nexus_crossings | Blinded (with Science?)

Blinded (with Science?)

Furious, flustered and frightened, Isamu didn’t stop running until he’d reached the plaza. Out of breath, he sunk down behind one of the larger walls.

“Of all the… it is preposterous. That is what it is…” he huffed to himself, trying to gather his thoughts. “If I were actually collecting data without consent, or in direct violation of consent, that would be one thing… but a meta-analysis? A review of pre-existing literature? How can anyone object to that on ethical grounds?!”

Someone had, though. And that someone happened to be his brother’s girlfriend. Of course, it was not a question of if Minoru would find out about an argument heated enough to make the Anthean’s eyes glow. Just a question of when.

But at the moment, Isamu wasn’t even thinking about that.

“Is curiosity, in and of itself, a crime? If learning something new is satisfying or even pleasurable, does that automatically make it as reprehensible as getting high?” He pondered loud enough for any passersby to hear him. “Is science, simply because it requires empirical evidence, ideologically unethical? Where, between theory and practice, is that line drawn and who, if anyone, has the right to decide when it is crossed?!”

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Aal blinks and gives a small kind smile. That goes a mite sheepish. "Ahem, I mean everything has a reason aye?" She half asks half states. Trying to smooth things over.

"Ah, can yes. Depending on various factors. Ahem. I know some Realms can be similar and vary widely in such things. So can sometimes what a person can and can't do.." Though the Nexus was much more..flexible than most she'd seen that was for certain. (Unless one counted Wonderland for example).

"Ahem but mi-pups could shift quite easily back and forth since birth..and likely before." She informs and slightly murmurs. After all, she could have sworn she felt the tattle tale swish of a tail or two over the last year. Along with they're swimming about. Something their Daddy enjoyed immensely as well.

“That is fascinating. They already possess this magical ability to change their form?”

If it happened this early in life, it seemed obvious that it was an inheritable trait for their kind. Isamu perked up just thinking about it. Shape shifting wasn’t something anyone on his world could do. He didn’t have the foggiest idea what actually happened in the body to allow it to change that way.

“Has there been research into how and why this occurs? Or how it works?” He asked. “…does it um… hurt? To change?”

Aal hums and nods warmly. "Mmhmm. Aye..I mean we figured it likely since both me and Dor can.." She tilts her head.

"Ah..I believe there's been more out there.. least there's some lore oraly as well.." She tilts her head. "Whether others have done so..It depends some groups are more open about such..and some more ..secretive and protective of such things for good reason. She's documented and such what she's can as well. "There are family trees and such naturally. " And stories. She was a lover of such and history.

"Oh no..I mean if ya get nervous it can be a bit unpredictable sometimes with high emotions when yer first learning how..But the change itself nope..like..slipping in and out of yer shoes once you're used to it..It does take a bit of energy..though like if you run at high speeds you need to intake a lot of calories after and such." She tries to explain as they head toward the apartment building. That's one of their temporary 'bases'.

Having recently documented the energy expenditure of Ziggy and the rest of the band members on stage, he could understand the need for more calories to compensate. The musicians proved to be quite the athletes during a show. And Isamu had no doubt that he’d recorded exactly how much energy it took, in comparison, to use empathic powers.

Isamu struggled to fathom, however, how something as radical as shapeshifting could be as easy as putting on shoes.

“The amount of energy required suggests that this is a physical change, not merely an illusion of a physical change. It is as fascinating as it is perplexing…”

Aal blinks and then adds to clarify, "Um menially and ah muscle memory wise sort of way I mean." She tries to explain. "Some of us..Like my husband and I didn't even know we could do such till our late teens." She explains warmly.

Aal hums, and tilts her head a little with a small warm wolfish smirk at that and nods. "Aye, exactly. Glamours are..a mite different and not as long lasting in their effects." She informs him in a teacher like tone. Least inside etc to a person.

The clarification made more sense. Minoru would have said the same thing - that jumping out of a window was about as easy as stepping off a curb. It was all a matter of muscle memory once you'd had sufficient practice.

"Glamours?" he asked curiously. "I believe I have heard the term mentioned before. Those are... illusions?"

He could not place it fully, but he recalled it being in reference to Loki, who could also change shape.

Edited 2021-10-25 18:54 (UTC)

Aal nods softly for a moment.

"Um ahem aye." She murmurs her ear twitching slightly back uncertain at his feelings on the matter. Before softly smiling and tilting her head slightly in a 'kinda.' look. But still keeping her eyes well on the road. "Aye..in a way I mean depending on the spell and caster tis usually used to make one look different in some manner. Sometimes oft thoroughly..Disguise and such predominantly." Though needless to say perhaps bad folks would use anything for their ends.

“Intriguing…” Isamu’s mind was quickly connecting the dots, cataloging additional questions for later research.

He wondered what differences could be observed if he attached sensors on spellcasters proficient in those two techniques, much like he had done for his recent study, An Assessment of Physical Activity and Energy Expenditure in Rock Musicians. How much energy was used in each? How did it tax the body of the caster? What hormonal changes proceeded or followed the change? And could he measure brain activity? Electroencephalography, perhaps? But how to analyze that data so that the electrical impulses measured provide something useful?

“Dare I say, quite fascinating.”

If Aal was concerned about him thinking such traits were inherently bad, or associated with criminals and the like, she need not fear. He didn’t have enough context around magic users to even have those kinds of biases. This was all far too new to him.

Aal perks up, even smile a little, her shoulders tense but then ease ever so slightly. It wasn't very often folks wanted to listen to her talk 'shop' as it was. Let alone babble sometimes if she got overly excited.

"Aye..I mean can be when one doesn't have to say deal with the fallout or try to fix something someone did." She adds after a moment. Sometimes she needed to vent a wee bit. Now and again. Her tone was slightly wry with a tilt of her head with a slight sigh. Theory and discussion was and could be fun though or carthradiac.

"Ahem, sort of why I..ah." She begins pauses and focusing ahead states softly. "One of the reasons why I came here in the first place..I ..was tried and on the last of my patience..and such." She informs him softly. "That and well..one of my dearest friends."

She murmurs the last lowly, swallowing a lump with a soft sniffle. Now she didn't know if she'd ever hear from or see him again. Ahem, true she'd run into one of his doubles before. But twasn't the same..and she. She droops visibly ears, shoulders, eyes, felt like she royally screwed that up as well. As her tail wrapped round her thigh.

No one wanted to be friends with an over-eager, stupid ol puppy wolf who tended to mother hen/herd. A bit well she tried not to go overboard. She stressed baked etc. ok.

Isamu was more than willing to listen to her babble. Not only was it a distraction from the conversation he’d just had, but it her perspective and powers were nothing like Isamu had ever studied before. This was an entirely new concept for him to explore.

“Ah, the hijinks that could occur if someone was wearing another person’s guise…Which, by your reaction, may be a bit light of a description.” He nodded. “I hope you find it a consolation, but I am far more intrigued by how such changes manifest than what anyone uses the change for, be it with positive, negative or even neutral intent.”

Aal hums and nods, "Mmmmh." "Yes much hijinks, and mischief..Though that's not the only spell folks tend to stick too..Or well..There were some potions being flung about literally and such a while back in town." She half informs in her storyteller tone. As she eases into a stop before signaling and easing into her turn.

Her eyebrows go up and her face softens a mite. "Well, in some ways that is.." Her lips twitch. Lock aka Squeaky had been very much about the 'For Science!' sort of school of thought as well. Though he had been learning about the more..Social/emotional side of things little by little. Or rather perhaps letting himself be more open to his own and trying to understand/be mindful of those around him.

"Still always best to be mindful of security, laddie." She murmurs in a warm but cautioning manner. Like perhaps his mum or nan would remind him to wear a sweater etc.

But her lips twitch again, "So a true case study then..Lock' would be proud." She murmurs the last softly but still audible as she keeps her eyes peeled for a parking spot.

“Lock?” Isamu asked.

From the sound of it, the elder Uchiwa twin might have a fair bit in common with this individual.

She softly clears her throat. "Oh erm sorry, nickname..Sherlock...ahem Holmes" She murmurs warmly and in clarification. "One of the younger ones though." She informs him, he was a few years different than herself.

Aal's ears wiggle thinking similarly.

Given the context clues, it could have just as easily been short for warlock.

“Oh! I have read quite a few stories about him while growing up.” He exclaimed, but tempered it with, “of course, being in a different world, I know that accounts can and often do vary. Stories are not always accurate… though if his analytical mind is still very much a defining feature in real life, I take the comparison as a compliment.”

Perhaps she should have thought of that, but she tended toward the use of 'Mage' etc and that for other certain types of very bad magic users. Though other realms he knew differed.

She beams at that, warmed by the thought she found at least one person so far who would care for any of the Holmeses. (Some needed it more than others) as she would if they ran into each other.

"Aye..ahem too true. I mean." She clears her throat and glances about for security and safety reasons before contiuneing. "The one I know well is a mouse shifter as well but the Holmes's tend to be trouble magnets in various ways." Her tone is soft and fond. Even so, her dear friend or those closest to him tended to receive the blowback. (and or had to do the fire putting outing and clean up)..Though he always did his best to make things right nowadays.

"Oh aye, " She grins lopsidedly as she pulls into the parking lot of the yellow apartment building. "Like a racing engine." She half murmurs half quotes. "Tis indeed." She adds in a low tone and tries to clear the lump in her throat. She might just bake some cheese crumpets now for nostalgia's sake.

Even moreso in realms where magic didn’t really even exist. Isamu may have had a tremendous lexicon, but the technical terms surrounding magic all came from fictional sources at best. There was bound to be some difficulty there.

“A mouse?” His eyebrows went up in surprise. “Forgive me. Shapeshifting abilities were never once mentioned in any book in my world.”

He’d read quite a few of the stories back when he was a child. But he was certain that was a detail he would have remembered had he come across it.

She nods softly with a slight cough, "Aye, I imagine it's likely..Only in the one realm then since I've found the only one connection in a children's book by an author Neither Doyle nor Watson. Safety measure or..skipped several generations I gather." She informs him with a soft nod. Twas rather par for the course in some cases.

"Do..ah ya have an ah Walt Disney Company in yer realm..or a Familiarity with Basil of Baker Street? Also known as the Great Mouse Detective?" She asks gently Not many were of course..The movie itself being one of those underrated gems. (though ironic how it saved the studio all those years ago.) And true not everything was accurate but it did have some grains of truth and well they were nice to watch and soothe one's soul a mite when homesick. Or hum etc the songs to the pups.

“We do.” He nodded. “And, although I have not seen the film in quite some time, yes. I have.”

It took a moment for Isamu to connect the dots that what he’d brushed off as juvenile fiction was fact somewhere else in the universe. But that was the way of the Nexus.

“I do not suppose, in your realm as you call it, Robin Hood is actually a fox?”

Minoru would probably squeal were that the case.

Aal brightens immensely her ears perking up at this. "ooh lovely." She nears purrs. Approvingly at his tastes in entertainment. "Ya know I've ben pondering over a movie night idea or something sometime." She murmurs warmly conversationally. Bonding and fun little get-together..Was something she missed and the warm companionship of a close circle of friends was something she and her wolf craved.

She waits for a beat as she did some maneuvering before letting a soft smirk twitch up at her lips. She coughs a little bemused and then looks thoughtful as she carefully parks sincerely repling. "Er well, there's one that is and one that isn't. Erm the furry kind that is..They're both dapper fellows to be fair." She murmurs playing with words a smidge but twas true. A warm chuckle softly as she shuts offer her engine.

“I am beginning to hypothesize that every fictional tale on my world, and perhaps in others, can be traced to actual events in another world…” he pondered aloud. It was a very fascinating revelation, one with many implications to not just literature but also religion or mythology. “Minoru initially suggested it, even suggested that we may find alternate versions of ourselves in those other worlds somewhere, though we have yet to observe any evidence of the latter.”

Isamu was enrapt. At the moment, there were so many different topics of scientific discussion to distract him from the argument he’d had with Ziggy and someone who didn’t mind discussing them!

Aal smirks just a little, this line of thought was hardly new to her but it had also been a long time..well. Since she could trust someone say muggle or mundane outside a certain circle of people with such thing.

"MMh, a grain of truth or salt in things, naturally. " She murmurs warmly with a small nod. She tilts her head a little as she undoes her buckle and her keys. "Aye would not surprise me in the least." She murmurs warmly and with a soft ease of if not a professional per say. Someone who had long ago had their first rodeo or several so to speak with such things.

She squints in a warm cainine way and her tail tip wags. "Aye ahem I mean I've been here a while myself but I stil don't rule it out someday." Even if she might squee a bit or go uber puppish if say she was every lucky to happen upon a certain batch of Ozians. and or Merlin, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Needless to say, when Isamu met Hermione, he was practically awestruck. That was a series of books that he did enjoy very much, despite their fantastical nature. (Enough that he fancied himself a Ravenclaw, and had the costume now to boot. Minoru joined him at last year’s Halloween party dressed as a Slytherin so he could bring Kazumi along.)

“This, too, is something that will need more research.” He nodded. “If this many ideas cross worlds, then perhaps there is far much more Interdimensional travel, both historically and now, than I previously assumed.”

Aal hums and nods in agreement. "Just promise to be careful laddie.." She asks gently, "Some places aren't as welcoming to strangers than others." She cautions her motherly instincts rising. She coughs half wry half bemused. "Would not surprise me..especially if..say there's cousins and such one could say from back in the day." She murmurs as she unlocks the doors and starts to open her own.

Ah yes, a nice event least from where she was standing. Considering it lead to their pups being born doubly so.

For someone currently working at IRIS, Isamu had actually only traveled to a couple of other dimensions. He’d been to Ziggy’s world several times, but it could easily be mistaken for his Earth were it not for differences in technology brought about by Mister Newton. He’d also been to Jack’s world. If there was ever a place that fit her warning, that would be it. It wasn’t welcoming to anybody, even the people that lived there.

“Have you ventured to other worlds yourself?” He asked, following her inside. “Or met such extended family?”

It sounded like she was hinting something, but Isamu did not have enough information to not pinpoint it exactly. So, he asked to clarify.

"A few though it's been a couple of decades." She informs him her tone is slightly wistful her look a little wry as she diplomatically tilts her head to the right as she reaches for one of the bags behind her as she opens her door. putting her foot on the little 'step'. "Ahem, not as yet." She murmurs lowly and a slight wry perhaps hopeful smirk. She discounted nothing from happening in that sort of vein. Especially in places like the Nexus. Though quite a few folks in StoryBrooke oft found themselves in large sometimes tangled family trees.

Her luck however seemed to run to more losing family members or being separated from them more often than not. She glances up toward the flat, the fur along her nape and back going up slightly as her protective hackles go up. She swallows a lump of worry from rising in her throat. "Rooo." She murmurs softly.

Though there were quite a few hereabouts she wouldn't mind calling pack. She glances sideways toward Isamu, and gently tries to nudge his nearest arm with the tip of her nose in a canine gesture. "Come come, friend." She murmurs softly in a semi younger, quick tone. As she fights the urge to try and gently tug on his sleeve with her canines or front teeth.

Blinded (with Science?)

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