Spire Shard Get

[22:28] Satsuki Shimasu says, "...I hate to admit it - but I really am getting too old for things like this."
[22:28] Sima Kang whispers something.
[22:28] Ethan Hawke asks, "Does everything hurt?"
[22:29] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Oh, no. I am /astoundingly/ uninjured."
[22:29] Ethan Hawke says, "I'm impressed."
[22:29] Satsuki Shimasu says, "I am still one of the strongest living people on this continent, after all."
[22:29] Satsuki Shimasu says, "...I do, however, need to rest."
[22:29] Ethan Hawke asks, "Yeah?"
[22:30] Ethan Hawke says, "I feel like I should feel bad for being stood up by an old woman."
[22:30] Satsuki Shimasu says, "...Mm. Soon. For real this time. I found my notes. I know how to proceed."
[22:30] Ethan Hawke says, "Sounds good-"
[22:30] Ethan Hawke says, "One question before all that."
[22:31] Satsuki Shimasu asks, "Oh?"
[22:31] Ethan Hawke asks, "Do you know of a place in the spirit realm that could purify a Nethradin?"
[22:31] Ethan Hawke says, "... In theory, at least."
[22:31] Satsuki Shimasu asks, "...And... why is that?"
[22:31] Ethan Hawke says, "'Cause I've got half of it planned out. A third, really-"
[22:31] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Has your libido called you to a nethradin now, too? Impressive."
[22:31] Ethan shrugged, seeming as casual as ever. "To purify a Nethradin and bring it back as a cleansed spirit."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:32] Ethan Hawke says, "Not..."
[22:32] Ethan Hawke says, "... to sleep with it."
[22:32] Ethan Hawke says, "Just 'cause it's one of Sors'."
[22:32] Satsuki Shimasu says, "...Right. I would not judge, were it the case. The man I believe to be my father was worse than you."
[22:33] Satsuki Shimasu says, "...Mm. Purifying a Nethradin, though..."
[22:33] Ethan Hawke says, "The idea's to bind her to my staff so that they'll come back after a trip to the spirit realm for a cleansing. Using Wayfinding I wanna send them out there, then back here."
[22:33] Ethan Hawke says, "I've got the contract down. Giving them a whole proper body's gonna require way more power, though. I'll most likely have to get a spire shard from somewhere."
[22:34] Ethan Hawke says, "... But if I manage it, it'll be a bit like the lighthouse in essence."
[22:34] Satsuki Shimasu asks, "You do know how Nethradin are created, yes?"
[22:34] Ethan Hawke says, "Agree to a contract, get cleansed and anchored to the physical realm through my staff."
[22:34] Ethan Hawke says, ".. Yeah."
[22:34] Ethan Hawke says, "They're corrupt spirits, or those that were evil in life, some with anguish and unresolved stuff. Or just lost spirits."
[22:34] Ethan Hawke says, "... but I've got this bad habit of trusting typically evil kinds."
[22:34] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Spirits chained down by sin - yes. In time, those tormented by the Nethradin become Nethradin themselves. I wonder- can it be reversed? And... then finding a way to break the chains- hmm."
[22:34] Ethan Hawke says, "It worked out so far."
[22:35] Ethan Hawke says, "The chains are the easier part. With a shard and a proper contract and sealing through runes it's a done deal."
[22:36] Ethan Hawke says, "I don't even think I'd need that kind of power to just keep them bound to my staff; Phil's already livin' there and all we had to do was cleanse him with Thera."
[22:36] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Hm, hm, hm."
[22:36] Ethan Hawke asks, "But I don't wanna go through having to use five people to fix it back up, yeah?"
[22:36] Satsuki is no longer following along. Phil? whowhat
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[22:36] Ethan definitely does not notice. He had gone Satsuki-mode, drifting off on his own without concern.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:37] Ethan Hawke says, ".. Anyway."
[22:37] Satsuki can appreciate this.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[22:37] Ethan Hawke says, "Do you know of a place with high concentration of lifestream or anything like that? Not a star, obviously."
[22:37] Ethan Hawke says, "But any help or suggestion's appreciated."
[22:37] Ethan Hawke says, "I can't let Cal one-up me, or let Reito's work grow old and only used to fight."
[22:38] Ethan Hawke says, "It's... y'know, her first big one."
[22:38] Satsuki Shimasu says, "I've always been fond of the highest point of Agartha. It's where I've connected to Jiuweihu twice."
[22:38] Ethan Hawke says, "And I want it to be the best one."
[22:38] Ethan nodded a few times.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:39] Ethan Hawke says, "It's a good spot, yeah, but Wayfinding makes distance and position not mean much."
[22:40] Satsuki Shimasu says, "I will be honest. I have... /no/ experience working with the lifestream."
[22:40] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Not wayfinding. Not arcane magic. Nothing."
[22:40] Ethan Hawke says, "Yeah but you're a wise old lady."
[22:40] Ethan Hawke says, "You're bound to have something that can help."
[22:41] Satsuki Shimasu says, "...I am in possession of a spire shard. I had intended to give it to Reito."
[22:41] Ethan Hawke says, "..."
[22:42] Ethan genuinely did not know what to say to that. The mention alone was... something. Thus, he defaulted to what was the least offensive, yet most appropriate response at that time. One that displayed, alongside his face, a bit of surprise.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:42] Satsuki Shimasu says, "But a worthwhile project is a better use of a shard than simply... handing it off. I will have to see if she is up to anything interesting."
[22:42] Ethan Hawke says, "Oh."
[22:45] A nod was finally given after a few seconds, followed by a giddy smile. This was crazy, a bit too crazy. A push was made to re-itterate what he had said before - hoping it could make that incredible dream come true.

That would be a Jiuweihusend.

"You can tell her about this project. I intended to have her be the one that properly binds the Nethradin's spirit to the staff— she's the one who did most of the work on it and bound the previous spirit, too. It... Rebirth was the name she gave it, and it's the best staff I've ever held or seen."

Who wouldn't be a bit flustered by that, after all?
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:51] "...You are... both saving the world in ways I myself never would have," she said slowly, after a moment of consideration. "Perhaps it is my inherent nature, my... bloodline. Perhaps it is years and years of allowing Insatiable to whisper its desires, to share its visions of fire and war. But if it were up to me, I'd simply... exterminate everything. But you..."

The recent encounter with the fallen angel had truly helped to put things into perspective. Choice was a beautiful thing - it wasn't the angel's place to take that away, and it wasn't Satsuki's either. Sure, she said as much before drawing Insatiable and entering the fray, but believing it was another thing entirely.

Time to actually put it into practice.

"--We will do things your way, then. Saving lives, not just... saving the world. So odd, so... different."
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[22:54] If he wasn't smiling like a dumbass before, this would be it. Satsuki's heart opening up a bit and her view of everything changing to go along both his and Reito's own was something he never would have expected. The first time he properly encountered the woman she threatened to take his life merely months before he got his own occultic nature under control. And now, she wanted to... save people. To give them a chance - even if it could backfire.

Perhaps they really did manage to pull an old hermit out of her cave. The Wayfinder took a few steps closer to the woman, arms shifting to the sides in a way that indicated he totally wanted to embrace her, though a second thought stopped him from doing so.

A fist was presented instead, one the Shimasu could bump.

"You're the coolest old wise woman I've ever met, you know that?"
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:00] Had Ethan hugged her, she probably would have hissed at hbest and bitten him at worst. Instead, however, his presented fist was met with a cock of her head and a brief, confused noise. Generational gap, maybe. But regardless - the fact of the matter was that even Wisdom hadn't given Satsuki a perfect view of the world. She thought it did. She believed, so long ago, that her word was gospel. She was twice-blessed by Jiuweihu, after all; she was Jiuweihu's Avatar on Eternia, wasn't she...?

But she had been proven wrong time and time again, and one contradiction to the former Chancellor's world view stood before her right now. Ethan Hawke - the man who had overcome his occult madness and truly mastered it, rather than allowing the dark to control him as it had controlled so many others. Satsuki didn't think such a thing was truly possible, and yet here he was.

...There were so very many things she was wrong about. Wisdom only spoke if she'd care to listen, and she wasted so many years of her life refusing to heed its words.

Right. They'd do it his way this time.

"...Everybody is so fixated on calling me old. I will... never understand it."
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[23:01] Ethan Hawke says, ".. It's not a bad thing."
[23:03] Ethan's hand slowly lowered itself after not being met. If only she could've understood what he meant with the gesture, damn.

"I'm getting old, too, yeah? I call you tons of stuff, too. Sats' is a pretty cool one." He said, nodding, only to let a few seconds pass before he spoke again.

"What's the plan, then? Doing things my way goes a long way and I've wanted to pull Nethradin back to the right side ever since Elisheva said it was possible. Thera said she probably knows the right thing to purify them, at least, but she needs to ask an old friend. For now the whole binding part can be done, at the very least. The Nethradin I've got is more than willing, even if they can't be given a proper form again."

He really had pulled her away from 'being tired', hadn't he?
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:09] No, no. She was still quite tired. Had she been more awake and more alert, there would be far less contemplation and a lot more rambling. Regardless-

"...Plan? No," she said, shaking her head, "No, I said we are doing it 'your way.' That means it is not my plan. My plan is the same as always," she told him. That certainly meant 'kill everything that she'd consider a problem and worry about any repercussions later.' That wasn't the Ethan Hawke or Reito Shimasu way, though.

...But that's also why it wouldn't be her plan. She couldn't be like them, not really.

"Unless you roped me into this so that you could rest easy and reap the rewards while Satsuki once again solves everything. No - Ethan Hawke. I should ask you that question: what is the plan, then?"
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[23:11] Put on the spot. Busted. He definitely couldn't push the whole responsability up on the wise one, she saw through him and made him own up to his ideals. Even if teamwork was one of them he'd have to thread carefully, perhaps even leading the project in a way.

".. Finding Reito and asking what she thinks of that use for a spire shard that'd be hers normally is a good start, I think."

He'd have to do the talking, wouldn't he?
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:12] Satsuki nods, answering a question that hadn't been asked aloud, but one that Satsuki picked up on anyway thanks to Wisdom. Yes - he'd have to do the talking.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[23:12] Ethan Hawke says, "Come on, then."
[23:12] Ethan Hawke says, "I promise you'll get some rest soon."
[23:12] Ethan Hawke says, "... I hope."
[23:13] Satsuki can't wait to narco in the middle of a scene. Just like old times.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[23:13] Ethan Hawke says, "Hey, Reito."
[23:13] Reito Shimasu asks, ".... Ethan?"
[23:13] Alesia Elisheva says, "...ow...t-thank you..."
[23:13] Ethan Hawke says, "I somehow knew I'd find you here. Figured you're a medic and all after an attack."
[23:13] Satsuki Shimasu says, "It would seem 'your way' involves interrupting medics at work."
[23:13] Ethan Hawke says, "Sats-"
[23:13] Satsuki Shimasu exclaims, "...Our approaches are entirely different indeed!"
[23:14] Reito Shimasu says, "They're just exhausted, is all."
[23:14] Reito Shimasu says, "The injuries are already patched up."
[23:14] Ethan Hawke asks, "See?"
[23:14] Ethan Hawke says, "Perfect timing."
[23:14] Ethan Hawke says, "Anyway, we gotta talk. You, Satsuki, and I."
[23:14] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Mostly you and Ethan."
[23:14] Ethan Hawke says, "Satsuki's there to watch and judge."
[23:14] Reito Shimasu says, "As per the norm, yes."
[23:14] Satsuki Shimasu says, "I am a very sleepy benefactor."
[23:15] Ethan Hawke says, "Maybe dreams are calling you or something."
[23:16] Unable to escape bed due to extreme weariness, the rune-cloaked one snuggles the fox-priestess tightly, a soft smile upon her face.

"You did great too, sister. I'm proud of you, like always..."

Alas, she must release the Reito as that thud is had, glancing over at the dear Alesia, looking to see if she's alright!

"Are you okay, dear?"

Comes her soft voice as the tired Artificer scoots her way backwards to lean against the bed-head and prop herself upwards. Tired and supremely sore, though a smile is given the way of Ethan and the old fox with him!
(Magdalen Elisheva)
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[23:18] Reito waved a hand dismissively at the Demiangel's praise, whilst ensuring Alesia was safely back in bed after falling out of it. She even recovered her up as she spoke up,

"I merely did what had to be done, is all," She responded politely to Magdalen with a smile before she turned to the duo that had entered, "I think... I'm good to talk now, yes. Are you all good to rest here?" She asked, turning back to those within the beds.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[23:20] With the cotton-candy priestess' aid, the tiny dryad is successfully restored to...actually being in the bed.

She nods, very slightly, and with a measure of embarressment on her face...

"...y-yes. I'm fine. Just...tired...really tired...

T-thank you, Missus Reito..."

...and then she lies back down in the bed, although not going back to sleep.

Probably.
(Alesia Elisheva)
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[23:20] Ethan Hawke says, "Let's get going, then."
[23:21] Reito Shimasu exclaims, "Of course!"
[23:22] Ethan Hawke says, "So-"
[23:24] Reito Shimasu asks, "... ?"
[23:29] This was going to be a long one, really, though Reito was definitely going to be made aware of the whole process regardless by the time it came - it was her baby.

"I've thought of a way to purify Nethradin that works in theory. I just need a bit more information from Thera, a proper source of power, and help to bind a spirit."

Nice. No explanation.

"Basically, I want you to bind a Nethradin to my staff the same way that Phil's been bound to it. Then, I'll Wayfind the Nethradin to a spot in the spirit world that can cleanse it of all impurities, probably something real... lifestream-stacked. With sub-commands I'll have the route come right back to the physical world. The contract is gonna serve as an anchor, sort of, making sure that the spirit doesn't end up swallowed by an open rift or lost in the lifestream. Obviously without proper power I don't think we'll be able to give that cured Nethradin a proper form to fight, walk around, live— y'know?"

A pause, then another explanation.

"After I've seen what Thera did for Sera, I'm sure that a spire shard would help make that physical form possible. It's how the lighthouse works, too, to keep the undead around and blast enough power into them - all that stuff. I already had plans on going out and getting a spire shard for myself from... wherever, but Satsuki mentionned she had one.

One that she wanted to hand off to you one day."

Another pause, a longer one to have Reito realize what that meant.

".. She said she wanted to try things my— our way. Saving people, not killing them all, and making the world better all at once. That's why she's making me tell youall of that, really. I felt like the next step, beyond waiting for Thera, was to tell you. 'Cause that spire shard's yours, really, and that I still need you for the first step - the contract's already drafted and I've got a willing Nethradin."

That was a lot.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:47] This was... A lot to take in, in all honesty. The Regent was tired and it was obvious in her face, there was no truthful telling of what was keeping her going at this point except for pure adrenaline. Regardless, she listened to the Wayfinder patiently, nodding along the way, but she stops when he mentioned the spire shard.

Pink eyes widen. Unlike Satsuki, she had no way of predicting things people tell her and she's completely taken by surprise by the news. The only time she had seen a spire shard it had been when Sera utilized it within the Shrine to bless Isaac. She momentarily averted her eyes as she remembered that particularly draining event.

But what Ethan said intrigued her, and soon enough those uncanny pink eyes shifted back to him curiously before she nodded,

"I like the idea of us purifying a Nethradin. We will most definitely need Thera's help, as my knowledge of spirits and Nethradin is incredibly limited. But...." She paused, chewing her bottom lip briefly. Some habits died hard, it seemed. "I will bind the Nethradin to Rebirth, only if we can confirm with Thera first... And..." She shut her eyes now, smiling gently, "We can use the spire shard. Rebirth is a culmination of hard work and I would not minding putting forth more into it. We've seen what it's capable of when you worked with the others to close the rift.

"I like to think it's capable of a lot more."
(Reito Shimasu)
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[23:55] "Great..!" He said night instantly after Reito's words. What kind of guy would he be if he didn't think it was great anyway? Having this project of theirs being pushed further and further was something unbearably impossible to think about for most people, and now, they were slowly but surely bringing a legend to life.

"For the shard itself I think... I think the best way to use it would be embedding its powers - enchanting and scribbing all six Wayfinding circles using it. That way it'll be able to bolster its ability to manipulate the lifestream and open portals. It'll also allow us to do that whole back and forth with Nethradin easily enough, and the residual power from it should be enough to feed enough divine magic to make miracles happen as long as we go through the circles. Netherworld connects with the spirit world, so it'll probably be the best to bind Nethradin and spirit alike to as an anchor, since it'll be a point they can find in any plane."

He had gone full nerd already. Part of him already wanted to start - he was all too eager to do so. He looked at Satsuki, then at Reito.

They could start, right?
Right?!?
(Ethan Hawke)
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[00:01] "This shard does belong to Reito - but if she supports your project, then it will go to you. Frankly, I am... just glad to be free of it," she said, reaching into her pocket and producing an old but no less radiant little shard of divinity. "A dear friend gave this to me to hold onto so many years ago - for a project that never quite came to fruition. IT is... only right that I never used it for any personal projects, then."

She held it out to Ethan.

"It was for a project long abandoned, and now it will be for... a new project, hm? Take good care of it."

They were indeed doing it "his" way - Satsuki wasn't even rambling as much as usual.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[00:01] {ITEM} Traded item with Satsuki Shimasu: Spire Shard
[00:05] The Kitsune was caught off guard by Ethan immediately saying great like that, as he began rambling. Frankly, it all left her a little confused and she both simultaneously shook her head and nodded a few times, almost dizzy.

"I....." She trailed off, falling silent briefly before she gathered her thoughts back up enough after she essentially dropped them everywhere, "I will leave the Wayfinding and the portals to you. I will properly seal the Nethradin within the staff utilizing runes, and... Yes. The shard should provide enough energy and divine magic to make the entire process easy. I hope."

This was all theory and she offered a small chuckle,

"It seems that the only worthwhile projects coming from Huangzhou are, once again, those from the Illuminated." Now she looked to Satsuki, curious as to who precisely gave the Kitsune the shard in the first place, and for which project but that was for another time, wasn't it?
(Reito Shimasu)
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[00:11] Ethan took the spire shard that was offered, holding onto it tightly like it was some sort of... mythical object. It really was, too. The young man couldn't help but stare at its radiance, even if it had faded a bit. It seemed to instantly reflect the staff's glow on his back, almost as if his will alone was going to have it enchant the staff itself.

Come to think of it scribbing down Wayfinding runes was more of his job, wasn't it? All he had to do was use the shard as a reagent for such and let its influence exist within said circles. He almost was going to put the whole job on someone else, again.

Finally, he spoke to the pink-haired kitsune, giving the older one a proper chance to escape.

"Do you want to meet the Nethradin? We can explain to them the whole process and start with the binding right away. Since we want it to be loose enough for them to exist without being restricted to Rebirth it shouldn't be a problem, yeah?

... It would also be done, too."

He was way too excited to get this whole thing running.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[00:12] Ethan Hawke says, "With Ren Shi and Roko'Roko's light I doubt they'll be able to corrupt the weapon, not to mention I won't pull them in it."
[00:15] Reito Shimasu says, "...."
[00:15] Reito sighed. Her work wasn't over, was it? Despite the sigh, she smiled,

"Alright. I can go meet this Nethradin - but does it know what is going to happen?"
(Reito Shimasu)
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[00:15] Ethan Hawke says, "Yes."
[00:15] Ethan Hawke says, "I've told of all the risks."
[00:16] Ethan Hawke says, "They're aware and willing."
[00:16] Ethan Hawke says, "The plan's changed a tad, but the endgoal and the deal is the same."
[00:17] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Well, even if it's not /quite/ how I'd approach this problem, at least it means Sors loses yet another soldier."
[00:17] Reito Shimasu says, "...."
[00:17] Reito Shimasu says, "A willing Nethradin...."
[00:17] Reito Shimasu says, "But taking some Sors is very good."
[00:19] Ethan Hawke says, "Yeah."
[00:19] Ethan Hawke says, "It's both willing, and Sors'."
[00:19] Ethan Hawke says, "Come on, I'll show you."
[00:19] Ethan offered a hand.
(Ethan Hawke)