4552/Germination - The Next Day

Germination - The Next Day
Date of Scene:	31 May 2018
Location:	Bronx, New York City
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Nuala Duvall, Lucky Day
Tinyplot:	Germination

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Nuala Duvall has posed:
    An alien has arrived in the Bronx! The small park that was investigated the other day had a spike in development, and Nuala's sensors picked it up. She was indisposed with another sample at the time, and so she is only now able to respond. Her cloaked ship lands in the park, and the strange alien armor suit seems to step out of air.
    She starts to walk toward the site, checking the readings on her suit. "I don't know, Timmy, they are significantly reduced. Past experiments showed that heat causes it to thrive," she says, the mask of her suit glowing blue.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    An alien has arrived in the Bronx! The small park that was investigated the other day had a spike in development, and Nuala's sensors picked it up. She was indisposed with another sample at the time, and so she is only now able to respond. Her cloaked ship lands in the park, and the strange alien armor suit seems to step out of air.
    She starts to walk toward the site, checking the readings on her suit. "I don't know, Timmy, they are significantly reduced. Past experiments showed that heat causes it to thrive," she says, the mask of her suit glowing blue.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom returns to the scene of the crime. The curse restored his health (mostly), outfit and the works. It can be rather handy but it can also be a pain in the ass. As it is, he is considering any influences of his hidden tormentor here, and trying to consider why the lichen (which he TOTALLY loves and is friends with) chose this area. He is wearing a long stovepipe black hat, a montebank black cape and a waxen twirling stage mustache. He looks up at the Robot and asks, "Are you here to mourn its loss as well?

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    The figure in the suit tilts its head to one side curiously, and then looks back at the gouged ground. "Something like that. What happened?" comes the feminine voice. The helmet suddenly parts, retracting back into the suit to reveal a woman's head, much smaller than the suit would have suggested is her height. She kneels down next to the sight, holding up the wrist of her suit and examining a holographic readout.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom says, "Great question." He beams. "I was watering the lichen, realizing how sad it must be being so far away from its alien world. And then Johnny Storm came by and was asking questions. We sang together. Then some mole guy came out and sprayed it everywhere. Then..." he sobs, an actual tear coming on his cheek, "They....they....trapped it in glass and took it away. I still don't know wher eit is poor thing. He wipes away a tear, "Oh sorry for calling you a robot."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    The bafflement is not hard to see on Nuala's face. "You...are sad?" she asks, as if this is some sort of joke. She has a distinct accent, one that doesn't seem to fit with any particular culture. "It was not a puppy. It was a plant. It does not have feelings." She looks at the readings. "There are traces remaining, but right now, your 'mole' friend seems to have had the only successful solution to stopping it. Where did they take it?"

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom says, "oh, I can see why you might think that, coming from a technological background." He knows nothing about her background but a robot suit is a reasonable leap. "Johnny Storm flew away with that. I'm a magician. Not a very good one, but most people don't realize that in an animistic world everything has feelings. Not feelings the same way other people understand them but...I am sure its soul was at a deep loss being pulled away from me, it's only friend.""

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala's blue eyes regard Tom for several seconds. "My background is in alien parasites. I prevent them from taking over worlds and destroying all life. From my current studies on this particular 'soul', it could pose a serious threat to everything on Earth if it remains unchecked." She considers the gravity of her statement. "Do not worry, I am sure I can find a way to contain it." There, reassurance. Everything is fine.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom was looking rather...annoyed at Nuala but then does a 180 and looks grateful, "Oh you CAN? Oh dear. You may be its only hope. I mean lets be honest. So many things have attacked the Earth and all of these geniuses and heroes woudl figure it out sooner or later, some magic hand cream or spraying pomegranit juice on it or god knows what and poof...gone. Maybe if You are there to help it that can give it hope." He smiles widely.

As Tom shows his gratitude towards her, a nearby tree, with a large maple leaf, suddenly blows loose and as it picks up in the wind it flies gently, but annoyingly into Nuala's face. Almost some kind of cosmic warning of some kind.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala reaches up to catch the leaf out of her face, looking at it closely for a few moments. "I don't know how good I am at giving people hope," she says, lowering the leaf ans shifting her gaze back to Tom. "It is not my job. I just try to stop parasites from doing damage. My name is Nuala. Nuala Duvall."

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom sighs. He has another single tear fall down his cheek again, "I understand. Poor Lichen. No one understands you but me. But I will keep it up. Oh. Terribly sorry. I hate to be rude. I usually leave a bad enough first...well...second third and last impression but rudeness is never my style. My name is Tom, Tom Night. I am a magician of moderate skill. I specialize in being places people don't want me to be. For other people who do want me to be there.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala looks at the leaf again, and, in the spirit of leaving no leaf unturned, she asks, "What is it that you understand?" She says. "I am not certain exactly how this plant got here, or where it is from. What makes you think it is lonely? It is similar to other invasive species, but I haven't been able to verify an exact match, and it seems more threatening to non-plant life."

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom looks emberrased a moment and is treading on dangerously thin ice here, because people knowing too much can get them killed. Or turned into furniture. He considers carefully, "Well I understand a lot Nualla. But I understand that the lichen needs a good friend. I am, you see, friends with it. I just...put myself where it would be. I've read about some rituals that would let me talk with it I suppose, but I'm just trying to help it be...you know....welcome. To our planet. I haven't actually talked to it." There is a truck load of things left unsaid there. Almost as if he is deliberately not saying them.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    "Rituals." Nuala lets the leaf go, the large metal fingers releasing it. "You speak of things that are beyond me," she admits. "Magic and spirit...things." It sounded like she wasn't quite sure what word to use, and things became the default. "I have seen too many things to discount it, though. Can you tell me more?" She doesn't like things being left unsaid, and clearly does not have the necessary fear of being turned into furniture.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom sighs. He isn't going to dislike this woman just because she is curious...but he doesn't want to hurt her either. "Sure. Though the entire concept of magic is...that's like asking 'tell me of this science thing'....years I could spend. But magic of my kind and at its root most magic is the idea that all things have a spirit. A fundamental force just like the weak and strong force in physics. Every thing down to an atom or the things that it has, are part of a conciousness. There are actual theories of physics that hold that idea, that matter is concience. Beyond that, the theories split that say that sometimes it is belief that shapes it; and if people don't believe it has a mind it doesn't...others don't believe that things that aren't natural don't have spirits. I don't believe any of that. I think the Earth is just as alive with or without us caring about it. Rituals....the best explanation I heard about what a ritual is," his voice has subtly changed, becoming more normal, almost suave, "is that it is like a giant button put there by a powerful magic entity. Do X or Y and you get a result. They often advance the agenda of that cosmic entity. A ritual is not like internal power, as if someone were to tap their will and cast a blast of fire or a curse. It's a thing anyone can do, but the more you do it, the less power the ritual has. I have innate power, power over luck, albiet bad luck. But I also have knowledge and knowledge can get me more knowledge which lets me cast a ritual to make certain things happen.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala listens, but the look on her face says she is trying hard to keep up with the explanation. "I see," she says. "So you think you can do one of these rituals? You can speak to it? Find out what it wants?" She turns to more fully face Tom. "I cannot say that I am this thing's friend, nor that I have intention of becoming a friend. It's not good to get emotionally committed to this type of work. But what I do want is to see it off world. If communication makes it easier than destroying it, that works for me."

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom considers this, "I could try. I mean I'd have to research it."

. o O "But if it turned out to be the thing it of course, actually is, that would make it all the harder to you know....be its friend. But of course I AM its true friend and will believe in it no metter what."

He nods, "I can look into doing that. It's a good idea. Maybe if we can find out how honest it is, people might voluntarily...." what feed themselves to it? "Find ways to make it a peaceful coexistance with it. If it wants to go I would be happy to help it leave. I mean, i'd be terribly sad but I can give it a try.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    "It will need to leave," Nuala says directly, sounding a little surprised that such would be a question. "The only way that it could coexist peacefully is to place it in an environment that it was first designed for so that it's growth will be checked by the other life forms in the ecosystem. Here it would just eat everything until it was the only thing left, and then it would die because it would run out of food, leaving Earth a lifeless rock." Too much?
    She hesitates. "I am sorry, I am not very good with people. I tend to be more direct than is usually appreciated."

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom feels bad that she feels bad. Which of course makes him intensely dislike her. How dare she make him feel bad? "It's not your fault. I'm not like most people. It takes a particular kind of insight to empathize with those who need our empathy most. And while I love my friend, I cannot, logically disagree with the dangers he ...or she...might represent. But it pains my heart to think so. Perhaps we can ask it to only snack on pests. I will do what I can to talk to it.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala shakes her head. "Well, you do that," she says. A compartment opens on the chest of the suit, and what looks to be a normal smartphone disengages as the suit retracts around her arm, revealing that her hand was actually in the forearm, not in the glove of the suit. She takes the phone, "I can give you my conventional contact information," she suggests, "In the event you are successful." The look on her face says that she is doubtful.

Lucky Day has posed:
Tom nods and looks crazy again. "I will totally do that. Thanks! I would give you my contact information but it would likely make your phone burn out. I'm not exactly a fortunate person to have around. Have a nice day!" He says that in a way that sounds like "Have a terrible day"

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala eyes him strangely, and taps her information into his phone, and hands it back. "Well, you too," she says, his edge of annoyance not lost. The arm of the suit reforms around her hand and the fist closes, then opens on the suit, and she turns, heading back to her ship.