Post by Chancellor Cheri on Sept 17, 2024 0:35:31 GMT -5
Once again, Cheri didn’t know, she just didn’t have enough data to make any meaningful inferences. But that didn’t stop her from making fun hypotheses. ”Perhaps joining bodies with others is one of the few ways the shinjin have left to have fun. Living for that long, not much else would have the value of novelty.” But it was just an idea, and not one she was at all confident in.
Perhaps Vocado was right: the reason this did not work was not because the saibarats were not enough like shinjin, or because the earrings themselves were too devoid of energy, too old, but simply because there was some step in the process that the two simply were not privy to. A dance; a passphrase; a stance; a ritual. There was simply no way of knowing, at least not with a thaumatological scanner this small and crude.
”Resorting to self-experimentation already, are we? I advised against it before, and I’ll advise against it now. We know these earrings can transform things, and it would hamper both of our respective careers and lives if we fused into one entity permanently. Obviously.” She motioned to the bonemeal. ”You found that shinjin with both earrings in, yes? I can only assume that they were, themselves, a fused entity, which they died as.” Seeming to imply permanence, unless they just happened to die fused. This also implied that Ward was a fused entity, but she barely knew anything about him, so it hardly contradicted anything.
The battery solution, however, was more on Cheri’s level. ”It is… possible, I suppose, that I might have the equipment to replenish their magical ‘charge’. But it won’t be a fast process, if it’s even possible,” she warned.
Vocado almost dropped his earring. He did, in fact, fully lose his grip on it, but swift hands snatched it out of the air long before they were at risk of hitting solid tile. Of course, permanently being attached to a Tuffle wasn't exactly an elegant concept. Would they even be themselves anymore? Some amalgam of Tuffle ingenuity and Saiyan bravado would certainly be an... Interesting mix.
"Good point. If we knew more about these Kai-folk, I might try to disprove your whole theory, but..." Reaching down, he unclasped the next earring as well, and placed them back on the table near the scanner. "If only this thing came with an instruction manual. or a warning label. At least then we'd know which direction to avoid."
Part of him wondered if this was truly a path worth pursuing. Fusion sounded like it could be an excellent way to combine the strength of two titanic fighters, but... Was that worth losing yourself? Maybe. Maybe not. Lottus would certainly refuse, as if he'd even ask the guy. Kabe, perhaps? Then they'd be sharing a body three ways. Not the most elegant solution either.
But abandoning the prospect was foolish. If a truly insurmountable threat revealed itself, he would throw his sense of self away in a moment. For the Kingdom, for his family... For the ones who had no self left.
"I don't see Arcosians ramming down our front doors any time soon. If you want to take time to charge it, then by all means." Nodding toward the other end of the lab at nothing in particular, he glanced toward Cheri. "Should we run a few more tests? Or do you think we've gathered enough data to confirm these things are just drained?"
Post by Chancellor Cheri on Sept 17, 2024 1:12:14 GMT -5
I know, could you imagine? Would they have been tall, or short? Pink-haired, or black-? And what about with Super Saiyan? What about their voice? What about their personality, and memories? And would they be… ‘Avocheri’, or ‘Checado’? There were all sorts of interesting questions Cheri would rather delay thinking about for as long as was feasible. ”If I knew any necromancers, I’d suggest we ask the bones.” A jest, of course, but it did bring up the question of what would happen to a shinjin when they died. Would this shinjin’s soul still even be around to ask?
She nodded at the Vegetan’s suggestion, happy to see that Vocado was content to take the safe, patient, scientifically responsible approach. ”There are not many other tests that I could run, as I am, with this current set of equipment, that would not take so long as to bore you into leaving. But I will tell you what I will be doing— and, yes, it all takes a bit of time.”
She extended her left hand, open, palm up, indicating for Vocado to give her the earring he was holding. ”I will run a more complete diagnostic with a larger, slower, machine, and hopefully gain a few more details from that. You will be among the first to hear of such details. Then, we can try recharging its magical energies underwater, in a pocket universe, in a simulated extended solar eclipse— or something along those lines, rather, I’m not a thaumatologist, but something along those lines should help. And, lastly, I can consult with my partner, Nasu,” that much was already public knowledge, ”who has ties to the Otherworld and wields a few kinds of magic, to see if he has any ideas. If it all works out, we might even be able to reverse engineer and reproduce the magical effect. Would this satisfy?”
She moved over to the scared saibarats, picked them up to put on a table, and motioned for the Machine Mutants to help calm them down. The process mostly involved petting and treats.
Vocado handed over the case and the earring with no resistance, nodding at her explanation. He recalled the name Nasu from years ago. Someone he met in the forests of Beri. Odd then, that he met and found love with a Tuffle. One of the many oddities that came with being a foreign Saiyan, one must suppose.
"Science and magic falling in love. How quaint. Think he knows any Shinjin?"
Cheri's list of testing concepts was more than satisfactory. Even if he himself wouldn't be around for it all, he was glad that his curiousity on a distant world produced something of note. Maybe, with enough time, Cheri could even develop something less permanent. Regardless, he would await the results eagerly.
"Keep me on call, I suppose. I'll let you know if I run into any magically-inclined folk with the know-how and the means to assist..." As he stepped away, though, he paused, holding off on his train of thought for a brief moment as something more pressing came to mind. "... On second thought. Let's keep this on a need-to-know basis. Try not to include too many additional eyes, if you can."
Something like this would be a great boon in secret. A mighty boon, in fact. "If this is something we can keep in the back pocket, away from prying eyes, it might make the next Hatchi genocide attempt turn belly-up a tad easier."
Vocado gave a salute-- one fist over his heart-- and moved toward the door.
Post by Chancellor Cheri on Sept 17, 2024 2:04:09 GMT -5
”Quite possibly.” From what Cheri understood, Nasu fit some sort of cosmic role in being a tutor to the deceased? And that sounded rather like a process a shinjin would be involved in. Certainly feasible, and far from difficult to check one way or the other. Cheri let Vocado’s little comment pass by unremarked upon.
”I won’t be telling just anybody about this, you don’t have to worry about that.” except for Nasu, of course, who was just about trustworthy as it was possible to be.
Vocado was already thinking of the next attack on Hatchi City, an apparent inevitability. A tad disconcerting, but fair; Cheri knew exactly where he was coming from, and hadn’t so much as raised an eyebrow at the mention. ”I see you have high hopes for the divine jewelry. I, myself, can only hope that whatever product results from our efforts lives up to your expectations.” SImply moving two bodies into one, two people into one— it couldn’t be too advantageous, right? Surely. You lose the numbers advantage, and for what? A single warrior more powerful than either constituent, presumably? Cheri hoped the presumption held true. Further study was required.
The Machine Mutants shot some gas into the faces of the saibarats and, seconds later, they were knocked unconscious. Cheri retrieved the other earring with ease, and let the Machine Mutants fly off with the saibarats, dropping them off into a chute in the wall for future testing. If only it could be as easy as turning back time to turn them into seeds once again.
”I’ll see to these,” she said, looking to Vocado and then to the potaras, ”Thanks for bringing them to my attention. Have a good day, Vocado; and perhaps get some rest? You spent a small while outside, stressed out of your mind, and that mental energy is something that can stay around if you let it.”