Cyrus noticed Jo looking at his chains so he sent a wave of endothermic flame through them to make them come alive and unwrap from his arms and drift over towards the girl and stopping inches from her before retreating and returning back to their place on his arms. " I would have rather have a nice flagon of ale, Though I suppose this is too fine of an establishment to offer such peasant like drinks. Sadly I do not know what this Vodka is, or even what this 'Bloody Mary' is supposed to be though if it is as good as those potato sticks I will gladly try it. He offered a weak smile before looking around her house. The yellow hurt his eyes slightly since the only time he ever truly experienced the colour in mass was in the kings gilded throne room, where every inch was covered in gold. When the robot came in it was all he could do to not put a bolt of fire through it. It reminded him of an iron golem a skilled earth magus could make. Though much more fluid in it's design and it seemed to hover like a strong wind magus. He cocked his head slightly as it passed him with a beeping noise. Shaking it he looked in awe as the previously blank living room came alive with furniture and an odd glass fixture that reminded him of a bigger version of the tablet Jo called a holographic menu. " I think I can breath. It is still a little hard. I guess it is the same concept as flying in Einhal. Sudden changes tend to rob me of my breath...I hate wind Magus. They do it all the time and make it look easy." He grumbled before remembering where he was and stopped. " I'm fine. Though I have a million questions to ask of you, and I am sure you have some of your own. I think I need to take in everything while standing up. Work off some of this energy so I don't burn anything to the ground as you asked." Cyrus looked at her and started slowly, wording his question as precisely as possible. "You said that his was planet Earth, yes? The scholars call our planet the same thing. I...still think you are a god of sorts...though I have too many questions to process this right now."

Jo's eyes were locked on the chains as they hovered over her, nervously sitting on the couch. "...a-Ale? Like, ginger ale? Or, like beer? I don't have that stuff... I usually go for mixed drinks." She paused, watching the chains retract. "Er, Vodka is.. It's a strong alcoholic beverage, and it tastes better in drinks. A bloody mary.. Well, it's a bit spicy, and it has tomato in it. It's good for mornings." She looked at him oddly when she tried to figure out what "potato sticks" were. "Oh, you mean those french fries. It's a different kind of good. Though, those fries weren't the best..." She trailed off, looking at a small picture on the coffee table. "You're... Ok?" She glanced at him as she noticed him shaking, a small shade of concern crossing her face. " You're shaking, I mean. If it's too cold for you, I can turn the heat up. Or get you some blankets." She messed with the hem of her shirt, carefully examining him from her spot on the couch. "Wind? People there can control wind, too? Regardless, um..." She looked down, thinking. "You can ask anything you want to. Though, I promise to you, I don't consider myself, or anyone here, a god." She took a breath, the robot rolling in behing Cyrus and making a small beep. "Miss JO BAXTER, Your BLOODY MARY Is Finished." It buzzed, a synthesized womans' voice coming from inside it. "..Thank you Nan." She motioned for the drink to be put on the coffee table, and the robot complied, rolling out after. "Well, um, here it is," She motioned to the red drink with a stalk of celery sticking out of it. "And, um, yes, I do live on earth. This is earth."

"I am...quite fine... As I said, the pressure is much less here then on the surface...so it is harder to breath for me from what I understand...Atleast that is how the wind magus' explain it to me." He paused every few words to stabilize his breathing before eyeing the odd drink presented before him by this so called robot. "This is a bloody mary? I...this looks like a noble's drink, like something that would be consumed at the kings court..." He picked up the glass and eyed it suspiciously before taking a light sip of it. His mouth turned in disgust and was half tempted to throw it to the wall but stopped and set it down on the table.

"That was quite vile, how is it that you can drink something so...I am not sure of the word for it...I think I'll wait to return to my world for a drink then, Lets move on to these 'french fries' as you called them. They are better then some of the potato's cooked in the palace. What are they fried, or baked? I can't tell. Ah so many questions...so little time."

The more time he spent here the easier it was to breath, slowly but surely at least, So he slowly stood up and looked down at the girl. " To answer your question yes, there are seven magic's in my land. Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Light, Darkness, and Demonic. Though the last one has been outlawed in my lands for as long as history is recorded after the great calamity... If I may be so bold, you, and every soul up here is a god compared to my people...you live high above the clouds, with your metallic slaves to serve your every whim, food that I would call a delicacy is considered 'not that good' as you eloquently put it, and it seems peaceful here. Like a paradise."

"...I guess that makes sense. I've never really seen anyone from a lower platform go higher. I suppose, I could go mess with some settings and raise the oxygen percentage in the room? I tend to keep it ambient, but if it would make it easier for you to breathe..." She bought her thumbs to her lips thoughtfully. "...Yeah, though it's honestly a plain looking drink. When it gets later in the day, I could see about having Nan mix up a fancier, better tasting one? Maybe a white russian, or a mai tai..." She wondered what kind of drink the strange man would prefer, though she could tell by the look on his face that he did not enjoy the bloody mary.

"Yeah, people tend to love it or hate this one. Most people I've seen prefer it for mornings; they use it to chase away hangovers, I assume." Jo shrugged sheepishly, letting a nervous smile slip. "Um, the fries...? They're..." She paused, brows furrowing as she thought. "...I believe they're deep-fried. They could also have been dehydrated at one point and dehydrated. Food here is complicated. I could pull up an article on my computer about it for you, though- if I find the right one, it'll even have pictures." She had almost no idea about the food she ate, and it was apparent on her face as she bullshitted her response.

"... Some of those seem pretty straight forward; I assume fire controls fire, and the like... But, what do light and dark do? Also, I assume, from the connotations here, that nothing good comes from demonic. May I ask what the great calamity was?" She tilted her head slightly, a slight blush making an appearance on her pale cheeks as he continued to call her and the people around her gods. "n..No, really, I'm just a person; we're all just people. You can make fire come from your fingertips; if anyone's the most godlike here, it's you. The peace.. You've only really been on my platform. I swear, if you worked retail, that illusion would be gone in a heartbeat," She let out a nervous laugh, moving a hand to rub her arm. "It's not exactly what I'd call paradise, I promise. Paradise would probably be on the higher platforms, but nobody really can get up there. It's expensive; they're so high up that they have to be bubbled with plastic and glass, with air constantly pumped in, just so there's enough air to breathe..." Her eyes shut for a moment, before falling on Cyrus's white hair. "Please understand that this place... It's nothing too special. It was made out of necessity and ingenuity after the war." She looked away once more, worrying about staring at him again.

She paused for a moment, before looking up at her wall. "..I've an hour, though, before I have to go back to work. Ask away all you'd like, and I'll answer- maybe show, if I can. I think I can connect my computer with the projector, so if you don't want to go to my office to look at a screen, I can simply put it on the wall."

" No, I would rather not inconvenience you, Besides...It's getting a little bit easier to breath, though soon, I may have to leave back to my world as I am not safe enough to stay here for an extended amount of time." He ran his hands through his hair as he pondered the thought of a stronger, or more unique drink and quickly shook his head. " No...as I said, I think for now I will wait and return back to my land for some nice strong ale... Though moving on." He leaned down and stopped inches from the girls face looking into her eyes. " You seem to be nervous, while I am awestruck at everything that is happening."

"Article? Like laws? Your king placed laws on your food as well?...I just don't get this." He closed his eyes and straightened up once more as he began to pace the room slowly. His eyes still slowly moving over every unique and different object in the room. He stopped in front of the large crystalline table that projected light and knelt down next to it. " To answer your questions, Yes, I am a fire magus and I control fire and if I have the right conditions I can control the gods wrath. Each of us can control something that is truly powerful in our lands, but only the strongest of us can survive when we do it. Light and darkness...These two are rarer then the other four. Light can be used in healing waves and other miracle's if you will. It is also used to light the capital with these lantern's with crystals in them. A true work of genius I thought until I can here, where you have these tables that do the same thing, without the input of a magus. Darkness is the opposite. It twists and destroys things. It can be used to devour people and completely break their minds. Luckily the only two dark magus are in service to my king..." He paused and let out a small sigh as he planned out how to word the forbidden art.

"... Demon magic...Before the calamity was called summoning magic. Unlike the other 6, this one can be learned with incantations as long as you have a latent ability for magic. It was used to erect floating cities like this one when the summoned beasts brought forth a rock that could levitate on it's own from whatever realm they came from. This was the golden era of our empire. Cities spanned the skies and everything was prospering till a Summoner whose name is struck from the books surfaced with a group of magus who believed we were better then those who couldn't use magic. He wanted to enslave the 'stoic's' as he called them and use them for his twisted experiments. Anyway with the help of the six magus that were with him, he summoned a monster that blacked out the sky and made fire rain from the heavens in giant balls of earth. Our sky cities crumbled killing millions of people. The six magus who helped the cursed one realized their mistakes and banded together to defeat the monster and the summoner. This battle lasted 6 months, or at least that is how the legend goes. These six are the grand seer's in service to my king... So anyway since then, my people have not built in the sky and it is said that those who are still in the sky are gods, watching over our petty squabbles and living in happiness."

Back in his world, Cyrus felt the pull of nearby magic that was slightly ominous and caused him to shiver. He knew somehow that his time here this time would be short and if he were to do it again, he would have to leave. " M'lady. I apologize in advance, however I must return to my world. There is much to do and so little time to do it in. I promise I shall return, or perhaps you should come see my land and then you can see just how much this is godlike to me." His hand grazed over the leather bound book and opened it, the previous writing now missing like it was erased from the book.

"Oh, it's no inconvenience. I just get up, tap a spot by the door, and mess with a few settings. It's as easy as reading a book. And, Sorry about the drink, again. I promise, they're not all bad." Jo explained, about to stand up when he moved his face close to hers, his eyes meeting her icy ones directly. She froze, swallowing before she leaned her head back. "w..Well, um... Some guy with strange white hair comes through a book, can burn my house down any time he wants.. a-and, um, calls me and everyone around me a god... How'm I not supposed to be...?" Her eyes darted around as she tried to find something that wasn't his eyes to look at, before catching on his ears.

"...Your...Ears...?" She brought a hand to his ears, almost touching them before he stood up. "...What happened to them? I've.. I've never seen ears like that. Do they hurt?" She asked, eyes caught on them as he moved about. She fell silent as he explained the different kinds of magic, tilting her head as she watched his strange interactions with her TV's base.

"I.. I see. That sounds... " She paused, thinking of the right words to say. "That sounds devastating, and quite frankly, the most awful thing for a people to have to go through. I hope everything's recovered quickly; I know that catastrophic events can really... Really linger." She gestured to the window as a cloud rolled by. She fell silent as she tried to think of a response for the last bit, standing up thoughtfully. "...Well, that explains why you think we're gods up here," She murmured, examining him carefully. "But, honestly, a platform system is more similar to a tree than it is to anything that floats, I can promise you that. Though, it still blows me away that you live on the ground... Here, it's all wasteland- lined with either ashes, bones, ruins, toxic waste, deserts, or any combination of those. The air is bad enough up here; the people who are lower than me have to wear masks constantly just to not be ill all the time. And the people on the lowest platform have to wear protective rubber suits when the rainy season comes along... I can only imagine how much worse it is on the ground." She explained, moving closer to the man as he opened the book.

"...Oh, I get it. Stay safe- erm, if you'd like, I can stop by the diner again and send you some fries later. You'd just need to tell me when you're ready for it." she offered, peering in at the again wordless book. "...Could I?" Her eyes went to his face at the thought of going to see his world, excitement bringing them wide. "I've.. I've never seen the ground in person... Or grass... Or real trees.. or-um, anything you've written to me about. I can bring a flashlight- er, an electronic torch- if it's dark."

"The idea of the unknown should spurn you to not be nervous, rather be entranced and expectant of whats to come." He shook his head slightly a she apologized for the drink once more. " It is no problem for me, rather I understand that I am not a noble as I only enjoy the strongest of beverages such as a nice Northern ale..." He managed a smile as her hands reached for his ears. " Hurt? No, my ears don't hurt me and as far as I know anyone who is blessed with the ability to control the world has different features like mine. Some have different eye shapes, others have different skin, Some very rarely have tails. "

"Our world will never be recovered. My king and the Betrayer's war is tearing the land apart. Blood and salt is being sown on our lands so crops don't grow there for a long time. The Wildlings of the North raid our northern towns and the tribes of the south have nothing to do with us. As for Demon magic, as I said it has been forbidden and all books have been burned. Though there are still a few beasts roaming the land that aren't of this world." He stopped and listened to her definition of where she lived and he chuckled slightly. " That sounds a lot less like paradise and more like the three planes of existence. Those highest are the gods, the middle are left in limbo, never to go higher and never to go lower, and those on the bottom are in hell, forever left to suffer in their ancestors crimes..." He trailed off his last sentence before looking back over at the girl who moved closer to him at the mention of him leaving.

" You may come...but not now. Where I am and what I have to do does not befit a lady of your nature and I personally would rather not have to watch both your back and my own when running from those who are trying to kill me. I hope you understand and I will send you a letter when all is safe for you to come through. Though it may be a little while as I will have to find a place away from my observers. Till then. I bid you a farewell. " Cyrus bowed from the hip before placing his hand on the book and watching it sink through. The seems of the book grew to fit his body size as it slipped through, this time almost dragging him back to his own world as if it couldn't be without his presence any longer. With one last glance he flashed Jo a thin smile.

"...There's got to be hope, though." Jo blinked, watching the man quietly as he explained his home. "...I mean, even we have hope that the earth will recover from the war, and it's a nuclear and chemical wasteland; even the oceans are acidic." She managed a reassuring half smile, shrugging slightly. "I bet you, in a few years, things won't be as bad. So, I hope you don't put yourself in a pessimistic rut."

She fell silent for a moment as she contemplated the idea presented to her, before shaking her head. "..Not really. More like, hell, purgatory, and heaven. Nobody is godlike here, I feel like I need to stress that to you," She blinked, smirking slightly. "Though, the people on the bottom aren't paying for crimes. They just can't afford to move up. It's the main reason why I can't go any higher, too; money makes everything work, and I spend too much of it on books. The people on the top are either rich, or powerful, or come from either- like, the president, or governors, or multi-millionaires, or their kids." She bit her bottom lip sheepishly, watching the man as he started to go through the book.

"Ah- I can defend myself!" She spoke quickly, to catch him before he left. "My dad made sure to give me what I'd need to protect myself if anything were to happen-- I, um, I'll write to you about it later. I'll have work for a while longer, so I'll let you know when I'm free. Stay safe; if I can find you anything of mine that'll help you, I don't mind loaning it to you." She finished before he went completely through, picking up the book carefully once he was out.

Carefully shutting it, she moved to the kitchen, grabbing herself a glass of water and sipping at it, before deciding to head back to the platform her work was on. She set it in the sink, taking her book with her as she moved to her car, allowing herself to digest all that had happened as it took off and brought her where she had been previously. Not wanting to awkwardly return to the cafe yet, she decided to hang around the nearby robot repair place, browsing modifications that could be made to her old robot. After some time doing that, she took out her pen and book, and started writing.

"Ok, I assume you're safe now- at least, safe enough for me to write to you. I have two guns; a pistol, and a rifle I inherited from my grandfather, and a pair of hoverboots that let me escape situations faster than I can run. Your world sounds very, very dangerous; should I bring my pistol, just in case? What it does, if it helps, is turn anything that isn't metal to ash. It can be kind of slow when it goes through a person, but it's usually enough to stop someone. Unless they're, like... huge. Or covered in metal from head to toe with no openings." She drew a rough diagram of her gun; mostly a crude, bubble weapon with a pointy end, with "pew pew" and "shoots beams of light" written around it.

"Also, I forgot to address this, but the president here only has regulations on food, not laws. Like, no crickets in bread, no rats in the factories that make our food, and people can't sell anything rotten. I meant article, like news article, or a report. "

"Hope is for those who have something to hope for. We only hope for war and destruction so it shall forever happen." He wanted to say to her but decided against it as he was already halfway through the book. As he emerged from the book he saw three cloaked figures about 15 meters away. He cursed his luck as his hands broke some branches as he got out of the book and picked it up to hide into his own cloak. Just his luck when they heard and came through the wooded area like ghosts stopping in front of him. " Commander Cyrus. What are you doing here? You were supposed to return to camp at sunrise. It is now noon. We thought you had been captured or wor-" The one talking got hit with a gout of flame. " Shut up. Your voice annoys me. I was reading a book. Now get on with it. I'm coming back." His mood had considerably worsened at his terrible luck. Well that and the loss of all that power he had in the other world. So much more untapped power. The girl said it was a wasteland, but one so full of bounty for a magic user. The two remaining soldiers picked up their friend and shot up into the sky before heading north. The flame disappearing as he walked past it to reach his camp.

After a while on the road and getting board of seeing the corpses of the traitor kings army he took out the plated book and opened the pages. Just as before, the writing faded into view " Guns? That is another new one." He muttered to no one. Casting a glance around he meandered off the road some and sat against a tree and his quill "Allow me to get back to my war tent before you try coming through with your world's objects." With that he tucked everything away again and continued his slow way back to his armies camp. As eager as he was he had a reputation to uphold and that meant bearing with the burden of potential knowledge lost. As he entered the camp his voice run out over the noise of the celebration. " WE LEAVE AT SUNRISE. GET SOME SLEEP AND GET READY TO GO BACK TO THE CAPITAL! SAVE YOUR PARTYING TILL THEN" He heard a few groans but then the word got passed around and they started to move to their tents. As soon as Cyrus entered his tent he placed the book down on the table and quickly wrote, " All is set over here. Whenever you are ready.

"Oh, of course. I still have time before I have to return to work. I moved to a robot augmentation store- er, as store where I can buy new pieces for Nan. I assumed that it would be a while before I got an answer, heheh." She drew a crude worried smiley face in the margins, before moving on. "I can head back home, though, if you expect me within the hour. But if it's after, I'll need to wait until about five o'clock to do anything; I'll be working, unless something goes wrong with the robots or wiring, or there's a thunderstorm near the system." She explained, clicking her pen and shutting the book, resuming her browsing of robot parts.

Jo remembered that Nan would need a replacement voicebox soon as she passed by an isle with different voices for sale and on display, as hers was starting to crackle and die when certain phrases were played. She went through them, finding one that was the closest to her robot's voice, picking up a box from under the display and demo and taking it to the counter. There was an actual person there, a tired looking man Jo vaguely recalled from high school, and she quietly avoided interacting with him more than she needed to. Avoiding even eye contact, she set the box on the counter, submissively pushing it within his reach as she set her hand on a scanner. As it analyzed her hand, the man slid the box over a raised platform on the counter in front of him, causing the box to let out a chirp and the outside to unravel, revealing a more-easily opened box. Jo nodded as her purchase was slid back to her, leaving and ignoring the automatic comments the man made.

With a held breath, she returned to her car, sitting in it to read the message Cyrus had written.

"Really? that fast? I can be over there soon. I'll need to stop by my house first and gather my items. I'll bring my hoverboots and pistol for now, if that's fine." She furrowed her brows, sighing as she sent the car back to her house, looking at the new robot part she'd bought. The last time she'd had to replace a part of Nan was years ago, when nan's hand rusted from the freak snow she had to clean up.

Quickly, Jo arrived at her house, and knowing that time was of the essence she ran inside her house, arms full of her book and the new part for nan. "Nan, I bought a new part for you!" she called, setting it on the coffee table in the living room, as well as the book. "It's on the table, in the box. Please install it when you have the chance, if you can." She called as she ran to her room, grabbing the small white ray-gun from the drawer in her nightstand, and her hoverboots from the back of her closet.

"Sure thing, JO." The robot sounded quiet from her room as jo put on the rectangular boots, twisting a small dial on her ankle so she could walk better and have more ankle movement in them. When she was done, she grabbed a small holster from a shelf- the one that her father had gotten her, for whenever she'd saved up enough to travel- and put it around her waist, sliding the gun in it before going out of her room, across the hall to her office. In there, she grabbed a small, thin timer, and set it for forty five minutes, sliding it in her skirts pocket as she moved to the living room downstairs once again.

"...Alright, I'm coming over now. Please, back away from the book. I'm going to count to five after I finish writing, and come through on five." She set her pen down when she was done, backing up and collecting herself, not sure what she'd see on the other side as she counted. With one final breath, she placed her hands on the book, pushing them in, trying not to panic at how easily they'd gone in. She failed at keeping herself calm as her head went through, shutting her eyes tight as, for a single moment in passing, her eyes met with a void she'd never seen the likes of before. She emerged on the other side slowly, struggling to pull herself through . After a few moments, she clicked her heels, using her boots to propel her through the book.

AS she was free, she opened her eyed; her head was upsetting the top of the shelter they were in, and she carefully lowered herself, clicking her heels again as she landed to not scorch... whatever the floor was made of.

"...s..Sorry if I upset the... War-tent?" She looked around, taking in the alien appearance of the world around her. "...The air feels heavy here," She noted, taking a deep breath as she adjusted her hair and clothes. She felt out of place in her crisp white shirt, blue skirt, and sneakers; she had so much intensity in her colourations, and yet everything seemed slightly dingy around her. She fell silent as she listened to the sounds outside, eyes wide and moving as she tried to locate the origins, brows furrowed as she concentrated.

"Is... It safe to go out? I hear things." Her voice got quieter, and she moved closer to the book.

Cyrus planted the odd metal book on the warroom table that was scattered with various wooden pieces representing several enemy armies that his had to annihilate in the name his his king. His eyes swept across the map of the land that the pieces were on and noted several more x's striking key positions in the great betrayer's armies across the fronts. " So they actually took that city..." He let out a soft chuckle before opening the book and gazing down at it's mostly blank pages. "...I guess I should give him that battle that he wants when I see him next." He smiled at the thought and quickly wiped it away when his general came into the tent and looked at the table.

The general was a stoic man. One who didn't really belong in the company that Cyrus commanded, but none the less you can't have a pack of wild dogs running rabid without a dog catcher. Even though Cyrus was in command, the General was the student of one of the great seers. The man had more power then Cyrus and the next three officers in the company. " I heard your objective was sent away by the Duke? The King and Seers won't be happy with that news." The general, Abe, said in his normal monotone voice that was seeping with anger and distrust just below the surface.

Cyrus merely shurgged before picking up the book that was supposedly missing. " I figure the army will be commanded by you. I'll go by myself and track the book down." He glanced up at Abe with a halfsmile before adding. " For my king... Though, Abe, have you ever wondered what power could be in the book that the seers are actively sending their apprentices out to find it? Could it be the long lost Demon magic, or perhaps it is something more, Maybe a portal into a new land?... " He noticed Abe's face tense up at the mention to the portal and decided that this seer's boy knew more then he let on. " Nah. Nevermind me. I'm just rambling. Anyway. I give the army to you. Now leave. I need to sleep." He waved off Abe before he could speak anymore.

Abe left without a word, but merely cast a glance over his shoulder at Cyrus.

With a sigh, Cyrus slumped down into one of the uncomfortable seats that circled the table and peered at the pages to see what Jo had written. He smiled and set the book down and slipped off to the side of it just as her hand pushed through, then her head. She struggled for a few seconds and Cyrus was going to help her, but suddenly she started to push through easily. When her entire body was through he noted the boots that spouted something odd that allowed her float/fly.

Instantly an idea formed in his mind. A dangerous one but if successful would make him even more known then he currently was. He was about to drift into deep thought when Jo's voice broke his train of thought. He almost snapped at her but stopped when he looked at her. " Ah... No worries, miss Jo. It is a tent made to be brought into battle. There have been quite a few assassination attempts to happen in here. And the air is normal here. This is what the air down on your planet's surface would feel like, If I had to guess that is." He stopped talking when she seemed to be distracted at the sound of the men outside moving around and packing up.

" I personally would not recommend going outside of this tent at this time as you are in the middle of a camp full of violent soldiers who haven't had a decent lay with a girl in about....8 moon cycles now. That and the fact that I'm the company commander and I'd rather not have to explain why a lovely lady is leaving my tent at this time." He smiled. " Though if you wait about 20 minutes, I'm sure I could sneak you out of the camp and show you some of this world, If that would please you."

"Well, um," Jo found herself looking around nervously, taking a seat in one o the uncomfortable chairs. "...That's not really reassuring. But, no, I'm not kidding- I feel like I could chew the air here." She nervously smirked at him, tucking her feet under the chairs as she eyed the table in front of her.

"...This is.. A strange board game?" She asked, brows furrowing slightly as she shifted her posture to look at it more. "..No, wait, I think I saw this kind of thing before... An ancient tacticians' map? I've only seen one in a museum." She kept her voice low, examining the map and markings carefully, trying to keep her breathing normal, despite the additional gravity put on her, and the thickness of the air. The additional levels of oxygen helped, though her breaths ended up shallow, almost as if she wasn't breathing at all.

"...Wait, what?" She blinked as gears moved in her mind, trying to understand what Cyrus had said. Her eyes went wide and face redas she picked up on what he meant, getting up from the chair and moving away from the tent door. "o-Oh. Ok, um... You could have left out their personal lives. THat would have been ok," Her voice dropped quieter, and she found her arms wrapping around herself slightly. The comment about her being a lovely lady didn't register for a few moments after that, causing her brows to bend slightly and her to look away. "L-Lovely?... Do..You mean me?" She looked confused, but refused to make eye contact. "n-No, um, not, er, I'm not... lovely... exactly. But I get your point." She lifted a hand as if to wave away the comment, moving slightly so she could examine the table again.

"...20 minutes? That's half of the time I can be here before I have to go back..." She pulled out her timer, peeking at it. Technically, it was a little less than half, but she rounded down. "I can wait, though. I'm not sure how to pass the time, however." She looked to her hoverboots, lifting a foot carefully and rolling her ankle around. "Should I stay by the book? I mean, in case something happens." Her eyes turned back to the noises outside; she wasn't used to ambient noises that weren't robotic or non-existent.

Cyrus let out a chuckle as she said she could chew the air down on the land. " Well if it makes you feel any better I felt like I needed to have some sort of device to put the air in my lungs. So let us just say we are now equal in our discomfort. " He managed a light smile despite the overwhelming urge to ask some more serious questions about her world. Mostly along the lines of defenses and ability to stave off attacks. Putting his urge to return to that magic filled world he turned his attention back to Jo.

This is indeed a tacticians' map. As I mentioned we are at war with the 'Betrayer'. This isn't something you would understand. But as it is, we are winning the battle. Though the northern savages are raiding our northern lands and with the winter winds approaching it is dire news. " He sighed and leaned back in his chain, allowing his flames to take the chains wrapped around his wrist and dance about. " I personally believe that the truth should be spoken, no matter how vile and how disturbing. If we hide our humanity behind a darkened silhouette the world shall forever fall into despair. Yes we are vile creatures, yes we have done horrible things, and we will surely burn in the fires of whatever the afterlife holds. But from our sins the public will know relative peace."

His chains floated over the table and settled down on the northern border of the kingdom where the barbarians where attacking farming villages for their own food. With a flick of his wrist he sent the flaming chain across the border, leaving a scorch mark. " You are lovely. In fact you could probably rival royalty in looks. But that is not the point... Yes but shortly from now I will be departing on my own or with a small escort to track down this book in the name of my king. And I will continue to 'search' for it until I know the plans for it. There is far too much power in your world to just let the seer's have access to it."

"Worry not, Jo, I said I wouldn't recommend you leaving, if someone enters this tent they are under the penalty of death. So if something happens I will makes sure you have enough cover to leave in no time at all. " He smiled at her before continuing. " If you need something to do, ask any questions you hold and I shall answer them to the best of my ability until I can take you out."

"..Well, I assume that's a good thing...? Winning, I mean." Jo shrugged slightly, watching Cyrus's chains as he moved them about. "But, that's assuming you define winning the same way. Do you go by casualties, or by what's conquered?" She tilted her head curiously, furrowing her brows in thought for a moment.
"..Have you considered a wall? For the north I mean." She asked, eyeing the map. "I know, before the war destroyed my world, the Chinese had a similar problem to yours. They come in your lands, and destroy what they don't consume or take, right? What they did was build a great wall, around half of their land. It was hard- But there's magic here! It should be a lot easier..." She continued to look at the map, examining the boarder. "Plus, with barbed wire, any attempts to climb it would end painfully. I suppose, though, people here can fly?" She looked back to him, aware that she was speaking what felt obvious. "But it would filter the ones who couldn't." She frowned, sighing. "I wish I could get you a force-field generator. That would be so much easier and more effective than a wall, but the only one I have is a personal one, for sports and general hovering." She moved her focus from the map and figures to Cyrus as she thought more on what he said.

"That's an interesting perspective. A bit of a downer, but interesting all the rest." She looked to him from the corners of her eyes, her body leaned over the table, but careful to not touch it. "Most of the people I've met think that keeping people ignorant keeps the peace. Hence why the news typically keeps negative things to the text bar that goes by all too fast, and we spend only a week going over the atrocities that we did in the past during education. Well, at least, I assume." She moved from the table,shutting her eyes as she tried to keep a blush away as his flattery sunk in.

"...Just.. Can you not say that?" She brought a hand to cover her face, holding in a much desired sigh. "Really. I'm not even fishing for compliments here; it feels wrong to be called something I don't fit the definition of. I'll have to show you some magazines to prove my point if you go on, but I'd rather not waste my money on them. Just... Take my word for it." She opened her eyes to look away, shaking her head as she lowered her hand, signifying that she was dropping the issue at that.
"You're... Sure? About the power thing. Sure, um, there's tech in my home that really confused you, but one wrong step and you'd fall into an ocean of acid, and on a bad day, through toxic clouds. Are the seers that unpredictable, or untrustworthy?" Her face tilted down with thought as she took a seat once more. "You also forget that I own my book on my side. If anyone were to come though and intend to do anything harmful, I'd stop them. I don't think you grasp how handy this," She put a hand on the gun in her holster as she spoke, "can be when it comes to defense." She pulled it out, setting it carefully on the edge of the table. "It only works for me, though. If you were to try to activate it, you would be turned to ash. If there were something not of value or alive in here, I wouldn't be against demonstrating it." Her eyes flicked to it, then back to Cyrus.

"Death...? This world sounds extremely harsh. Though the ground isn't poisoned, it's almost like everyone else is. But I appreciate it. As for questions..." She looked to the chair she was on, a slight smirk forming on her lips.

"..Is this real wood? What's.. The tent made of? These materials are so rare- You spoke of fields that won't grow anything, but the fact you use actual, real wood just for trivial items like figurines, and chairs and tent posts...!" She tried to contain her excitement, shutting her eyes as she brought words to mind. "And- Don't even tell me I saw a real, honest-to-god feather quill over there! How do you get them? I heard of some people just killing the poor birds, but I heard people used to keep them as pets and pluck feathers or collect them after the birds molted. Are birds really as big of a nuisance as I've heard? And- weather- what's it like to have clouds over your head? Or to be able to feel rain that isn't poisonous; can you actually eat snow without getting really sick? And, um- you mentioned rolling hills? You mean, hills as far as the eye can see, or that they actually move? I mean, you can make those chains move with fire, so I honestly don't even know what to believe at this point!" She hushed her excitement well, bringing her hands together in her lap and fiddling with them idly to help tone herself down. "I can't wait to see what the ground looks like."

Cyrus let out a low scoff, his lips turnt down in a frown. " No. Winning is neither causalities nor land conquered. It is when the Betrayer's head is spiked on the gate to the capital, and all his armies are laid dead on the fields of battle. " His chains gently wafted across the air over to Jo before he continued. " A wall? There was an king who tried something of that sort. Sent millions of subjects to their deaths to toil in the barren fields with stone and iron. I believe after 20 years of this the people revolted and the king was killed thus allowing the current line of kings to take reign. So even though we hold magic, only a few of us do. It isn't like every person in this land has the capabilities to use the land around us yet even now with more magic users then before we can't spare any as we are currently in war and need every able bodied soldier."

"Very few Northmen can fly. For us it seems our ability to use magic comes from what sort of 'mana' we are most subjected to while inside our mothers. Most Northern barbarians can use water magic's amazingly well and a few can use earth."

Cyrus stood up and moved the chains to wrap around him as he walked over to Jo. " If the public knew that we lose twice as many soldiers as the enemy they would be in an uproar. Fathers without wives, mothers without children, All for what? A pointless quest for power. M'lord brought a golden age to this land and this damned cur of flesh seeks to destroy it all for a little bit of power. But no. If the people knew...They would probably just give the land to that damned bastard child..." His voice rose slightly in the middle and when he caught himself he muttered. "Ah...I'm sorry. I've lived my entire life slaughtering and training. I should rejoice at this war, but all I feel is contempt."

"And if you do not wish to spend the money, I would buy these magazines for you. I have more then enough coin to prove that whatever you deem beautiful is not the same as what I deem. But alas that is a subject for another time as I can see broaching it with you further will anger you." He smiled slightly allowing his magic to escape from his body slowly. " Yes. Not the sort of...devices, you called them?...Rather mana. Your world is overflowing with it. Ours has mana in it but it is more of a flowing stream rather then a raging torrent." His gaze moved across Jo and settled on the table they were both around as she took a seat. " I...I wouldn't call them untrustworthy. I just shudder to imagine your world's power in their hands. Here they can cause whirling winds that can tear a city stone by stone. Cause the earth to gape open, swallowing massive tracks of land. They can force the earth to give up it's blood. Sadly for such power they are immobile, forever locked away in their central tower in the capital and even their magical range is limited." He stopped for a brief moment breathing in and out slowly before continuing. " If they get their hands on this book. I fear one of them sending their magic through to completely annihilate whatever is on the other side. So imagine the Wind seer sending his gale of wind through the book. It would probably amplify and rip your sky cities out of the sky..."

Cyrus was taken aback, to say the least, as Jo shot off question after question much like he did over in her world. So when she was finally done and fidgeting in her seat like a newborn babe eager for food he began slowly. " When I said fields that can not grow anything I mean fields for food. If we are going to lose farming land that we reclaimed we will sow the field with salt making it unable to support growth. We have plenty of forests though, so wood is of no object." He glanced around at the tent before pulling a piece of tent,used for patching, that was on the table and handed it to her. " The tent is silk. It is farmed by the southern empires and traded to us for food and other goods. It makes great clothing but it is farmed from worms they aptly call silkworms." He glanced over his shoulder at the quill before digging around his pockets and pulling out the one he took from the dukes keep. " You can have this as well. Yes. It is a real quill. We get them by plucking the birds. I know the king's scribe uses one from a very beautiful bird from across the ocean that has colorful feathers. Also yes...We hunt birds just as we hunt deer and slaughter cow's. There is more then enough in this world."

He paused and thought about the last few questions of hers. " I truly have never given it a thought. Clouds mean rain and rain means my powers are pretty useless in large scale battle. But water mages love the rain. They can make the water freeze to the soldiers of the enemy, encasing them in an icy prison. It is truly fascinating to see. As for snow, why would you eat it? It is cold and being anywhere where there is snow means brazenly cold wind's and torturous storms."

Cyrus chuckled as she asked if the hills actually moved. " No, Jo, They do not actually move. I did mean as far as the eye can see. In fact my travels will take me to the Plains of Goliath which are famed for it's emerald green fields. So if I am there and you are able, you can come through see them yourself." With a sigh he sat down cringing slightly as the chain creaked. Either from his weight or the age of them Cyrus wouldn't know. " Also I move my chains by encasing them in a flame that is still a flame, but not hot enough to turn them into molten metal right away. However eventually they will melt so I can't use these indefinitely which is a shame."

"...Oh. That's... Morbid." Jo's eyes darted from Cyrus' moving chains, to his shoes, then the feet of the table as he spoke about it. "...Hm. Perhaps, then a lighter wall- made of barbed wire, which is light and easy to set up, would do? It was used in the war, before we went nuclear and migrated to the sky. It's just wire with razor sharp edges and needle point sharp points all around it. I wouldn't know where to get any in my world, but I could print out blueprints and information on it for you, if it would be of any help to your situation?" She let out a small sigh, rubbig her face softly as she thought about the issue.

"Mana? The bible- um, the christian bible, to be specific- mentions it, but it was a flake-like food item, rather than a force. How does one even... get exposed to it like that, though? Is it like radiation- coming from specific things?" She looked to him, feeling rather confused.

"...Ah, so there's an exception." Jo arched a brow at the man as she watched him, finding herself still toying with her fingers. "Your views on information are still looser than the ones shown in my world. Even negative things, such as health-department inspections on restaurants, or crimes, are skirted around, if mentioned at all, where I come from. Even not in the media, people try to not be negative. It's really weird. But, you're fine. I mean, you're only human. Things can get to us from time to time, so It's understandable that something that sounds so petty would get to you." She sat there for a moment, listening to the answers that he gave her.

"I believe our currency is different. Mine is Credits- they're based on my handprint, which I have to give to spend any of them. I don't think you have anything like that here." With a look up, she paused, watching the top off the tent as if it would give her ideas. "..I suppose, though... If you get me a book, any kind of book, or something else I'd like, I could consider it a trade, and count the money, at least to myself, as spent on whatever is traded." She looked back to him, shrugging slightly. "Even if you have a definition that is different than mine- which, if you're not playing a cruel joke on me, it seems more like a fact than an "if"- proving that won't change my views. I'm not mad, just..." She paused, searching for a word. "Annoyed, and uncomfortable. I'll send you a magazine later today, if you can find me something interesting. It shouldn't be hard, as I suspect that I'll be so blown away by everything once I step outside that I'll be standing in one place like a square for a good, long while." She let out a small chuckle, trying to imagine her own reaction when she stepped outside. "Also, I'm apologizing in advance for just how stupid I look and act. I haven't really been amazed by anything for almost a decade at this point, until today, and in all honesty, I'm not sure how I'd even react if I saw a bird."

"Oh... I think there're ways to get around the salty soil. I bet, if they were flooded for a while, then drained- or properly irrigated, the salt would move with the water. It's not irreparable- especially if the people of the north can control water as you say. Unless, you mean in this war and not in the events of northern invasion- even then, though, there's the issue of the water-magic people. Nature, I've heard, always has its ways- so long as nature itself hasn't been murdered with a thousand nuclear bombs, three hundred thousand gallons of toxic chemicals and waste, several natural disasters, and a good ten years worth of total war." She tilted her head with yet another shrug, this one only moving one shoulder.

Her attention was immediately captured by the items Cyrus gave her, feeling the fabric between her fingers, and, when given the quill, dropping it on her lap to admire the feather, carefully running an edge over her fingers. She was captivated, turning the quill around between her fingers, noting the dried ink on the tip rubbing off slowly onto her hands. "..r..Really? You mean it?" She looked up from the feather to Cyrus, eyes wide in a childish display of surprise and dazzlement. "It's so... I don't think I have words for it. Pretty? Not made of cheap plastic? I'd say rare, but... I guess it's not really all that rare over here." Her attention turned back to it, and she ran it over her fingers once more. "...I'd take this in exchange for getting you that magazine. Hell, I'd probably take this for my couch.The, um.. The long, soft, plush seat that took up a lot of space in my living room." Her eyes softened as she looked over it again, wondering where she'd put it, as she was afraid to damage it.

"Well, despite actual snow being rare, we make "snow" that is really just ice shavings and bits," Jo explained, deciding to just hold the quill. "And we put it in a cone, then pour flavored syrups over it. They're called snow cones, and they're delicious. They're perfect for hot days... And, my grandpa, when he was still around, would tell me about his youth where he would sometimes eat snow, just because it was a fun thing to do, and the snow from his area had a weird, hard to find taste to it. He said that it used to be a common thing, and that if it was ever safe for me to try it, I should." She shrugged, eyes not lifting from the feather.

"Well, if it's wind, the platform wouldn't budge. It's built to weather even the most intense storms- and, trust me, we get some crazy wind storms sometimes. Fire would burn my house down, but on the main platform would only damage the paint, as the metal is a high grade, super durable alloy of some kind. Water wouldn't do jack diddly, except maybe wash people away if they couldn't get into hovercars or shelters fast enough. Dunno what dark would do, but we have some pretty bright lights- you should see my flash light, when it's dark out. The only thing that could maybe harm us would be an earthquake; but we're thousands of miles away from the earth. I don't think they would be able to reach it." She explained numbly, as if she'd had something similar explained to her before. "For sure lightning would obliterate anyone not wearing shoes, especially on the platform where it hits, but you didn't mention if that was a thing people could do here." She looked up at the thought of lightning, looking concerned. "Um... Is that a thing here? Please tell me it's not. I.. Um, I really can't even handle thunder." She explained, face growing pale as she thought more on the idea of being able to generate lightning. NErvously she looked back to the feather, hoping to distract herself from her fear.

"..Oh, that makes sense." she changed the topic, eager to put the thought if lightning behind her. "They sound beautiful. I've never seen a natural hill before; just some domes and the like here and there around the platforms. I'd love to see them." She glanced up for a moment, pushing some of her hair out of her peripheral vision.

"...Oh, that's right, people around here probably use basic metals," Jo noted, straightening up as she looked at the chains that were now wrapped around Cyrus. "...When those break, let me know. I can buy some really, really durable ones. They're priced by foot, and can get pretty pricey, but I'd imagine you could find me things of equal value to trade. If it's an emergency, I could let you have them in advance, too."