[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/1613EPr.png[/img] [sup][@A Lowly Wretch][/sup]
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[color=C0C0C0]Rikard had promised the locals a lightning show for their parade and, with some semblance of his usual aplomb, he delivered. Inside, however, he was freaking out. There was no other way to accurately put it, as utterly unscientific as it was. [color=0072bc][i]They're hiding weapons of mass destruction: biological terrors.[/i][/color] He drank, because he could and because he needed to, but it was not the gleeful thing he'd hoped for. 

In truth, he'd joined this mission for a mix of research opportunity - he'd wanted to test the limits of a commandment spell on a particularly large creature - the sheer adventure of it, and a chance to continue to make a name for himself. It was important to build up some level of cachet as a mage, after all. he'd also done it for the money. He had little and less these days for his equipment, and a mage was little more than a warlock without quality gear and the knowhow that could be built by using it. 

What he'd learned from Laure, however, had changed everything. Assuming this wasn't some sort of Perrench ploy - and why the hell would they choose [i]him[/i] of all people: the fourteen year old who near-everyone belittled - there was now a clear moral imperative. The people on the Revidian side who he knew were likely in the dark as to the true horror, but perhaps they could be warned. Perhaps they could be brought around. This broke the Owl's Code, and very clearly. 

Momentarily, he thought about speaking with Ayla, but things were a bit... [i]weird[/i] these days between them. Leon wouldn't listen anyhow, and he couldn't actually [i]find[/i] Ciro. Then, it came to him! Trypano: the least Revidian Revidian he had ever met, and she had a certain sort of outside-the-box morality to her. He'd seen her earlier, hanging about the fringes and stocking up for the inevitable fight. [i]Gods[/i], she came across as creepy. Why did she need to be so creepy? Her heart was mostly in the right place, he knew.

He endeavoured to find her.

Trypano stood in the docks where the others who were commissioned to this task alongside her had split up. Ever since they split up she hadn't seen nor heard from any of them. She certainly hoped they were seeing some sort of success to their investigation as she had only been stymied in her own efforts. Denied the opportunity to heal the wounded lest she create more of them and cause a scene she was relegated to simple chores, all to help ingratiate herself to a populace who would never trust her. In her cloak, masking the thing that lurked below, she simply stood and looked around. Much had been done but now she knew neither where everyone else had gone or what more she could do. She had half-contemplated leaving to find the wreck on her own accord but from what she heard the thresher in question apparently still haunts the remains of the wreck. This was definitely interesting given what the creature may possibly have gotten into but leaving to try and investigate it by herself was foolhardy. She was neither too arrogant nor too curious to rush the investigation as to the shipment that was mentioned in the letter to her simply because the opponent was not a foe of greater mind than her.

As she stood, the dark cloaked figure standing out like a lamp-post in the middle of a forest, she noticed Rikard in the distance seemingly searching for something. Without saying as much as a word she began to silently approach him, intent to inquire as to what he may be looking for and if she could lend any aid to that task as she was lacking in any purpose of her own here once she was within modest conversing range.

[color=a187be]"Trypano?"[/color] Rikard whirled on the spot as she seemed to materialize like a black, crimson, and bone white phantasm from the darkness. His heartrate quickened for a moment. [color=a187be]"That you?"[/color] He took a few steps forward, tentatively, trying to to make obvious any drawing he was doing... just in case.

[color=crimson]"Indeed."[/color] She replied, the sea breeze mingling with the fabric of the cloak and the few strands of hair which seemed to hang loose from the hood.

[color=crimson]"Have you had luck with your endeavors thus far?"[/color] She inquired, looming over the young man albeit unintentionally. Her tone spoke little of her intentions but what little that could be seen of her face looked... Tired. Not exhausted physically but weary in spirit perhaps.

Rikard glanced around and Trypano may have felt a sonic bubble descending over the pair. [color=a187be]"Luck is... one way of putting it,"[/color] Rikard replied, [color=a187be]"though I guess it is."[/color] There was some distress evident on his face. It may have been of a different nature than hers, but it was present nonetheless.

Seeing as he prepared a sonic bubble to help isolate the conversation while it may have been prudent to move somewhere a bit more out of sight there was less issue in speaking freely here now.

[color=crimson]"Regarding the thresher situation I've been informed that the creature still dwells nearby a wreck along the coast. One of the benefactors to this mission had written to me regarding cargo that had materials of interest to them. I am of the opinion that the thresher may have been affected by the materials that were indicated to me which is why this thing is of greater issue than a standard thresher."[/color] She notified him of her findings regarding the creature. It did seem to be that Rikard himself had happened upon some findings regarding their target potentially, hence his look of concern.

[color=crimson]"I can assume you have found info regarding the creature? Or would it be a matter of concern aside from it?"[/color]


Rikard shook his head, all of his body language bleeding anxiety. [color=a187be]"No. You're right. I've learned plenty."[/color] His eyes darted about. [color=a187be]"Those 'materials of interest' are a bio-weapon of unimaginable power, or at least some of them are."[/color] He swallowed. [color=a187be]"I met with some eeaiko."[/color] He paused for a moment, trying to decide just how much to say. [color=a187be]"They mentioned a plague and were taking extreme precautions against it, but they were also very certain - they'd seen things, being people of the water, you know - that confirmed the plague was manmade."[/color] 

The youth spent a moment nervously fixing his lapel, which had gotten flipped up at some point. He looked her right in the eyes. [i]Gods[/i], she was tall and creepy, but his experiences told her that she was good people nonetheless. [color=a187be]"It was being carried on the Sant'Agata, for use against the Perrench."[/color] Finished, Rikard shrugged. [color=a187be]"I'm telling you 'cause you don't strike me as another patriotic goon who believes imaginary lines on a map define good and bad."[/color] The fourteen-year-old rolled his eyes. [color=a187be]"I'm right, right?"[/color]

Trypano listened close, following the details of his findings with keen interest. He held into question whether her allegiance to her country was not greater than her moral compass. He was correct to assume this though perhaps not for the reasons he might assume.

[color=crimson]"That is correct. Even if I originally had such loyalties, not that I ever did, they would have evaporated some time ago."[/color] She turned to face the waters out past the harbor, folding her arms behind her though they still remained concealed below the cloak.

[color=crimson]"You and I were both present for the incident in Rettan wherein the knowers made their presence known. Prior to that I had also spoken to Ahn-Dami and both aspects of Shune in the forked tower where I had first learned of the knower's existence and their shadow war with the gods on this world. Later, in an incident during the aberration-storm that took place in Ersand-Enise I as well as a select few others were temporally translocated by an unknown phenomenon. The location I had arrived was of this world's future, one set further than what even the others had arrived at."[/color] She turned to face Rikard once again, the gravity of the mood at hand much graver than even the biological weapons Rikard was faced with.

[color=crimson]"I had not shared what I saw with many as I'm not even sure if anyone would believe me, let alone understand what it means. With the war ever on the horizon I wonder how much closer we draw to that ending."[/color] She was uncertain how much further down the rabbit hole Rikard was interested in peering. Whether or not he'd rather focus on the now and set aside matters of distant concern or whether he'd hear out what she has seen and consider their circumstance on the greater scheme of what is transpiring. With that said she stared back with her scarlet red eyes, only barely visible beyond the veil of her cloak, into his own.

[color=crimson]"I hope I didn't need to specify but do keep the contents of what we're discussing secret, both regarding the biological weapons and the contents of my visit to the forked tower since both hold consequences for those who are found to have revealed it."[/color] A stray thought came about as she considered the matters currently on hand however, prompting her to look back out to the waters and ponder.

[color=crimson]"Also, try not to eat any products of the sea. Depending on the nature of this "bio-weapon" you've discovered we'll need to see if it is airborne, waterborne or bloodborne in transmission first before a more formal containment procedure can be confirmed."[/color]

Rikard... was given pause, at [i]all[/i] of it really. The food he'd eaten suddenly sat awkwardly in his stomach: a potential poison, and yet the eeaiko he'd eaten it with had been wholly in the know and taken great pains to prevent the spread of any condition. He hadn't [i]sensed[/i] any pathogens either. That didn't make the unease fade completely, though. 

In all honesty, he wasn't certain what to think. That Trypano was telling the truth as she saw it was clear, and a grim truth it appeared to be. He didn't need to know the specifics to hypothesize that some form of marhazannet was waiting in the wings. The only confounding variable was her level of sanity. She'd always been brilliant, but he had, only recently, started to become aware of how profoundly different her views on reality and morality were from... virtually [i]anyone[/i] else's. Some of what she'd said had been corroborated. Some of it hadn't. Regardless, he decided to err on the side of belief.

[color=a187be]"Well, if the ending is a bad one,"[/color] he remarked, [color=a187be]"then I think we oughtta change it - make sure none of that gets out, regardless of what one government or another wants."[/color] He'd heard talk of a 'miracle' in town, connected to Leon, and hadn't had the chance to explore it. He furrowed his brow in thought before glancing up at her. [color=a187be]"Hey, do you know anything about what went on with Leon in the medical encampment?"[/color]

Trypano could see he took at least some of what she had to say in. While he was still focused on the now it was good that they were at least mildly aware of the circumstances. It would save on future discussions when it comes to catching them up to the why's behind her choices.

[color=crimson]"While I doubt this will change much in the long run it serves no one any good to let a leftover hazardous material bring needless harm."[/color] She brought a hand up to her chin, cradling it in contemplation. [color=crimson]"Still, another concern is how the thresher plays into the story at hand. A ship of importance shouldn't have fallen prey to a common pest so easily, lest something else was at hand here. I can only wonder if it's abnormalities and the contents of the ship are connected perhaps.[/color] There was plenty of unknowns to this tale, each new detail shining a light from a different angle on a shape only just starting to emerge.

[color=crimson]"Sadly I was turned away from the medical encampment by a couple of the local militia. I was in the company of Taleja for a short bit before she was allowed in whilst I was denied entry. I cannot attest as to what transpired but given their primitive state of care I can only assume they performed basic magic which would have easily been mistaken for a miracle."[/color] While her tone was neutral the choice of words carried a harsh undertone towards these people. It was just a mild bit humiliating for one of her skill to be relegated to civil repair duties, like using a finely tuned astrolabe to hammer down a nail. Whilst it did build some measure of good will from the locals she knew well and true that favors done for others were oft in one ear and out the other whilst prejudices tended to cling like barnacles to the hull of one's judgement.

[color=crimson]"Whilst I suspect that Taleja has a similar interest in the contents of the wreckage I know little else about how most others from our school are faring in this hunt for clues. You're probably the first I've been able to formally relay most of this info to."[/color]

Rikard considered. [color=a187be]"Well, we [i]should[/i] keep each other informed,"[/color] he allowed, [color=a187be]"arbitrary divisions or not."[/color] He nodded slowly, thinking. It was getting late and they were starting to look suspicious, standing here and exchanging information under a sonic bubble. [color=a187be]"I agree, for what it's worth, that the animal must've ingested something that led to this, but I think we both agree that evidence trumps conjecture."[/color]

He pursed his lips. [color=a187be]"I'm gonna try to track down Leon. I wanna figure out how he treated it and what he knows. Just... let's not be partisan. I think whatever's in there needs to be lost, and the fact that both Wolf and Serpent are trying so hard to get their hands on it makes that even clearer. "[/color] With that, he made a signal as if to start lifting the bubble.

Trypano left their conversation off with little else than a nod. She understood that they needed to proceed, further conversation better saved for when they've progressed their discoveries. She waited to see where Rikard was going since meeting and hearing what Leon had to say would be doing more than what progress she was making out her.

[color=a187be]"I'm headed for the house,"[/color] Rikard remarked offhandedly, after watching Trypano hang around like a lost puppy for a moment. [color=a187be]"That where he'll be, and sleep is probably a good idea after that."[/color] He shrugged. [color=a187be]"You comin'?"[/color]

[color=crimson]"Nowhere else to be currently."[/color] She answered, following along with little prompt.[/color]

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