[IC] Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

[SilverPaw]

Kiran Agnarsson

At precisely 10 o’clock in the evening, the Clocktower’s bell rang for the first time today. Kiran startled, especially as it brought with it a change in the world. Electricity surged through the building, and the Starsteel Formulization forced close all the windows and doors in the apartments. The window in their dorm shut with a loud bang just as the last clang petered out. The silence afterwards ringed with phantom echoes of noise.

Kiran blinked several times quickly, then shook his head bemusedly as he sat himself into one of the couches. So…A defense mechanism against Technologist, which would incidentally also inhibit Egoists’ regeneration. Of course, if all one desired was to escape, it would be simple enough to disrupt the electrical current enabling the Starsteel Formulization. But that would surely be noticed – and what other defenses were there in place? The mists to obscure visibility…The Starsteel Formulization…What else was there?

Could this be an opportunity to unravel Sukoro Jinga’s work? Kiran glanced at the wiring powering the SF. It was complex, almost absurdly – yet compellingly – so. However, he did not believe it was one he could solve within the night. Was this a project he could do little by little, over multiple nights? Well, he supposed he could attempt that. There were also several other things he wished to test, however.

Kiran was minutely disrupted from his train of thought by Shou’s comment. “Hm? Oh, yes. It seems you might have been right…” he trailed off, not clarifying his statement. If his mind wasn’t elsewhere, he might have paid more attention to Shou’s discomfort – as it was, Kiran noticed rather absentmindedly, but pretty much disregarded it. “Ah, not to worry, I will not be going outside,” he agreed placidly. Unsaid was he wouldn’t be doing it yet.

As Zheng went about his business in the kitchen and the bathroom, Kiran briefly entered his bedroom. There were a few boxes there, full of material or other less sensitive projects that he’d had delivered. Finally, he gently put the suitcase onto his bed, under the covers. It’d be fine now. There was just Shou there, and Kiran figured he could trust the other youth. Besides, the other student wasn’t a Technologist, so there was that as well.

Instead, he opened up the cardboard boxes, rifling through to pick some random Formalized objects. It was time to test how closely he could bring them to an object affected by the Starsteel Formulization before they began being affected as well, how quickly suppression of formulization worked, and exactly how much more difficult it would be to formulize something suppressed by Starsteel. When those experiments were accomplished to his satisfaction, he’d also take some notes on the Starsteel Formulization. Kiran didn’t think the latter would be easy or necessarily useful, but it might help discern if any patterns he noticed tonight could be useful tomorrow.

***

The next morning, Kiran was awoken by some sort of an announcement being relayed over gramophones all across Bermuda. Kiran rubbed sleep from his eyes, and stood up…from the couch? Seemed like he’d never quite made it to his bed the previous night. Around him, stray pieces of paper were scattered (some crumpled up) and various items in various states of functionality – clear evidence of his experiment. “Hmm,” he muttered, and set to cleaning up.

He had an hour till whatever spectacle they’d been invited to, and he’d make use of it. If there was no sight of Shou till that point, Kiran would knock on the doors of his bedroom after showering and changing clothes. If his roommate was still in the vicinity, perhaps they could make their way towards the library together.

Interactions: @Zombehs

[Zombehs]

Shou Zheng

---

With his mood considerably soured even after he had taken a shower to freshen up, Shou had silently returned to his room and left Kiran to his investigations. Falling asleep was never a difficult task for someone who could manipulate their own biological functions, and he was out in a matter of moments after he had hit the bed. Ensuring that his sleep was actually peaceful was a bit more difficult as control slipped away once consciousness faded.

Awake at the crack of dawn once his dreams had calmed down a bit, Shou grunted in annoyance as he looked around the unfamiliar room. He didn't need much sleep these days, but if his head was going to be filled with dreams of the depths every night then he might just have to become nocturnal, rules and curfew be damned. His morning routine did not take very long and he was quiet about it once he noticed Kiran's investigations had gone on for long enough to leave them collapsed on the couch.

Leaving the other student to catch up on his beauty sleep, Shou was out of the dormitory only a few moments after the mists had rolled off the island. The air still a bit clammy as the sun just barely poked over the horizon. Taking a deep breath, the salty scent of the sea filled Shou's lungs before he set off to reclaim his weapon from the armoury it was being held at. Even if he only planned on investigating the surrounding ocean and seabed around Bermuda, he might as well be prepared in case he did find something.

Thus he did not hear the announcement that came a few hours later. By then, he was deep underwater. Plumping the depths for whatever had been missed by those who had built up the island.

[Psyker Landshark]

Valeriya Zhukova

Valeriya's investigation of the locking mechanisms had actually gone rather well. Breaking some of the bricks apart had revealed the wiring that gave the room the properties of the Starsteel Formula. Of course, cutting it right away would have given the game up from the start. A single room blinking out in the network would be too obvious. That was, if it stayed blinked out. Still, she had an idea or two on how to do that. Once she'd finished and covered her handiwork up by hanging a wall painting over the broken brick, Valeriya debated reporting her results to Lucretia.

Well, she'd considered it until she'd noticed the little German girl in deep thought. Eh, best not to bother her for the moment. Might disrupt her concentration. There was always the morning to catch her up, after all. And with that, Valeriya went off to bed not half an hour after she'd begun her investigation.

___

"SCHEISSE!!" Was a cry that woke Valeriya up immediately, the loud shout immediately putting her into a state of combat readiness thanks to her training. What the hell was going on? Were they under attack? The Russian teenager shot out of bed, her eyes scanning the room to find out exactly what was going on...

"SCHWARZRITTER! AKTIVIERE!!"

...Only for her to be greeted with the sight of Lucretia about to do exactly what she'd been afraid of last night. God help her, it was too early in the morning for this shit.

"Lucretia, no!" Valeriya shouted hurriedly, immediately jumping out of bed as she tried to get the god damned German to stop. "Call it off! Now!"

[banjoanjo]

LÊ BẰNG KIỀU

---

The door closed behind Bang with a soft click. He waited a few moments by that station, listening. Altering his listening. Vessels and membranes within his ear canals shifted at his bidding, going off of practiced muscle memory at this point. His range shifted to the dorm, checking James’ nightly routine. Nothing unusual as far as he could sense. To the rest of the building next. Many students rustling their sheets, preparing for sleep. Some ever-diligent Technologists still tinkering, no doubt into the quietest hours of the night. And—

CLANGGGG.

As if someone had slapped both his ears with a cricket bat, an aural blast assaulted his enhanced hearing, leaving him to barely muffle a scream of pain with his hand. The Egoist collapsed to one knee and rubbed at his ears, working to correct his hearing before the remainder of the ringings collapsed him. But before he shut it off, there was another sound beneath the chimes that caught his attention.

…Whalesong?

Close but far away. Almost lamenting. Bang had not the slightest clue what that could have been. It wasn’t an auditory hallucination; his bodily functions would not allow that. Perhaps another strange resonance from the clock tower?

That train of thought didn’t continue long before he noticed something strange about the dorm. Even with his rudimentary Technologist knowledge he could see the Formulae and put a name to them. Starsteel, was it?

Bang took this as his cue to finally get to bed. More tiredly than he would have expected, he pulled the covers over him, and as he lay there staring at the ceiling, he finally allowed his mind to wander.

The beating of his heart, the blood pumping through every vein, every organ. The contractions of his lungs. The suction of his intestines. All these sensations were as familiar as breathing to him now, and just as conscious.

He closed his eyes and sharpened his hearing once more, letting the range flow more gradually this time for fear of another blast from that accursed clock.

He did not dream that night, as he had not done for many years now.

He thought of whalesongs.

---

Bang stifled a frown at this examination-turned-spectacle. As much as he hesitated to admit it, the Mesmerologist loon made a valid point. And Ryuuko, volunteering so easily…

Well, it made sense. She seemed a go-getter. Everything she did seemed to forge her reputation into something brighter, more fearsome. What did Bang have exactly? A pitiful story and fatigue. Antiquated Formulae that would leave him at the mercy of anyone here with decent aim. He’d made some decent traction at the ball but it wouldn’t be enough to catch the eye of his target. He needed to forge something of his own.

The sharp clack of a cane punctuated Bang’s entrance as he took a step forward.

“Ah. I think what Mister Schr… er. What he means to say is that this ‘examination’ may have been a bit too much. With respects to the justice system, this demonstration seems a surefire way to throw away any hopes of an impartial jury. A-And in addition to that!”

He coughed. Ah, he usually had his own Amp for these sorts of speeches. Bang looked at the girl he knew only by name and saw something familiar in the resentment. Something preventable.

“I don’t believe in punitive justice. Although much knowledge has been lost last night, is that not why we’ve all gathered to this island? To prosper through cooperation and create even greater tomes of Formulae than any single nation could achieve on its own? What do we gain from crushing brilliance underfoot instead of allowing it to blossom?”

The Egoist glanced at the Austrian boy for a moment before looking right back at Robespierre.

“Miss du Bordeaux does not gain anything from being strung up like a market goat. Neither does this academy, unless its intent was to display cruelty and intolerance for the justice process. What she needs is rehabilitation and an environment of understanding. So I… I also volunteer to supervise her for three days as preparations for the trials are made.”

He’d have to brew a lifetime’s worth of coffee for James as apology after this.

[Yankee]

EE 87, May 4 | Night

Inti's roommate had introduced himself as Kalil after a somewhat awkward conversation clarifying that Inti was neither a ghost or hallucination. After that, a brief demonstration of the shisha lead to both of the boys separating in opposite directions, both seeking fresh air. Kalil to clear his muddled head, and Inti replace what felt like lingering smoke in his lungs with clean oxygen. As expected of anyone not familiar with the practice Inti had coughed and choked, though his panic was curbed by the guidance of Kalil. Still, after the experience he found himself sitting on the dorm's front steps and just breathing while be observed the other buildings nearby. They were mostly the same design as the one he sat in front of, though the farther away he looked the more the architecture gradually changed.

When the hour grew late he went back inside. His body was thrumming dully due to everything that had happened that day. So many firsts, and many more to come.

He wandered to the bedrooms, finding the one that the staff had deposited his suitcase in. Just a single case, if a somewhat large one. He lifted the suitcase onto the bed, popping it open. It's contents were clothes for the most part, along with second pair of formal shoes, and a couple pairs of casual sandals. The single yacolla included he judged probably wouldn't get much use. Inti carefully pulled each article out, laying them in the space next to the suitcase. The Inca had evolved since ancient times, but many of their traditions and culture remained the same - so seeing the fine quality material of some of the clothes the Bureau had packed for him made him nervous in a way that walking into metaphorical whole new world hadn't. These were the types of fabric made for Officials. Was it their way of saying his status had risen? Or maybe they didn't want someone representing Tawantinsuyu to be seen as someone of low standing. Inti didn't want to think about it right then. He folded everything neatly into the room's dresser before shedding the clothes he was wearing. Idly he wondered what the laundry service was like. Another question for tomorrow, he supposed.

Being in his smallclothes with an inviting bed so close, the fatigue of the day was finally starting to hit Inti - but there was one more thing to unpack. He lifted the devices out of the suitcase. Monitoring equipment, meant to record and send biological information. They were larger than those at the lab, a bit blocky and bulky, but he supposed they had to be that way to send information back to Tawantinsuyu. Before he'd left for Bermuda they'd given him a demonstration of how to attach and use them, but even if they hadn't he'd seen it thousands of times. Every day as far back as he could remember at least. Meticulously Inti attached the monitors to himself, and with a quick flick of his wrist the devices powered on. Their soft beeping was drowned out by the ringing of a bell outside, and clicking that spread throughout the dorm. The familiar sound of locks.

Hm? Locking us in at night? He supposed that made sense, there was a curfew after all. Hopefully Kalil had returned before the locks clicked into place. With little else on his mind Inti tucked into bed. It was much softer than anything he'd slept on before, which made it all the more easy to nestle in and fall asleep.

And to dream.

Aaaah, it's only been a month but it feels like so much longer already. And don't tell Ch'aska but I know she misses you.

I just talked to her two nights ago before I got off the ship?

That's not the same!

Isn't it, though? No one ever says they miss me. Ekeko leaned over and squished Inti's cheeks between his hands, turning the boy's face towards Axo. Or is there something special about this precious face?

Inti wriggled out of his 'older brother's' hold, a boyish grin spreading on his face. You didn't know? I was voted Best of Bunch twice in a row.

Ekeko feigned shock while the girl, Axo, scoffed at the two of them and shrugged her shoulders. I guess you're right. Anyway, what is the island like? We've all been dying to know.

It's amazing! The atmosphere is intense, and there was so much food, and music, and all these different types of buildings... Inti went on to describe the day's events, the rules of the place and all of the different people he'd talked to. He had to start over a couple times when more people manifested into the dream and insisted on hearing the boy's firsthand account, but eventually he made it through the story by focusing and conjuring images from his memory, shifting the location of the dream from the familiar stark white cafeteria to the Hall of the Greats in Bermuda. There were questions with answers Inti couldn't even hazard a guess to; there were theories being thrown around about the facilities, and gossip about the Polymaths attending as the group of Inca pointed out people that Inti remembered.

Normally he would have been more than content to listen to his 'siblings' discuss everything as the backdrop of memories faded away, but he piped up to interrupt them. Hey, am I the only one with news? What's going on back in Tawantinsuyu?

Nothing's new here, it's the same old same old.

Come oooon.

We would let you know if something happened, Inti, Illapa, one of the late comers, said. He crossed his arms in thought as he tended to do. Lab techs and bureaucrats only talk about theories, projects, us. World affairs sometimes.

Axo nodded her head. They mentioned an empire on the brink of collapsing recently. O...to?

Ottoman.

That one, yes. Of the half dozen or so gathered, Axo was the only one not older than Inti, and her lacking knowledge of the world reflected Inti's own. Although he was hoping to learn a lot more there on the island.

Why's that?

Civil war, apparently. Ghastly.

Couldn't keep it together, hm? Ha. Not like our empire.

The group chatted for a little while longer. Most of them needled Inti for all the information they could get out of him, playfully trading it for little updates about the people he'd left behind. He laughed when they told him that Allpa had thrown a tantrum when they had to shave her head for a test, after a new tech had complemented her hair. They laughed as they pictured him dancing among the more rigid Occidentals. It was a nice, warm dream. But eventually all dreams ended.

See you all soon, Inti said, as one by one the people in the dream faded away. His form too began to dissolve as his consciousness returned to his body.

---

EE 87, May 5 | Morning

_{.. - .----. .-.. .-.. -... . .... .- .-. -.. --..-- .. -. - .. --..-- .. -.- -. --- .-- --..-- .-- .. - .... .-- .... .- - - .... .- - .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- .... .- ... -.. --- -. . .-.-.- -... ..- - .--. . .-. .... .- .--. ... .-.-.- .-.-.-}

Inti awoke to a soft and steady beeping noise. It happened to be the same noise he woke up to every day, and at the same time too. There was low light filtering in from the windows, drawing his eye. He sat up straight and began the process of removing the equipment attached to him, but then the beeping changed. A new, deliberate rhythm. A message. His ears perked, and he listened closely.

...Ah, right, the mission. He sighed, though there was a fond smile on his face. He hopped out of bed, walked around the dorm in confusion before he recalled that there was no bathing inside, and then splashed water from the sink over himself before drying and returning to dress. He'd seen neither hide nor hair of Kalil that morning, so instead he peeking into the other bedroom.

"Good morning!" he said, quite loudly. He couldn't really tell if that heap of blankets was his dormmate, but if it wasn't then it wouldn't hurt to greet the "spirits" that hung around the young man. Or whatever he was going on about last night.

Now there were things that Inti noticed about the living space last night that only really struck him now in the light of day. Of course, there was the lack of a shower, but that was easily remedied. Secondly there was a kitchen with food, but nothing that said they had a chef that would cook for them. Even on the ship there had been a dining area, and last night there was the banquet - but now were they expected to cook for themselves? While that was an exciting prospect, Inti was not quite ready to experiment with that this morning. Maybe later. But it was day two and he wanted to get an early start, not waste time destroying the kitchen. Getting an early start on what was the question, but he wanted as much time to figure that out as possible. There was no regiment to the island besides the curfew it seemed, which would take some getting used to.

First thing's first, though. "I'm going to find breakfast. I'll bring some back for you!"

...

...

...he did not bring any back for Kalil. By the time he'd eaten his fill, an announcement echoed across the island ushering people to the city's center. Some kind of demonstration? It sounded almost ominous, but very the curious one Inti made his way there. He squeezed through the crowd until he was in a decent spot, looking up at the stone stage.

That must be her, he thought. And behind her, the ruins of her making. Apparently. The person in front of her was really long winded. He could grasp that she was guilty and that there would be some kind of public trial for the crime. A jury of her peers. Inti didn't know much of the justice system of even his own nation, let alone others, but it seemed... fair, he supposed. Until others in the crowd started to pipe up.

He recognized Franz, and couldn't help but slightly swayed by his words. The Mesmerologist certainly had a way with them. Another went on after that, and Inti nodded along, though mostly out of habit. Jeanne was definitely guilty... but they brought up some good points.

But she was for sure guilty.

"Why only an Egoist?" Came a voice from the crowd, and a dark skinned hand waving up from the crowd. The people around Inti shifted away from him slightly, letting his short frame be more easily seen. "Anyone strong enough should be able to watch her."

It was a strange way to volunteer, but it was a volunteer all the same. Inti did not have the same kind of eloquence as the other two boys had shown, so he didn't even try. Plus... well he really thought she was guilty. He didn't say much else, but instead started to make his way toward Robespierre. Even if they denied him, he had questions. A lot of questions! For many on the island, there were personal projects to work on. For Inti there was no such thing, only his 'mission' and his own enjoyment. Well, he could be working on his craft but his was an existence that had always been guided in such things. He would have to work out how to do that at some point, but for now he was intrigued.

[Izurich]

Lucretia von Königsmähne

Valeriya Zhukova

@Izurich @Psyker Landshark

---

She was so furious, so, so furious. How dare they take her project away from her? How dare they?! She had worked on it for seven hours straight, and she was oh so close to that sweet reward, but they took that away! This wasn't how things meant to go, you just don't offer someone a puzzle only to pull the rug from under them. This was wrong, the world wasn't supposed to work like this, Sukoro Jinga must answer for this travesty!

Her vision red, all Lucretia could think about right at this very moment was to unleash all of her rage and humiliation to the door. If she couldn't open it the smart way, then a little application of blunt trauma should do the trick. She was no pacifist or else she wouldn't have installed Schwarzritter with combat functions, and honestly, the floating metal golem should already be smashing the offending door open, if not for a sudden shout from her roommate. While Schwarzritter didn't recognize Valeriya's voice as a valid command, Lucretia did.

"...?!" Lucy's tired, bloodshot eyes widened upon the Russian's frantic shout and shuffles as she leaped out of the bed, the younger Polymath turned her neck slightly, feeling the jolts of pain from all her aching muscles, she gritted her teeth but then exhaled harshly, "Bleib stehen..." with her auditory instruction, the metal knight ceased winding up its punch, returning to a stand-by position.

Valeriya let loose a sigh of relief as the diminutive German saw reason and called her murder drone off the poor, unsuspecting door. Good thing she wouldn't have to figure out a way to explain to those in charge why they had a door blown out on the first night.

"Whew..." She exhaled, starting to calm down now that the danger had passed. "At least you stopped. I wasn't looking forward to having to figure out an excuse for why we lost a door. Is everything alright? What happened to set you off like that?"

"Haaah... nnngh..." As her outrage winded down, Lucretia felt the full brunt of her seven hour of constant concentration, lack of sleep, and adrenaline crash all at once. The white-haired girl fell to her knees first then onto her side, lying crumpled on the carpeted floor. Her gaze was empty as she lacked the energy to even be angry now, but it did have the side effect of allowing her to somewhat calmly answer Valeriya's curiosity, "I... was so close... just a little bit more... and I could've defeated the Starsteel cipher, but... but they took that away... they took that from me." She droned on, having no other desire right now other than just succumb into unconsciousness, right, might as well catch some sleep while she's at it.

"Schwarzritter, trage" Upon her command, the steel black-blue drone gently picked up its creator and cradled her in its right arm, then Lucy commanded it to carry her back to the bed, in which the German girl simply just flopped onto then buried herself amidst the pillows and duvet, quickly drifting off to a much-needed slumber, the drone loyally staying by her side.

Well. That was...something. At least Lucretia seemed no worse for wear, aside from exhaustion from staying up all night. Eh. That was the girl's decision, not hers. Valeriya would let her sleep. Considering the state of the party last night, no doubt more than few students would be sleeping off hangovers, regardless. She stepped over to Lucretia's side of the room to give the little German the kindness of at least tucking her in before going about her own morning routine, preparing to head out. Outside of actual research, she had some devices to make for the next night...

[Click This]

Nazca Whitehall

Clockwork Autumn

It was at ten bells, as Nazca was about to draw her bath, when the Clocktower rang, and with it, the surge of energy and the flurry of locks clicking and doors slamming shut. Having long since honed her skills of stoicism, she didn’t jump at the sudden noises, although she found herself very cross with it all. The noise of the bells, while irritating, were alright, but the locking of the doors for curfew, in her mind, was insulting the honor and intelligence of the students it hosted. Especially so, with its implementation of the Starsteel Formation.

…Not that Nazca would have always adhered to the curfew anyway. There were certain things in the night that required her investigation, including the fog, which she was instantly reminded of as her windows were covered by the pervasive opaque mist. Was the mist simply another means to keep the student body inside? She hadn’t inspected the doors or windows of her dorm thoroughly, but it was obvious that could be easily forced open. Of course, it would leave evidence of such an act, but a resourceful enough person could simply repair a window or a door the old-fashioned way, with enough skill. It was perplexing.

Having a clue on the nature of the fog, though, made her think of the hawk she still had in the sky. Could she still get through to it? She was confident her drone was loitering high enough in the sky to not be affected by the fog, but if she couldn’t send out or communicate with any drones during curfew, that would be… less than optimal. Normally, she could control her clockwork drones reasonably well without any large and cumbersome devices, but when it came to long-range operations…

Nazca hastily pulled out a trunk –or more properly, and advanced wireless set in the shape of one—and set it upon her desk. She quickly went through the motions of setting it up, hooking up its battery, extending its long aerial, power up the device. Since she’d last used it right before the airship had landed to launch her hawk, it was still tuned into the right frequency. Using a switch that looked quite familiar to any wireless operators, she keyed out a command in her own proprietary code.

Scout One. Acknowledge test signal.

She paused to listen to a reply. The clicks that came in response came in strong—short click, long click, short, short, long, modulated long—the correct identification code for the unit. That was good, it meant it was still in the air, and she could communicate with it by radio. She tapped in another pre-programmed command.

Scout One. Execute diagnostic test and report.

She waited patiently for the machine to test its servos, gyros, gears, and onboard equipment before reporting back. The full power test would significantly draw down its remaining power and flight time, but she was bringing it back in the next morning to collect its data anyway. After several minutes, the encoded beeps and clicks filled the airwaves again as the bird reported back its current altitude, speed, axes of orientation, rough position by dead reckoning, and other basic data—all indicating it was functioning correctly.

Satisfied, she gave it a few more tests—simple commands to increase and decrease altitude, and then moved on to more advanced commands, including proper formula-encoded ones. To her mild surprise, they executed fine, with a proper acknowledgement, although she didn't risk allowing it to descend enough that it might get caught in the fog. She wasn't sure what it would do her instruments yet, and it lacked the proper sensors to navigate blindly in a fog. Nonetheless, she would have to conduct experiments later.

She shut down the wireless set. Nazca would bring in the bird in the morning as planned. Her attention then wandered over to the locked door. Cracking open yet another trunk for more equipment, she brought out a set of tools. There really was a lot of overlap between a jeweler’s, watchmaker’s and a locksmith’s toolkits. Equipment in hand, she headed over to the locked doors, keen to find out its mysteries, the hard way or the easy way. Either way, she would have that door accessible—even if she had to fit a tungsten plate shim over the mechanism before curfew.

---

Unlike a certain other white-haired girl, though, Nazca wasn’t an extreme autist. Success or fail, once the night drew on for too long, she took her bath and then turned in for the night, only to be rudely awakened in the morning by the sounds of a public school announcement.

With a mild bit of irritation, she rose and went through her morning routine –including brewing tea and bringing her bird back—before she headed over to the Central Monument Library for the curious ‘examination,’ piping hot tea in a thermos in hand.

By the time she arrived at the library, she had a good inkling of what had happened. Even before arriving on sight, the lingering smell of burnt wood and the wispy remains of ashes rising into the morning sky was more than evident, and half-burnt, singed pieces of parchment and paper littered the streets and floated through the crowd on the occasional gust of wind. It hadn’t been a day, and a vast repository of knowledge was already gone—one that Nazca had fully intended to make use of. Her mood continued to sour.

Nonetheless, she remained curious at what had happened here. Unfazed at the youthful appearance of the school official with the unnecessarily fancy name, she frowned at his speech. Wouldn’t he get to the point?

The news of the Ottoman collapse was an interesting enough footnote, though, even if its imminent demise had been predictable.

Far more interesting was the restrained and slightly singed form of Jeanne Du Bordeaux up upon the platform with her overly pretentious countryman. That girl had built quite the reputation for herself, and a controversial one, at that. She had been one of the ones that she had looked forward to speak to or observe—neither of which she had done, ironically, despite knowing that she had been assigned to the same dorm building as herself.

The evidence on-site seemed damning. A burnt library, and a Frenchwoman with a reputation for arson. Nonetheless, she found herself agreeing with the Austrian fraud of all people. Guilt was determined in a trial, not established as pseudo-fact before one, even if all facts pointed towards her destruction of a library, and the lack of intervention of a mysterious witness was strange. Furthermore, even if she had a reputation for arson, what was her motive for burning a building down? On her first day? If anything, her reputation would make it less likely to be her-- the ideal candidate to frame. She wondered if the bird was able to manage to pick up any useful data during the night despite the fog.

It wasn’t her direct mission, but she decided to intervene. She raised a hand.

“I may not be an egoist, but I believe it would be only proper for some of her fellow dormmates to participate in her supervision alongside the volunteer.”

She gave a nod towards Ryuuko. The Japanese egoist, was it?

There was something more to this than meets the eye, and Nazca needed to know.

[ERode]

With Ryuuko volunteering, it appeared as if this examination would soon be over. Maximilien nodded once, recognizing at a glance the prodigious Egoist who so disdained her own nation, the dragon-girl who had joined Jeanne in her pyromania in the minutes before curfew began. A gazebo had been reduced to cinders, after all. That account was reported only with circumstantial evidence and eyewitness reports, however, and hadn’t been worth bringing up. If accomplices wished to watch each other’s backs though, the wig-wearing youth had no qualms with letting them both burn.

Unfortunately, others seemed more eager to jump into the flames.

Franz Steiner, the Universal Genius, revealed his common origins with every word he spoke. Even as the self-proclaimed Mesmerologist approached with increasingly incendiary language, Maximilien’s expression did not change. His eyes were mirrors, reflecting a learned apathy towards the outcries of buffoons.

Le Bang Kieu, Vietnam’s little prince, was at least somewhat reasonable, despite what Abya Yalan theories of justice had infected his mind. The difference of understandings between nations and cultures remained though, of the difference between the justice served upon Technologists and Egoists, of the insignificant value of an impartial jury when it came to any case that involved a Polymath renowned enough to make it to Bermuda. There was a flash of pity, but no response still. Maximilien could see that the boldness of two empowered further speech from more.

He had not expected this child, nameless as they were, to posit such a question though. The world was wide, it appeared. Wide enough that even after fifty years, there were still those who did not understand the value that an Egoist presented in such scenarios. Maximilien paused briefly, mind moving at lightning speed to determine how genuine of a question it was, before speaking. “For us who remain human, an Egoist will always be our physical superior. Subsequently, they are the most capable when it comes to reacting, surviving, and suppressing any other Major’s attempt at escape.”

The last one to speak, to volunteer, was unremarkable in both reputation and demeanor. Maximilien fancied Nazca with a nod of acknowledgement, before placing his index finger against the platform upon which Jeanne was marooned. Tracing a pathway through the starscape of the Divine Calculus, he turned stone to sand, the construction sinking lower and lower until the bound woman was on the ground once more.

“You have many friends, Du Bordeaux,” he spoke quietly, placing all her gear but the flame-spewing claymore into her leather-encased hands. “Give thanks, for the mercy they’ve shown.”

Perhaps she too had words to exchange with the Head of the Committee of Public Safety, but Maximilien’s gaze was no longer upon her.

“It goes without saying that if another incident involving Jeanne occurs during these next three days, all of you who have volunteered will be held jointly responsible. Otherwise, may God grant insight where men are wont to hide. We shall adjourn again upon the afternoon of the 8th.”

Sensing that nothing else was to happen, the crowd that had gathered dispersed, a few excited at all the extra drama that was tossed in by unexpectedly-involved individual, while others were laughing at the ignorance of outsiders and scoundrels. A cold-blooded murderer defending an habitual arsonist, how novel! If only they hadn’t dragged poor Bang with down with them…that was the real pity there.

Maximilien himself turned to leave too, measured gait leading him to a tower in the western corner of Bermuda’s inner circle.

Now, only those who truly cared about Jeanne remained before the ashes of her work.

---

Warm waters, crystal-clear and teeming with small fish, enveloped Shou as he dove into ocean that surrounded the artificial island. It was as comforting as any tropical island could be, the sandy beach dissolving into colorful coral. Even the most dangerous of fish were vibrantly colored, a far cry from the deep ocean monstrosities that he was accustomed to encountering in his early years as a sailor. If it was just for the purpose of recreation, this would be a wonderful place for a casual dip into the ocean.

But he was not here for that.

Five hundred meters off the coast of Bermuda, the gradual deepening of the sea floor underneath dropped off into the true ocean, like encountering a continental shelf. At the same time, Shou could feel a faint electric buzz teasing at his nerves, not painful in any manner, but simply…annoying. Enough so that it could dissuade larger aquatic predators, perhaps. The same sort of technology used by high-end fishing vessels to corral profitable species into the waiting nets of others. It must be what enables such a vibrant collection of species near Bermuda’s beaches. If he dug deep enough into the sand, perhaps he would find Steam Core-powered water-quality modulation devices too.

There was no sand here though. There was only the deep dark, the waters blackened by the lack of light.

So he dove. So he saw.

Five hundred meters away from the island of Bermuda proper, with hardly any light at all, it was possible only to make out the barest outline of the mechanical underbelly of the Academic City of Bermuda. How much money had it cost, to create what was essentially an airship the size of a city, equip with massive Steam Cores to perpetually power the Pleizogravitas constructions that kept the entire city buoyant? If Shou had the ability to perceive the Divine Calculus as clearly as his peers, perhaps he too would have become blind. But then, a thought crossed his mind.

What could happen if a single Starsteel Sword was introduced here?

The island wouldn’t even take a minute to sink.

…

More details had to be determined, and with a flaring of his gills, a tightening of his lungs, the Egoist released a burst of sound. At the depths he could dive, echolocation was the preferred sense, the guiding post to sculpt terrain and detect prey.

But the echoes did not reach.

Within the waters beneath the great artificial city, his voice did not even vibrate against the border.

And thus, another realization, one that explained the lack of any anchor to fix this buoyant island in place.

In a 500 meter radius of Bermuda’s coast, the ocean water was dead.

[Zombehs]

Shou Zheng

---

Shou may have had a purpose for diving into the surrounding waters, but he could still appreciate the lively and colorful ecosystem established on the island's shores. He would have expected them to be a bit more barren given Bermuda's recent construction, but there was no telling how long the island had been around while the Academy was built up on it.

The tingle made Shou grimace, even as he pushed through the sensation and dove straight down. There was enough light for him to see the end of the cliff face that marked the end of the island. Flipping himself upright as he passed it and squinted into the darkness, he could just barely make out the various constructions built into the island's underside. Even if it was currently too unrefined to use, the sheer amount of electricity being circulated to keep the island afloat made the pathways light up in ways that almost hurt his head.

Of course, the island being reliant on that much Formulae was quite the vulnerability, and he couldn't imagine there wouldn't have been some protections built in against sabotage. It would be more expensive to have each Steam Core function independently, but clearly the countries responsible weren't too concerned about expense. If he were a Technologist as well he might have been able to discern any countermeasures to deal with saboteurs, but the entire underbelly of the island was just a thrumming beacon of electricity to Shou.

Curious, but he hadn't left his dormitory first thing in the morning to oogle at the sheer cost and scale of Bermuda's construction. As he lingered there by the edge of the island, he cut loose with his echolocation to map out his surroundings. Almost instantly he recoiled a bit from the disappearance of half his created waves. It wasn't as bad as if they had been reflected to him instantly, but their absorption was a bit more unsettling. It was a good thing there was still a bit of light available to him, otherwise it would have been like finding himself right before an abyss!

He sent out more waves as he swam downwards, carefully mapping out the exact range of Bermuda's influence on the ocean. Given how the zone began right under the island, he doubted it was a natural phenomenom and likely the work of some piece of equipment. Aside from somehow rendering the water completely still though, he had no idea about its other effects. Would it render him immobile if he tried to swim into it?

Spinning his sword around by the strap looped around his wrist, the blade seemed to cut through the water without any resistance as he grabbed onto the handle. He had descended to the point that there was no more sunlight, and his clicks had yet to bounce back to him either. Nothing but ocean water for at least a couple hundred meters around him, and this weird still zone right in front. With a deep breath he swung the sword lazily into the zone and waited for something to happen.

[Jumbus]

---

No reaction, the boy gave Franz no reaction. Not just being silent, but as if Robespierre was ignoring him. Surely there would be something, Franz thought. He wasn’t even particularly defending Jeanne, instead, more commencing a direct attack on Robespierre’s character. And still nothing. Although Franz could hide his emotions well, a sense of frustration had taken hold. Robespierre had made an enemy today. Looking around the volunteers, Franz surmised that he may not be the only one.

As Robespierre finished his speech, Franz feigned a smile and waved him off from the sandy remains of the stage. “Auf wiedersehen, Herr Robespierre!”

Robespierre finished his exit and Franz looked toward the crowd of volunteers. Ryuuko was an obvious volunteer and he wasn’t particularly surprised to see her there. Bang was a well-known celebrity and Franz was happy to have his help. Having him so firmly on the same side helped Franz overlook his inability to say ‘Steiner’. Franz smiled seeing Inti at the front and volunteering. Frankly, he didn’t expect to see the abya yalan boy so soon after the party.

Speaking of abya yalan, the final volunteer was Nazca Whitehall. She was an easily recognizable figure, few in the Occident wouldn’t have heard of her. A runaway princess adopted into a rich noble’s estate is the closest thing to a modern fairy tale you could get. Although the reputation of her Polymath skill had yet to reach Franz’s ears.

Bang looked in awful health, that was obvious enough. Franz wondered if he would be a suitable guard for someone as dangerous as Jeanne. Still, it was Bang’s voice that backed him up when he took the stage. “I am grateful for your help. I am unsure his highness would have retreated if not for your… more levelled approach. I assume I am talking to the famous Le Bang Kieu. My name is Steiner, Franz Steiner.” The ‘Steiner’ was slightly louder and spoken with crystal clear in its pronunciation. Franz reached out for a handshake.

That concluded, Franz turned to the still bound Jeanne. He made eye contact before drifting his view to the ashes of the library behind and then back to her. “You seem to be in quite the predicament, Miss Bordeaux. I will not insult your intelligence by claiming my actions are entirely selfless and noble. You know better. However, I am willing to help prove your innocence and even defend you at the trial if need be. The decision to accept is entirely up to you, of course. But other applicants seem to be sparse at best.”

---

[Izurich]

Lucretia von Königsmähne

@Izurich @Erode

---

Staying up throughout the night after a long tiring day, locked in the same standing position, and then having a huge emotional outburst by the end of it obviously took a toll on Lucretia's body. The German Polymath wasn't an Egoist or anything, the complete opposite in fact, a dainty flower whose genes clearly overspecialized in the intelligence department much to the detriment of her mental and physical developments. As a result, she woke up well into the afternoon, sleeping for over eight hours since the early morning.

"N-nnngh..." Pale eyelids fluttered open to reveal groggy green irises, her head felt fuzzy as if she had been sedated instead of a normal slumber. The low hum of Schwarzritter droned in her ears, providing her with some amount of comfort as Lucy propped herself up then yawned, stretching her arms and back, a-... aaah... she felt them pop, pain followed, but it's good pain. With a frustrated sigh, Lucy surveyed the room to see her roommate not present, Valeriya had likely already began with her day ages ago, and then the damaged door leading to one of the studies, the one Schwarzritter smashed open when it beelined toward her upon her own command. "Sigh..." Right, better get to work then.

Moments later, Lucy finished her morning afternoon routine and repaired the study door, easily accomplished with her sheer prodigious expertise at technologism. That done, she went out to grab herself a quick bite at the nearest cafeteria, then went to the post office to check her correspondences. It was there that she found out that her patron was still working on her previous request, but in the meantime, they had another assignment for her. This one was... Hmmm... I see... She very much personally agreed on the importance of this task, it's for the good of all. However, she wasn't going to work on that right away for she had a personal matter to settle first.

Using one of the public phones at the post office, she dialed the number of Bermuda's Student Services, hailed the Operator, introduced herself, then immediately went to her request after said operator asked if they could help with anything, "Tell Mr. Sukoro Jinga that I, Lucretia von Konigsmahne, demands an audience with him. A S A P." She enunciated, perhaps with a bit more gusto than her usual.

"Of course, Miss von Konigsmahne," chirped the operator. "It'll just be a moment."

With that, some relaxing piano music played over the phone as Lucretia was put on hold...for a full minute. When the line was reconnected, the German noble found herself speaking to the same operator once more. "My apologies, but Mr. Jinga is unavailable at the moment. Would you like to arrange for a message to be sent to his residence instead?"

Lucretia's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the answer, no, not at being put on hold, that was a given considering the Operator had to contact the other end. It was her specific answer to Lucy's request demand that displeased the silver-haired polymath. She thought of barking back at the Operator, but - in her calmer state of mind - realized that it'd be a futile endeavor. The Operator was just doing their job, nothing less, nothing more.

"Of course, but first, where is this residence specifically? I need to know the exact location if I wish to send messages for convenience." Who knew if she wanted to exchange letters afterward, ja?

"Ah," the operator said, perhaps not picking up what Lucretia was putting down, "There's no need to worry about properly addressing your letter, Miss Konigsmahne. The name alone is sufficient for ensuring that it's delivered correctly."

Either this Operator was as dense as Schwarzritter's bulk or intentionally obtuse, but either way, she was starting to annoy Lucy. The white-haired girl perceived that she was going nowhere with this and a new path must be taken should she wish to know where exactly Sukoro Jinga lived. Nothing was going to get in the way between her and her answers! Should she hang up now? Sigh... perhaps another try was in order, just one more try. "Relinquish me his address, now."

"If you'd like to request Mr. Jinga's address, Miss Konigsmahne, you may send him a message asking as such," replied the operator, unfazed and chirper. "Unfortunately, we can't do it ourselves. It's a matter of student privacy, you understand."

"..." An utterly unamused flat expression graced the petite polymath's face as she failed in intimidating the operator, perhaps it could've been accomplished easier had they were face-to-face, she could use Schwarzritter's size and the implication of what it could do with its size to... persuade this insufferable employee. "Understood." She immediately hung up, pushing the operator and their (lack of) usefulness into the figurative dumpster of her mental storage.

Simply sending a message would take too long as she desired to meet Sukoro now. This couldn't be delayed, the sanctity of her mind demands it! Hmmm... perhaps the student body would be more... flexible in such matters. Nodding to herself, Lucy made her way out of the post office and into one of the many bistros of Bermuda, particularly a popular one for efficiency and ease of access to as many students as possible.

[Kumbaris]

@Izurich

Amid the chaos of the entire situation with Jeanne, and the general hustle and bustle of Bermuda. A woman, wearing clothes that easily catch the attention of everyone, with a body that also catches the attention of everyone, and a skin that's practically kissed by the sun, was busy enjoying her time in Bermuda. She herself was a bit too busy scheduling meetings with fellow academics and just enjoying her time in this artificial city suspended on the sea, currently, she was too busy looking for books to read and purchase. The sudden summoning of the young ones as they converge into the library, and Ryuuko volunteering to taking care of the problematic French lady seemed to solve that little problem.

But now Bunga is faced with another quirk that she has to solve. She has already bought a large stack of books from the bookstore. A collection of treatises concerning Formulae in nature and whatever progress Polymaths across the world has made in deciphering the Formula on natural objects. She herself was a Polymath busy doing research on such subjects herself, and her fox ears and fox tail, very visible for everyone to see. Are both twitching in excitement. She had a good night's sleep yesterday, and was more than ready to plow into the literature of the books she just bought, perhaps learning about progress in Egoist practices might give her the inspiration to further her research, an insight here and there at least wouldn't hurt right?

Honestly, while she is interested in joining her government funded research trip into Bermuda, she honestly felt pretty lonely already, there aren't a lot of Nusantarans or people from the region she lived in. Well, there's that Vietnamese Egoist she saw a while ago during that little exposition in the Library, but other than that... she couldn't even think of anyone else that might be more in her wavelength really. Everyone either comes from Europe, Zhongguo, the Mughal Empire, or some part of Abya Yala. Interesting people and all, but not what Bunga needs in order to familiarize herself with this city.

But just as she was about to go home, all chores for the day practically all finished. She passed Bermuda's many, many post offices, and overheard a girl saying the name 'Sukoro', and her fox ears perked up, she turned her head. Her paper bag still containing many books, and immediately took notice of the situation.

It looks like a German girl, very petite, and with some technologist construct that floats around her. She seems to be frustrated with something, although Bunga's not quite sure what she's frustrated about. Deciding to take the initiative, the Nusantaran woman quickly approached the small German girl out of the post office, and into one of the many bistros that dot Bermuda.

"Umm, excuse me?" Bunga greeted the white haired woman, crouching down to match her at eye level. "Are you searching for someone named Sukoro? I know this might sound weird but uhh, can I join you too in the search? I'm kinda searching for someone that could be my countrymen, and when I heard the name Sukoro, I kinda have to meet him. Would it be okay if I accompany you in this search? I promise I will be of help! My ears can hear from quite a distance, so I'm sure I would be able to pick up someone mentioning Sukoro."

She hopes that the girl wouldn't be too frightened by her size (in more ways than one) and her stature. She really just want to meet this Sukoro guy, maybe talk to him in Trade Malay or some language they're both familiar with. And hey! If she can make a German friend, all the better right?

[Izurich]

--The Flower of Nusantara--

@Kumbaris

"Do you know where Sukoro Jinga lives?" was pretty much the question that Lucretia had been repeating ad nauseam to each and every student she encountered so far, much to their annoyance and/or amusement. All of them had provided an unsatisfactory answer however, basically amounting to "No". Hmmm... it seemed finding the spot where a particular student was staying in Bermuda was difficult if one wasn't their dormmate or personal friend. However, just because the students she had asked so far didn't possess the knowledge doesn't mean everyone don't, she had just to find one who knew.

Then, during her trek to another cafe on her self-ignorant mission to bother the entirety of Bermuda, she was accosted by an older student. "...?" Hmmm... judging from her exotic fashion sense, chocolate complexion, and accent, she must've come from one of the many Oriental countries, perhaps one near the equator. The existence of vulpine ears and tail on her form clearly revealed her Egoist nature. Peculiar, what does this particular student want with her? She waited until Bunga was done speaking before she took a moment to compose her reply.

"Yes, Sukoro Jinga, Oriental Technologist. Do you know where he's staying in Bermuda?" The older Polymath then revealed her intention to join her in her search, oh, so Lucy wasn't the only one who wanted to see him, this was fortunate, she'd have an ally in this endeavor. "Countrymen? I see, then you are from Japan? Wunderbar. This will hasten my search." The white-haired girl nodded crisply, completely unaware that Bunga was - in fact - not from Japan.

[SilverPaw]

Kiran Agnarsson

Since Shou wasn’t in the apartment any longer, Kiran departed with a wry shrug, heading to the public denouncement on his own. He frowned in disappointment to see the charred remains of the library. If Bermuda had had any rare tomes or original prints – possible – how much knowledge had been lost? And how much money?

Du Bordeaux was named the culprit. Kiran would find it a likely supposition even without evidence, even if the lack of any such thing would not move him to hasty judgements. However, in this event, there was plenty of evidence. Caught at the scene of the crime, weapon in hand, photographed during her brazen pyromaniacal venture. It seemed pretty clear cut to him that she was indeed guilty. He was somewhat dubious at students handling the whole trial, though.

Perhaps a similar motivation drove Franz to speak up for Jeanne. He was similarly curious as to who the mysterious vigilante was, and what his role in all of this had been. Franz did have a point that the unknown person’s motives and actions could be suspect. Of course, the suspicion of the unknown individual in question and Jeanne’s guilt could certainly be true at the same time.

Surprisingly, quite a few people seemed to take Jeanne’s ‘side’, as it were. At the very least, she had some friends, allies, or simply people fond enough of her to provide her with a defense. Once it became clear that all that was to be said was said, and a group of volunteers formed, Kiran departed with the crowd. He did not especially care about Jeanne’s fate; admittedly, he was sore and bitter at the library’s destruction, and the sight of the named (but not yet entirely proven) criminal made him uncomfortably irrational.

Thankfully, he had better things to stew than bemoan what’d already passed or stew in ineffectual emotions.

***

His first agenda for the day was investigating the clocktower. Perhaps its activation was truly a mere warning for the start of the curfew. But it could also be physically tied to the activation of the Starsteel Formulization. That’s why Kiran took a walk, strolling towards the tower in question. If he could, he’d go inside, see the sights. Well, that’d be his excuse anyhow. If access was forbidden, he might have to talk to some people.

Though, if it was too much of a hassle, he’d give up for the day. He did still have to secure himself a working space for his project, after all, and he intended to do that today as well.

[Vega7285]

Hana Yun

Hana had awoken late enough in the morning that by the time she'd gotten dressed and eaten breakfast, she had missed the morning's excitement at the library. She did, however, spot the local newspaper on her way out, and picked it up to give it a read as she wandered about. It did cover enough of the pertinent details for whatever excitement had happened last night amongst those choosing to break curfew. One Jeanne du Bordeaux, allegedly burned down one of the major libraries on the island, complete with photographic proof to damn her in the court of public opinion. The one think that did strike her as odd were the photographs themselves.

She'd concern herself with matters if she stumbled across them, but other than the loss of a repository of knowledge, which was a shame, it wasn't her biggest concern for the day. Instead, she had plenty of exploring to do that the tour hadn't fully established. getting lost was the best way to learn the lay of the land, after all. And she did have to stake out a good place for her own studies. If she happened to run into some of the people she'd met at the dance the previous night, all the better.

She began her wandering at her residence, making her way toward the academic portion of the island. The labs and lecture halls were worth exploring in much greater detail, with an eye out for any lectures of discussions worth attending, should any already be posted. The grand collaboration had officially begun, and it would be a shame to spend it all on personal pursuits.

[Psyker Landshark]

Valeriya Zhukova

What an absolute mess. The entire library burnt down in the span of a night, allegedly by the mad Frenchwoman, no less? Frankly, it all just seemed too convenient to Valeriya. After having been raised as a spy for most of her life, she knew this was better than average odds this was some sort of frame-job. The pieces fit together too well, as if by design.

Still, that didn't mean any of this was her problem. Let her peers run to Jeanne's aid. She had an interest in the case, but not enough to make herself noticed. Let all the do-gooders make it their problem. She had a job to do.

And so, Valeriya spent the remainder of the morning tinkering away in a workshop, nodding in satisfaction once she'd finished with her device. A quick test ensured that it worked how she'd designed it to. Perfect. Now to check up on her actual projects.

___

A few hours later, Valeriya emerged from her workshop after making some progress on her current armor and guns. Time for a late lunch. As she explored the island, she accidentally bumped into an Oriental girl also looking around.

"Ah, my apologies. You are unhurt?" Valeriya asked, backing away slightly.

@Vega7285

[Yankee]

Robespierre had answered a question that Inti had not asked. Of course he knew why an Egoist, but he wanted to know why only? It didn't matter though, as that turned out not to be the case after all. Robespierre laid the responsibility on all of their shoulders. Franz and Inti, who were not Egoists. That lizard girl, and that soft spoken boy, who were. And the last volunteer, who Inti wasn't sure about. Inti smiled at the news. A group looking after Jeanne left her with little chance for rebellion, if she even chose to try in the first place. More importantly though, it would be really interesting getting know the others who spoke up in this situation. And with some work, maybe his name would start making it's way through the student body the way that the others' did. He heard so many whispered names as he had pushed through the crowd before finding himself in front of the captive Frenchwoman that he already knew who his fellow keepers were even before properly introduced.

Now he stood before Jeanne, and Franz who'd gotten to the front already, as the crowd began dispersing. The other three joined them soon after. Inti's eyes had followed Robespierre's back as the young man dismissed them and went on his way. Inti wondered where he was headed, but he supposed it could wait.

He swung himself to face the other four with a wide and open smile on his face. Famous he was not, but the Abya Yalan was clearly eager. "I guess we'll be working together," he said, "My name is Inti, it's nice to meet you all - and you again, Franz." Inti had clocked somewhere in the back of his brain that most people seemed to refer to each other by their surnames, the blood names, but it seemed strange to him - so he just repeated the first names back along with the introductions in order to commit them to memory.

"And you too," he told the young woman, the smile he leveled at Jeanne just as warm as the one he'd given the others.

Franz started to speak with their charge, and Inti backed away just slightly to give them space. But he listened.

"Innocence?" Inti questioned quietly with a tilt of his head. Was that what they were doing? Did defending her mean they had to believe that she was guiltless, or at least pretend to believe it? He could probably do that.

His gaze shifted to the blonde girl in front of him. She looked stern, not ashamed. He met Jeanne's eyes, and when he spoke next during a lull in conversation his tone was pure curiosity.

"So... why did you burn down the library?"

[Medili]

---

Things had ended up proceeding in a way that was quite unexpected by Ryuuko. Considering how all in attendance had seemingly been unwilling to volunteer until she herself had done so, she had thought that she'll be the only one to actually volunteer. Evidently that wasn't the case at all, what's with even non-egoists also ending up volunteering to supervise Jeanne for the next three days. Unexpected, yes, but hardly an unwelcome development. It's definitely different from what she had planned, but that might just make things even better for her purpose instead.

When Franz came forward to defend Jeanne, Ryuuko smiled widely. Frankly, Ryuuko didn't really doubt that Jeanne was indeed the one who had burned the library down. The evidences aside, it took someone like Jeanne to be able to do so. However, even if indeed she was the arson, it didn't mean that some sort of foul play had not occurred. After all, as wild and unpredictable as Jeanne's actions had been, it's extremely unlikely that she would burn down the entire library without some kind of reason. And considering everything, it didn't take a genius to note that the undisclosed person that had managed to detain Jeanne and spread the photograph around were very likely involved in this fishy occurrence. Thus, she at least agreed with Franz's conclusion that there's definitely more than meets the eye here.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing that made her smile. Franz had once more proven to be quite the interesting and likeable fellow indeed, what's with being so ready to state his opinion and question the wigged boy's proclamation despite the boy's position. It was quite impressive indeed in Ryuuko's mind. As for the other volunteers, Ryuuko also definitely didn't expect that Bang out of all people would volunteer for this. But then again, they did said that he's a hero and a real sweetheart to boot. Perhaps he had volunteered out of the kindness of his heart. If so, that was not a bad motive at all. Again, impressive. The next to volunteer, Ryuuko knew quite little about.
I think I saw him yesterday... One of those who danced? And that was all that Ryuuko thought about it. She did found his question to be a bit weird. Could it be that this young man didn't know that a proper Egoist would be able to very quickly and very decisively stop Jeanne before she can cause any damage, if it ever came to that? But hey, he did asked a question that no one else asked. Going against convention, in a way. I can very much respect that.

The last person to volunteer, again not an Egoist, actually nodded at Ryuuko. This one she definitely had seen before. She were one of those that Ryuuko didn't recognize among the group of four that she talked with Bang about during yesterday night's party. In any case, Ryuuko returned the gesture by nodding back, adding a friendly smile to go along with it. Considering the situation, she will obviously be getting acquainted with this white haired girl and the equally white-haired boy that had became her fellow volunteers. It should prove to be interesting, if nothing else.

Soon enough, the "examination" were concluded. Other students aside from Ryuuko, Jeanne, Franz, and the other volunteers started to leave, as did the pompous wigged boy. Ryuuko paid them no heed as she quickly moved to join the others. The very first thing she did was to walk straight to Jeanne. She smiled as she addressed the still bound arson. "When we parted ways yesterday, I didn't expect that our next meeting would be like this, Jeanne. Very... curious, to say the least, heh. Anyway, let's get these things off you, hmm?" She proceeded to remove the leather mitts that covered Jeanne's hands, freeing her of the bounding. "In any case, we definitely have quite a bit to talk about. And by 'we', I mean all of us here, of course."

Next, she turned to Franz, nodding at him and giving him a wide friendly grin. "And if you are to defend Jeanne here, then it seems we will be working together in this, dear friend. Truly, you kept on exceeding my expectations... Very delightful! And of course, I agree with you that there's definitely something fishy going on here." She then finished with a giggle before turning around to address Inti as he introduced himself to all those present. She nodded at him, keeping her smile on. "A pleasant to make your acquaintance, Inti. I'm Ryuuko. Higashiakemi Ryuuko. I'm looking forward to working with you!" Lastly, she turned her gaze toward Bang and Nazca, the latter of which she still know virtually nothing about. "And of course, the two of you as well, Mr. Bang and miss...?"

@Jumbus @banjoanjo @Yankee @Click This

[ERode]

_@Zombehs
More echoes reverberated through the ocean, only to be blocked by the stagnant ‘wall’ of water that surrounded the island. Soon, Shou found himself in total darkness, only the faint suggestion of far-off Formulae pointing him to where the surface was. The electric buzz that persisted in irritating his mind was prevalent this deep in the ocean as well, and all around him was devoid of the vibrant ocean life that he was accustomed to.

His sword, a streamlined design meant for underwater combat, cut through his surroundings easily and glided without much effort for the first couple of inches. The deeper it went, however, the harder it became for Shou to push it further. Rather than a matter of some sort of Formulized effect causing the weapon itself to slow, it felt more as if the blade was caught in a vice that grew stronger and stronger as it got deeper and deeper. Shou, of course, was still an Egoist. At this distance, he could still force himself deeper, could even survive the force that was currently clamping down on his sword.

But this was certainly no way for him to swim, and this was certainly no way for him to breathe. Shou had, after all, dove deep before, had felt the water weigh down on him more and more as his flesh squeezed together and his bones began to creak. Even without being able to see the machinery that changed the laws of this world, he could understand the source of the stagnancy.

The water was under a uniform, crushing pressure, one that made it more akin to a solid than a liquid, all without affecting its temperature in any fashion.

_@Silverpaw
The Clocktower, located on the northern end of Bermuda’s Inner Circle, was a sight to enjoy at a distance and a wonder to marvel at up close. Rivaling the grand clockwork constructions of Britain’s famed towers, the red brick tower rose easily 100 meters into the sky, ending with a gold-hued balcony that exposed the massive bell suspended on top, as well as a pointed cap from which steam gently escaped. Surrounding the Clocktower itself was a small garden and fountain, benches placed in all four cardinal directions to create what the designers may have intended to be a popular date spot. Only time would tell if that would be the case in the future, but there were certainly a few students out and about, marvelling at the Clocktower and taking pictures.

After all, its exterior, at the very least, looked to have been made only of non-Formulized material. That, in and of itself, was a bit of a novelty for a structure so large.

Access to the inner workings of the Clocktower was easy enough. If Kiran wished to, he could climb up the spiraling set of stairs 100 meters to the very top of the tower, all while enjoying the near-impractical amounts of gears and chains, pendulums and ball-bearings that made up the internal machinery of the clock. It was inefficient and overly complicated, but for Polymaths who didn’t make physical exercise part of their daily routine, it was something to distract their minds with while they ascended the tower in order to take in the gorgeous view of the island.

There was, of course, a door leading to the basement of the Clocktower as well, and any Polymath with even a pedestrian understanding of non-Formulized architectural design would know that such a tower would require a suitably deep foundation in order to maintain stability during poor weather.

That was a lot of occupied space then, beneath the Clocktower.

And that door, of course, was locked.

_{@Jumbus@Yankee@Medili@banjoanjo@Click This}
“Innocence.”

The corner of Jeanne’s mouth twitched up, twisting into a mix between a snarl and a smile, as if the very word had no value to her. Sin and punishment were the domains of clergy and monarchies, institutions sated with the status quo, mortals willing to whittle away their lives for meager stagnancy. It was not a matter of innocence or guilt, of some cobbled-together mechanism meant to dissuade a Polymath from pursuing their irregular ambitions. It was simply a matter of truths.

As Ryuuko removed the leather mitts, the Frenchwoman cast her gaze over the other three that had volunteered to play as jailers, before pulling her own leather gloves, black as coal, over her hands. Cold eyes settled on Inti. She favoured the primitive child’s warm smile with the faintest of her own. “Nothing there was valuable to me. So I set it aflame to smoke out the monster inside. Unfortunate,” she shrugged, “that I was ill-equipped for an encounter with an Egoist.”

She rested her hands over her navel, gaze sweeping over the volunteers once more. Judging, dissecting, categorizing, calculating. They were in some ways adequate, in other ways inadequate, but in all ways useful.

“I will not dissuade any of you from defending my case, but the malformed beliefs of those possessed by a subnormal intellect hold no bearing over my actions. However…” her smile warmed by a degree, a crack in a severe façade, “Mademoiselle Higashiakemi, are you to accompany me to my bedchambers for these three days?”

Perhaps it was experience, perhaps it was apathy, perhaps something else entirely. For all the castigation and the prospects of expulsion, Jeanne remained unfazed.

[Click This]

Nazca Whitehall

Clockwork Autumn

There was a slight twitch in her eye when the jumped-up student assigned her and the other secondary volunteers shared responsibility and consequences. Really, she had been offering to do a favor in keeping watch over the implicated technologist, with her being a direct neighbor and all… her own personal interest in the strange Frenchwoman aside.

At her male counterpart’s leave, the crowd of students began to disperse, leaving the few students that had taken responsibility or had otherwise stood up for the alleged arsonist. She took to the stage with the others, sparing the mesmerologist a glance before turning to the others. Nazca had yet to form a true opinion on her fellow Abya Yalan, but she afforded him a more respectful nod than her first target.

“Nazca Whitehall,” she responded simply, offering her name by way of introduction to Inti, and then the same to the Japanese egoist once the horned girl’s attention had also fallen on her. Having already announced her relation as her dormmate during her stunt in the crowd, she felt no need to repeat it again now. “It seems that we’re all mostly in agreement that there’s something particularly unusual about the matter of Jeanne and the library last night,” she agreed, nodding yet again at the mutual desire to work together. They would all have to, or her scholarly career and more would already be at stake just for sticking her neck out.

Her attention then finally turned to the accused, a tick of annoyance flaring up within her at the girl’s blasé attitude towards her capture and the morning’s charade. She stared at her hard with a deadpan expression as the girl freely admitted to her destruction of the library.

“I would hope that our intervention is not wasted on you,” she sniped at the confessed arsonist. That she had so terribly misjudged the nature of her peer left a sour taste in her mouth, not to mention the loss of any respect she might have had for the technologist upon her admission of destroying a center of learning. Had the situation only been that, she would have simply turned on her heels and left, but the allusions of a fight between a rogue egoist inside the library both concerned her and roused her flagging interest.

“So you say,” she smiled wanly at the blunt insult leveled at the students that weren’t Higashiakemi Ryuuko, but otherwise ignoring it. “I intend to investigate this monster of yours, if only to satisfy my own curiosity. I do have some means to look into the events of last night,” she continued, allowing some minor insight into some of her own abilities. “As unconcerned about your fate as you seem to be, we would hear your story.”

@Jumbus @Yankee @Medili @banjoanjo