Week 1, Saturday Afterparty

[arraignments]

[ OKAY, SO... some of you might have just heard a loud THUNK from the backyard, so feel free to follow Goro (who very quickly runs out there, right around the time thunk is heard) to the backyard.

He kind of just... stops before going all the way out there.

And stares.

For anyone looking around him or over his shoulder, you're going to be treated to the sight of two very large shrimp (WE'RE TALKING... FIFTY POUNDS, EACH, MAYBE, IDK) out there, along with several bags of various other kinds of seafood (i.e. some crab, a lobster, probably some various kinds of fish, who knows). ]

I'm starting to suspect that this house simply gets eager when it comes to seafood, in particular...

Comments

[eldritcheyes]

[Leo's volunteered to steam the normal-sized crabs and the lobster, so he's in the kitchen with a couple big lidded pots on the stove. He's pretty sure he can figure it out from what he's seen on TV. He opens one of the bags, yelping as a few crabs try to pinch his fingers.]

H-- hey, I need those!

[Maybe tongs would be smart? He ties the bag back up and starts digging through the drawers for tongs long enough to protect his hands.]

[merirut]

[Alright, now that everything's settled down (in relative terms, anyway), it's time to track down Leo. He does get momentarily distracted by GIANT SHRIMP in the yard but after those shenanigans, he'll eventually make his way into the kitchen. He's not particularly interested in any of the pots or the bag of crabs, making a beeline for Leo, the clacking of his heels a telltale sign of his presence.

Without even really waiting for Leo to respond to his presence:]

Let's continue our chat from before.

[eldritcheyes]

[Leo jumps, startled, almost dropping the tongs he finally fished out of a drawer. Wow, this guy doesn't beat around the bush, does he?]

Wh-- what part, exactly?

[He's not being deliberately obtuse, not really. Today was such an emotional roller coaster, his brain's a bit fried.]

[merirut]

[His expression doesn't change at all even in the face of Leo's surprise. Apologies and tact aren't exactly his strong point, so he just plows on from what he was thinking about earlier.]

I may not be the most well-acquainted with everyone here, but even I could notice something was odd. Why were you touching one of your eyes while we were talking?

[eldritcheyes]

Oh... that.

[Leo sighs.]

It's not like I try to hide it, a bunch of people already know about them. They're why I've been in Thaumiel training.

[Might as well just show Sandalphon exactly what he means. Leo opens the Eyes, the artifacts glowing with brilliant aqua lines and glyphs, but doesn't fully activate them.]

They're called the All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods.

[merirut]

[...welp

Sandalphon can't really help the flash of surprise that passes through his face at the sight, although it goes back to a frown quickly enough as he squints a little suspiciously at the Eyes. Thaumiel clues him into its potential, but aside from that...]

Gods, you say... What do they allow you to do?

[eldritcheyes]

Buncha stuff. I'm immune to visual illusions, distortions, mirages, that sort of thing, and fog doesn't block my sight. I can track supersonic movement or see really tiny details you'd normally need a magnifying glass or microscope to see. I can project what I'm seeing to other people, or shuffle what a group of people are seeing to confuse them. I can even see true names. That's just the stuff I know about. There's rumors of stuff other people have done with them, but none of them were human so their brains could probably handle it better than mine can.

[He closes the Eyes since he's not using their powers. Just having them open, even if they're not active, can be uncomfortable sometimes.]

I wasn't born with them, they're alterworld artifacts that were implanted. Other than the Eyes, I'm just a regular human.

[merirut]

[It's quite a list, although it's fitting considering the name.]

So this is your 'one use', then. At least it would explain why you aren't familiar with front line operations, but are agents working in similar capacities who are aware of the reality we face.

[He leaves the real question unsaid: 'So how did you stay ignorant?']

[eldritcheyes]

Yeah. I worked with a group called Libra back in my world, and they do something similar to the Foundation: protecting from alterworld threats the police can't handle, sealing dangerous Blood Breed... uh, they're like vampires? And investigating supernatural crimes.

[Leo's voice goes soft and sad, clearly filled with homesickness.]

They're good people. They don't pull shit like the Foundation does, they protect all their members, no matter how low they are in the organization. Everybody matters to them, human or alterworlder. It's why I was willing to give the Foundation a chance, because they didn't tell me everything. They figured I wouldn't cooperate if I found out how they ran things, and the Eyes are really useful to them, but... guess I found out the truth.

[merirut]

[As Leo relays his story, Sandalphon listens quietly without much in the way of reactions. The background is easy enough to understand, even with some unfamiliar terms mixed in, and the connections that Leo made between the two organizations are clear, but it only really reinforces the notion of ignorance and naïvete in his mind.

Then again. Maybe he doesn't have room to talk.]

So you were sheltered until they decided you were of no use... humph. It's almost laughable how familiar that story is.

[eldritcheyes]

Or they really did want me to scan this place with the Eyes, monitor everything here. I don't like to use them without permission, unless it's life or death. People should be allowed to keep some things private. Maybe if somebody died on Friday, I would've used them, but I'm glad it didn't come to that.

[He remembers a conversation with Alcor back at the Foundation.]

I have to be careful not to look too long at anyone or anything that's really powerful, because I could burn out my brain. Alcor warned me not to use the Eyes on him.

[merirut]

[Still thinking that, huh... Although this brings another question to mind. It's one thing to avoid looking at something powerful for self-preservation, but...]

Would you jeopardize yourself and look at something like that if you were ordered to?

[eldritcheyes]

Maybe not if I was ordered to, unless I had to do it to protect someone. I mean, what good are these powers if I can't use them to help?

[merirut]

You're that sort of person, then.

[If there's a constant between every world, it's that it always has its share of good-natured idiots.]

So do you still see the Foundation as a place where you can help others?

[eldritcheyes]

[Leo understands what that kind of emphasis means. He gets that reaction a lot when people realize how earnest he can be. He just ignores it, the possible criticism from people who don't get how he thinks doesn't mean much anymore.]

It's got potential, but... a lot of things have to change. Libra's proof that you can deal with supernatural shit without tossing people you see as "disposable" into the grinder. The Foundation could learn a lot from them.