Org Tower ~ Aya, open

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Org Tower ~ Aya, open

Aya did actually lose her lunch after the last teleport. having to hop a Space or three to get back to New York had left her more than a little queasy. Granted, she could have sent a message to the Org but she hadn't been sure how to word it.

'OH ELEMENTS WHAT IS THIS THING?! COME GET ME AND SEE!'

Yeah, not exactly what she wanted as scuttlebutt in the tower, nor a tone she wanted to set. She didn't think the thing was worth panicking over...yet. Not until she knew more anyway. For that she'd needed a biologist, which meant6...back to the east coast. At this rate she'd never get back home.

Instead she'd boarded Lunkhead in a small town after killing some things annoying the herds, wrapped her specimen (alive, in a large jar) in a burlap sack and...hopped teleports.

Urgle.

The lady at the entrance to the tower passed her a handkerchief without a word then waited for her to compose herself. Aya really appreciated that. "I need to speak with anyone who might know anything about biology if they have time?" The woman was happy to spread the word.

Aya was...just going to set her wrapped jar on a bench and sit outside for a bit, gulping air.

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"Ranger." came the hollow voice, "You wanted a biologist?"

She actually progressed from wiping her mouth to fanning her face with her hat by the time he arrived, so she was able to offer a wry smile. "Hello again, sorry." She settled her hat on her head and stood. "And yes, please. I have something...strange. It attacked me on a mountain path, but once I got a hand on it it screamed." Which...wasn't the normal reaction really.

"The town in the valley below has these things too and I need to know if it's a brain control situation. Do you have some place we can unwrap this at?"

"Follow." he said, turning to lead her toward the biology lab. It was a room made out of windows, with clear lines of sight in almost every direction. Minimal cabinetry, most things down low where they wouldn't get between Xaldin and his view of the sky.

"Here. Stay back, please." he set an aquarium on top of a table and held his hands out for the thingy in a jar.

"I dipped the water from the stream that flows down into the valley," that was about all she had to offer on the necessary environment? "Here." Boots barely a few steps in she unwrapped the burlap and passed the sealed mason jar over...

...inside was a thing. It was snaky, and finny, and had four large fangs currently engaged in threatening position toward Aya's hand on the lid.

It also completely ignored Xaldin for several moments, then appeared to shiver.

"I wish," Xaldin noted, "that I was Water. I have not seen anything like this before..."

The poor thing didn't know who to threaten with it's fangs now! It kind of curled in the bottom of the jar, fangs pointed generally upward just in case either of them reached into the jar.

"I wish I was sometimes too," Aya noted quietly. "But certainly we can learn something?" Anything to tell her if she was going to have to.."I don't want to have to clean out a village."

"Yes. I will get a Water in here." he scribbled a note, setting it in the air to keep himself cognizant of it, then leaned in to look at the beastie from a closer distance. It struck at him, but he did not flinch.

"You will not have to." he added, absently, after long enough it could be excused if she thought he'd forgotten or ignored what she'd said. "If a whole village needs to be eradicated, we will send people to help."

She tapped the top of the jar sharply when the thing struck, trying to get it to behave properly around the scientist. "Maybe if we're lucky it won't come to that." She sighed and stared at the worm thing for a bit longer before offering a strained chuckle. "That or one of us touching a host would make the worms freak out and leave."

"Perhaps." He said, frowning behind the mask, "If it is something which senses biology I could understand why it is upset by me. I do not know enough about you to judge." But he wants to. How does she stay so healthy? How? And can he use that to improve the lives of other humans?

"I have a scary reputation among the weirder things? Aya offered hopefully. "I wouldn't put it past some of them to have a network." Not at all.

"Do you think this may be water aligned somehow, if it is sensing?"

"It might be. As yet we have not found any indications to prove affiliations by sight." Xaldin said, putting one hand flat on the glass.

"Except in extreme cases like 'his head is all fire' or something." Aya sighed and leaned back against the door frame. "So, it was in a body I found up on a ridge, looks like a rock slide got him, then it came at me, came out through the throat." Kind of creepy really.

"Made it halfway down into the valley and got freaked out by the feel of the place. Sorry to drop this in your lap."

"Do not apologise." He said, walking (drifting) slowly around the jar, "This is...what I enjoy in life." Biology. New, interesting things. The chance to expand, rather than merely reclaim.

The jarred creature followed his movements, coiling about in the jar. "How did the corpse look? Could you bring it back? I would like to autopsy it."

"Old. It looked like a body that had been up on a ridge for at least a few days." She tapped her chin, thinking things through. "I don't know if I could jump back all in one go right now but I'd try if you have a Space. I did sketch the ridge." As a reference point.

"I would appreciate it." he said, turning to pin her with those eyes of his, "Would you please go find one of the Space and fetch the body? Also a Water of Master level or above, please."

She arched an eyebrow at him, vaguely amused. "And where would I look for those? Are they even in this building or are you setting me loose on the city?"

He looked up again and blinked, "Find someone in an Organisation coat and ask them." It made sense, right? ...To him, anyway.

"I did," she pointed out with a small smile. "But sure, be back in a bit."

He didn't count. He couldn't always be trusted to remember what day it was, let alone who was around and what element they were affiliated with. He blinked after her, then returned to watching his jar of...lampry, maybe?

The temptation to stick an arm in the jar was high.

Well, the lampry-thing might have a panic attack if he did! Apparently Aya ran into a Water first, because a young Olia woman came trotting in after a few minutes and blinked at the...thing. "...sir?" Please don't make her stick her hand in the jar!

"Come look at this." He said, tapping the jar, "Tell me what you sense."

She came close enough to peer at the creature then laid a hand on the jar. The poor little thing tried to snuggle her hand through the glass when she did so. "Well, it's scared and it thinks it's going to die." That was...all she was getting. A lot of both though!

"Hmmm." He paced around it again, "We don't intend to kill it. Unless necessary. It was found inside a person's corpse."

Ew. A corpse worm? Did it kill a person? The Water nodded, once, and tried to get a bit more detail through the glass but...

...

...no go.

"I...need to put my hand in." OH ELEMENTS.

He put one hand on the poor Water's shoulder, "I will protect you." he said, voice hollow but utterly sincere. "I promise."

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