact. Needless to say, it puzzled him -- He had, after all, no way of seeing! And such gestures such as bowing and the like often went blindly at him. If she was attentive enough to look at his face, she'd probably notice that the very moment her face leaves, his eyes do not follow, and even more than that, the soothing chime seems to not be able to follow.

Instead, he just keeps there, planted, with his smile widely spread upon his expression. The nervousness that builds up from the simple fact that what she did going over his head mostly was simply too much for him to react at once.

After a few moments standing there, leaned forward, with his hand wide open, he simply stands up. And after such, bows courteously. "It will be an immense pleasure, Satsuki."

And then, he simply starts leaving. Mask and hammer still left at the table, almost as if he didn't notice them -- Until he was moving downstairs, and they suddenly rushed to accompany him.
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:48] Tiff clicks her teeth in a 'ch-chk' style and winks at Satsuki. "See ya soon!"
(Tiff)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[22:49] Satsuki totally didn't forget Eagleheart was blind for a minute or anything.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------