Owner	Pose
Sinister	It may be noted that the visitors to the Institute, in the plateau lake region of the Savage lands have a rather unique and extremely rare privilege; Doctor Nathaniel Essex is not known at all, for sharing his data or research. Not remotely. And yet, everyone that was granted visitor rights at the Institute was given clearance at least to look at his database of files. Not his research, that's still locked, but the vast catalogue of observations, samples, geographic locations of plant and animal samples, observations on climate, micro-ecology, macro-ecology, micro and macrobiology and behavioural patterns are all open to read, like the motherload of all natural science wikipedias, where the informations is actually accurate. He's remarkably detailed when he makes notes and observations, leaving very little out, including biochemical properties. This will have given the mystical types a rare opportunity to discover that some long extinct mystical ingredients are alive and kicking and some are quite potent when used in the right manner. But also, in the current Geode controversy, he's made available his holodeck, so that the vast network of the volcanic underpinning of Antarctica, which is better than a great many seismological studies by governments we'll note... can be studied. THey all connect to one of the worlds largest and most active supervolcanos and form a chain with it. Mount Erebus. Despite all the ice and frigid temperatures outside of the Savage Lands, Erebus is still burning -hot- hot hot. It seems as if IT is the source of the leylines that power the oddness in the 'giant geode' at the bast of the smaller volcano high in the savage lands itself. "So... this took me quite some time to catalogue and map. For the longest time, I did not have fireproof friends and despite all that I am, I cannot withstand falling into lava for any length of time. A short period, I suspect, but not at length. So I had to devise a method of extending volcanological machinery into temperatures that rival the surface of the sun."
Constantine	"Erebus, you say?" Although the holodisplay is quite amusing to Constantine - who wouldn't blow smoke rings into a hologram? - the name of the volcano have him perk up. "This is quite ominous. In the Greek polytheism, it is said that Nyx, night herself, left a gem in the depths of Erebus. Of course, no such garnet has ever been found. Hitler's Special Hermetic Expedition Forces were building some machine to that effect at some point but their fundings fell through, or so the story goes." John blows in some more rings, watching them change colors to match the projection and mess with the shape of the hologram itself. "Also the name is quite fitting. Without the volcano, none of the Savage Lands would have life, I guess. At least no life we would recognize."
Lucifer	Lucifer is the exception to the exception, in a way that means he is able to see all and know all. At least, all that Nathaniel will allow him to see and know. This may be everything, all the things, and it could very well be only what he allows anyone else at any given time. When conversation turns to the supervolcano, and then Constantine talks about Nyx, Lucifer tilts his head in such a way. "Do you need this super machine now? Is the plan to go into the supervolcano and try to find this treasure?" He asks, curious, and then thinks. "I wonder, if it's found, removed, that such will destabalize all of this... cause the supervolvano to explode..."
Sinister	"Well, given that I highly doubt that the jewel of Nyx is in a supervolcano that men named in the last century, I suspect that mythos is associated more originally and substantially with the ring of fire in the mediterranean sea and not the continent of Antarctica," Sinister replies to Lucifer with a grin. "But something of the energy that feeds into that odd geode chamber in the savage lands, originates from here." He brushes fingers through the flues and lava flows of Erebus, beneath the ice, idly watching the smoke drift through the holoimages, before saying "...if /you're/ going to have a smoke, I insist that you share." Without looking at Constantine as he says this. "I am curious though," he informs, indicating the heart of the supervolcano "...if some of the alien technology that helped create and sustain the savage lands, isn't buried in that heart. And somehow helps feed the energy to our Lost World."
Constantine	"Oh, of course." A cigarette appears between John's fingers, a party trick, which is lit by Hellfire, real magic, before it is passed to Nathaniel. He offers one to Lucifer as well, although he doesn't light it up. No need to waste in case of rebuttal nor risk insulting the Prince of Hell who certainly can provide his own light. "How does your technology deal with... you know, pressure? And once in the lava. Is it magma? Once in the stone soup, there's no way to sweat out the heat. Would be easier to get swallowed by a giant whale and give the whale a spell of invulnerability." John frowns. "And by that I mean invulnerability is bloody hard to cast. And dangerous. Steals a year of your life for a day of power. This is why it's a ceremony, so the drain is shared."
Lucifer	"You're such a spoil sport, John." Lucifer offers. "Nathaniel prepared for this especially... cause he had a breakthrough. Though that's all I will say about it." He offers this and then glances back to Nathaniel properly. "Still, even with all your mahcinery going into the heart... how do you plan on extracting anything? Would it help if I were able to...somehow...enter the volcano as well? Can't be any hotter than the pools of hellfire I've bathed in."
Sinister	"Ahh, pressure. And I would not subject some poor whale to swimming in lava, it would be entirely terrified the whole time. Actually, it can handle pressure just fine. I have a few... doohickies that can alter the dynamics of forces, when set into motion, so that's not an issue. I was hoping, perhaps, that imagery could be gleaned. Proper imagery, that isn't fried by biomagnetic forces and the extreme heat and occlusions." He takes the cigarette, smiles for the giving of it and sets to smoking, stood hipshod, arm across his midriff and looking rather like an antihero in a film noire that might just be a little on the camp side. Or you know, just the Fabulous side. "If you wanted to be sent down a lava flow in a specially treated supermachine designed in Italy by race-car experts... with a twist of some of my own je ne sais quoi, I think it could probably be arranged. It might be even helpful, in the steering. I could probably pilot it remotely though. I just wanted you both to be aware, that -that- was the source of the power that feeds that Geode chamber. So something in -there- contributes to..." he points to the geode chamber in the other smaller volcano. "ALso, I felt like I should do the breakthrough reveal here... drum roll please...." even though there is no drummer or any audio unit where it should come from, there IS a drumroll. Illusion of mind is a fun thing. He switches the holograph, revealing a life form. It looks rather like an insectile being, in that it has a carapace, but its features are minimal. A pair of eyes, no mouth to speak of, spindly limbs and a porpoise like tail. It's also flaming somewhat, from vents in its carapace, which look odd in the hologram. "...This is what grew from the genetic material I gathered from the snot geode. Do /either/ of you know what the heck that is?"
Constantine	At the same moment Nathniel calls for drum rolls, Constantine mimmics hitting a drum rapidly with sticks. The combined effect is surreal. In his surprise, John looks at his hands and blinks his eyes. "Haha, good one!" he says, trying to save face, laughing with obvious nervosity. What saves him though, he hopes, is the /thing/ that seems bred to live in lava. Or magma. "Aren't you an ugly bugger," he says to the image before him. "I'm no insectologist, sorry. I don't even know of all the demon breeds from Hell, imagine. With mandibles it'd look like a scarab maybe?" He switches his air of disbelief onto Sinister. "You grew that? How big is it? I don't get much sense of scale from hologramy."
Lucifer	Even after seeing that face on Nathaniel after Constantine *butchers* the word that he was looking for...all is set aside when he looks at the holographical image of what the snot geode produced. His eyes go wide and he walks over to it, looking like a kid who just found his favorite candy in the candy shop. "It's a Skrit!" He announces. "Oh I thought they were all wiped out a long time ago. Whatever the aliens are doing to the lava that then caused the geodes to become what they are... oh no matter. Isn't it adorable?! Oh lookit his little flames and everything..." He's simply lost over this image and then he looks to Nathaniel. "Is it alive? Somewhere? Like could I see it for real?" He asks, practically bursting with excited anticipation.
Sinister	Sinister gestures with his hands and the cigarette, about a foot and a half. It's a weirdass thingy that's about the size of a small housecat. He did have to take a deep breath though. DO not correct the wizard on his scientific definitions, else he may one day comment on your atrocious pronounciation of some mystical text. But then, enlightenment from the lightbringer? Appropos, one might say. "A ... skrit. Well, I suppose we call things all kinds of weird names," he nods to the devil, glancing to Constantine and back. "It's in a tank in the containment labs. I had to heat one of the maturation tubes and funnel volcanic gas into the water to make it acidic so it would grow." A pause "It was rather interesting to see those tiny flames act like white phosphorus in that they'll burn under the water." Another pause "We could go there if you like? Just look at my thoughts and you can port us there, I think."
Constantine	Constantine nods, nods. Housecat is okay size to him. But then again... "How large can these grow?" he asks, including Lucifer. "It's a bloody miracle to be able to travel into the crushing fathoms of Earth, it's another to get eaten by a giant skrit. Clearly, you're a genius, gov'nor. You turn science into magic. I just want to make sure we're not about to wake up the mother of all skrits and all the baby skrits and then they rush up to eat the Savage Lands. They're no dragons but I'm sure they could eat all your dinosaurs to extinction." The thought of it just hit John. "Maybe they already have." Then his stomach lets out a growl of hunger. "What do skrits taste like?"
Lucifer	"Oh they don't grow much bigger than what this one is now, unless there's something in the properties what made them that will exponentialize it's growth." Lucifer offers. "They're, essentially, fire sprytes. Relics of a plane that none traverse these days...and like I said...they all but died out. So to find one here... is amazing..." He offers and then smiles at Nathaniel, but what he hears Constantine say near the end gains the man a *look*. "You're not *eating* it. Go make a sandwich or something. I hear there's more parasaurolophus in the kitchen. Could make a couple great sammies for ya."
Sinister	"I can't imagine that they'd taste good anyway," INdicating the hologram again, Sin gestures around where a mouth would be. "No mouth. They appear to syphon through their ventricles..." indicating the little vents where the little flames come out and "...and their spiracles..." the holes on the other side, much smaller "...to eat chemicals. They're chaemovores, which would sort of explain why they thrive in a chemical primordial soup of an active volcano. Although it's rather nice to know that this is pretty much full grown." He looks to Lucifer at that, smiles with TEEF. ... ... ... "You're right though, I -am- a genius."
Constantine	"Alright then. Not so dangerous. Good to know." Constantine even offers a thumbs-up to the good news. "I've had my own experiements backfire at me so often... professional bias, right? Let's just make sure we don't let one or two loose in Australia." He scratches his head, considering options. "What if I go and make each of us a sandwich? That way, we can all stay at the tank's viewport for the next four hours, watching the little skrit critter turn volcanic gas into white phosphorus. Maybe we can even discuss about turning them into squirrels who eat greenhouse gas and save the planet."
Lucifer	"They don't need mouths. They don't speak. Well...not in the conventional way anyhow.." Lucifer offers, still looking over the skrit and then he shakes his head. "I have other...dietary plans...for myself and Nathaniel in a little while. Besides, I don't really want to spend four hours watching a hologram. I want to go see it for myself and then...figure out a few more things for Nathaniel's plan with his machines. Work. There's work to be done. But go ahead, go eat. You're an ass when you're hungry."
Sinister	"You'd best do as he says, John. Frankly, when he's got an idea in mind, he really shouldn't be argued with, he gets impish. Or occasionally irrascible, but that's mostly me that gets like that," Sinister looks to the magician with a smile. "Don't worry, I have regular food in the canteen also. The staff don't all like to eat dino, so there's fish, ham, roast beef. Cheese." He flicks the hologram though, dissipating it and steps up to Lucifer, finishing off his cigarette and proffering the butt for the devil to incinerate. "Shall we?" -- offering his other hand, and closing eyes to concentrate on the image of where they'd be going.
Constantine	John nods, offers another round of cigarettes. Where does he get them from, so far out in the Savage Lands? Conjuration, perhaps. Or he smuggled a cartoon through trickery. "I'll get a catering trolley then. I want to run a full aura examination on it, to measure its life potential and magic sensitivity. If they are perceptive of ley lines, like plants and buffalos are, that may help you to narrow the search. I'll meet you there." Toodles, he waves his fingers and departs with a spring in his steps towards the galley.
Lucifer	Lucifer smirks as Nathaniel offers those other options to John, who then decides to actually go and get something to eat. But not before wanting to do some sort of text on the creature that's spawned from the snot geode. "I really don't like that he wants to... test the skrit. Makes no sense. He doesn't have to know every little thing about every little thing." He chides, huffing, and then smiles as he feels that mental sense and noses into Nathaniel some. "Aye. We shall. To meet the creature and then to some decadence promised after." He grins, and spends the next little while doing just that.