I've had much to think about already on this vacation. I've pondered my self-imposed exile of two months. It accomplished the primary task. It gave time for tha anguish to subside and quell the bitterness that was bleeding into the deva's life. It extricated me from the train wreck. It restored a friendship.
But the cost was high. My Priestess was left in shock..I never got to see her demon children, much less attend the birth. And now she is bitter that I was called back to my former duties without a true contest. I mourn that the most.
That inscrutable saloon girl seemed repulsed and attracted at the same time, and was offended when the Doctor didn't recognize her. Not only did she resist attempts to repair the bridge, she complained behind my back to a trusted friend because she was too cowardly to face me herself.
Everyone knew how to summon me. But except for one Madmoselle, none of them ever did, except the one who could undo the banishment entirely. So many missed me, yet did conjure me. I know this was coordinated. I know at least two names. But it is not worth it to demand an explanation. Steelhead has been through enough.
~BW
Saturday, June 30
Friday, June 29
You should have seen the bellhop's face..
..when a demon, a mad scientist, an android and a neko picked up the reservation under "Mason". This is Koen's first trip to the shore. I can't help but notice that he has lost a lot of weight. Appparently the Doctor performed some detoxification process on his son. He is certainly less aggressive than before.
This hotel does have an aethernet connection..but it is broken. I am stuck with the portable transmitter until the morning. No astrally projecting to Safari Night in Steelhead sadly. The plumbing here is broken as well..the pipe to the sink is not connected. I can stick my finger into the angle where water pours straight onto the floor. Sadly I forgot my tools.
Bloodwing saw a store that interests him greatly, but I only see mannequins with skimpy underthings in the window and the glass door is painted over. Doctor Mason insists "we'll have none of that nonsense here".
Right now Koen is curled up sleeping on the couch, purring something about a bracelet. Bloodwing is taking a rediculously long shower..the steam is clouding my viewscreen and the door is closed! He must be scrubbing his wings. I wish he wouldn't sing VNV Nation EVERY SINGLE TIME he's in there. Doctor Mason is already asleep. He's been more exhausted as of late. As for me I'll just prop myself in a chair and deactivate for the night. And to the rest of you..especially the half of Steelhead also taking a break from the Grid sometime this month..have a wonderful holiday!
~Qli
This hotel does have an aethernet connection..but it is broken. I am stuck with the portable transmitter until the morning. No astrally projecting to Safari Night in Steelhead sadly. The plumbing here is broken as well..the pipe to the sink is not connected. I can stick my finger into the angle where water pours straight onto the floor. Sadly I forgot my tools.
Bloodwing saw a store that interests him greatly, but I only see mannequins with skimpy underthings in the window and the glass door is painted over. Doctor Mason insists "we'll have none of that nonsense here".
Right now Koen is curled up sleeping on the couch, purring something about a bracelet. Bloodwing is taking a rediculously long shower..the steam is clouding my viewscreen and the door is closed! He must be scrubbing his wings. I wish he wouldn't sing VNV Nation EVERY SINGLE TIME he's in there. Doctor Mason is already asleep. He's been more exhausted as of late. As for me I'll just prop myself in a chair and deactivate for the night. And to the rest of you..especially the half of Steelhead also taking a break from the Grid sometime this month..have a wonderful holiday!
~Qli
Thursday, June 28
What words can do.
I was not present at the Rezday party on Sunday, where words were spoken that, I believe, many in Caledon could wish unsaid. However, Mr Drinwater and sundry others have been kind enough to give me their impressions (and in one case, a transcript) and from what I have read since, this is another example upon which I may call in considering my ancillary thesis about the activity of words. For are we not creatures made partially of language?
But I will leave that for the present.
This document, submitted to me by Mr Drinkwater, drafted out by himself and Major Margulis, is of the the correspondence type World-to-Word. It is presented here for the consideration and commentary (gently, if you please, good folk!) of such as may wish to express an opinion. Mr Drinkwater was explicit with me that this was never meant of be a code of the type Enforced, but rather to do its wreaking by consensus -- another prime example of langage as an actor in the affairs of avatars.
Proposed by Major Margulis and Mr Drinkwater
Caledon Code of Conduct:
Guiding principle: "Be good or begone"
1. Don't air your dirty skivvies in public. That's what IM's are for
2. Be nicer to everyone else than they are being to you
a. Social grease is to be applied liberally to all situations short of griefing.
b. Do your best to make everyone around you look as good as possible, or even better
3. If you must be a public nuisance, do it where nobody can see or hear you
4. What happens in IM, stays in IM.
5. Know your limits (alcohol, relationships, IM's, prim attachments) and respect those of others
6. Don't make Des come down there.
Verba, non facta.
Nonesuch Ra
But I will leave that for the present.
This document, submitted to me by Mr Drinkwater, drafted out by himself and Major Margulis, is of the the correspondence type World-to-Word. It is presented here for the consideration and commentary (gently, if you please, good folk!) of such as may wish to express an opinion. Mr Drinkwater was explicit with me that this was never meant of be a code of the type Enforced, but rather to do its wreaking by consensus -- another prime example of langage as an actor in the affairs of avatars.
Proposed by Major Margulis and Mr Drinkwater
Caledon Code of Conduct:
Guiding principle: "Be good or begone"
1. Don't air your dirty skivvies in public. That's what IM's are for
2. Be nicer to everyone else than they are being to you
a. Social grease is to be applied liberally to all situations short of griefing.
b. Do your best to make everyone around you look as good as possible, or even better
3. If you must be a public nuisance, do it where nobody can see or hear you
4. What happens in IM, stays in IM.
5. Know your limits (alcohol, relationships, IM's, prim attachments) and respect those of others
6. Don't make Des come down there.
Verba, non facta.
Nonesuch Ra
Tuesday, June 26
Keeping Up..
A lovely Rezday party for Mr. Drinkwater. The Doctor showed up, was mortified that it wasn't a formal ball and shyly took the coach back home. Next time there's a rave we need to make sure Darkling slips him some more absinthe. When he mentioned that the Baroness Dimsum had lifted the Propriety Generality Ratings for the night, I was there in a flash! I think I saw Qli slink out as I came in. I probably embarrassed her. But I'm her father, That's my JOB! *laughter*
Speaking of which Qli and I have both been referred by Miss Orr to host at Dorian Gray. I am deeply grateful for Emilly's generosity. After all that has happened, my immortal soul is awestruck by her graciousness.
Unfortunately when I dropped Koen off at the Sanitorium it wasn't quite ready yet..my fellow demon sent him home. I'm trying to help him improve his writing skills so he can keep his own journal..for therapy. Dr. Mason is searching his storage containers for pictures of Lucian as past of Koen's treatment. I hope he knows what he's doing. I do wish to see what the Dr. Moreau's 'Arcanalunacy' treatments entail.
At the very least, he seems happier. Whatever drove him over the edge seems to have been resolved in his favor. May you find peace in this lifetime, Bloodtail.
As for the Doctor himself..I see him using that cane more and more. He will not speak of it, but I can feel in my copied body that something is wrong..
~BW
Speaking of which Qli and I have both been referred by Miss Orr to host at Dorian Gray. I am deeply grateful for Emilly's generosity. After all that has happened, my immortal soul is awestruck by her graciousness.
Unfortunately when I dropped Koen off at the Sanitorium it wasn't quite ready yet..my fellow demon sent him home. I'm trying to help him improve his writing skills so he can keep his own journal..for therapy. Dr. Mason is searching his storage containers for pictures of Lucian as past of Koen's treatment. I hope he knows what he's doing. I do wish to see what the Dr. Moreau's 'Arcanalunacy' treatments entail.
At the very least, he seems happier. Whatever drove him over the edge seems to have been resolved in his favor. May you find peace in this lifetime, Bloodtail.
As for the Doctor himself..I see him using that cane more and more. He will not speak of it, but I can feel in my copied body that something is wrong..
~BW
Monday, June 25
Now for a different point of view...
(repost, I admit, but it does relate to the previous...) I attended the Saturday night gunfight at Tombstone. I specifically attended because I wished to see my comrade in the Bloodwing Foundation, Dr. Mason, take on his arch-enemy, the Undertaker.
I thought they were having a sort of free for all. And so, I figured I could step up to the plate.
After all, I had my trusty LeMat combination shotgun and pistol. Apparently I violated protocol, as the sherrif shot me down with hardly a qualm while I was waiting for the countdown.
When I asked for some form of explanation, the sherrif used language that would make a sailor blush, accusing me of trying to bushwack him. When I attempted to explain, he ignored my protests and essentially told me to go to blazes. I was a bit put out..
Fortunately Dr. Mason had his reanimation fluid handy. I was not very impressed with the way they run things in Tombstone, and won't be back for a while after this rude reception.
I thought they were having a sort of free for all. And so, I figured I could step up to the plate.
After all, I had my trusty LeMat combination shotgun and pistol. Apparently I violated protocol, as the sherrif shot me down with hardly a qualm while I was waiting for the countdown.
When I asked for some form of explanation, the sherrif used language that would make a sailor blush, accusing me of trying to bushwack him. When I attempted to explain, he ignored my protests and essentially told me to go to blazes. I was a bit put out..
Fortunately Dr. Mason had his reanimation fluid handy. I was not very impressed with the way they run things in Tombstone, and won't be back for a while after this rude reception.
Sunday, June 24
No work for the Undertaker that night!
Waiting for the shootouts to begin. Not the shotgun-wielding Granny. I was more afraid of her than any of the contestants. A bank guard beat all of the local lawmen for the prize. And Colonel O'Toole was shot down for trying to compete without paying the entry fee and for not wearing a cowboy hat. I ran short on reanimation serum, so a couple of them shambled about searching for brains a few hours afterward. Speaking of which I should leave a present for that cowardly Undertaker who never showed his face.
(And to answer you question Emilly, he attacked Darkling and I while I was still in the brain jar. Even if he did mistake me for a monster it's still rude start shooting in a stranger's home!)
But I did get a bigger doctor's office downtown!
And in other news, I passed through Dark City and picked up Koen by the scruff of his neck and dropped him back in the 19th century where he belongs. The Doctor will be admitting him in the Sanitorium as soon as it opens. They think some of their therapies will calm him and make him more civilized. But I'll be watching closely. That's still my son Vortex hidden in that weak incarnation!
Saturday, June 23
Carnage and More Carnage
First there was Dr. Moreau's demonstration of proper trainside safety in the Cay that went horribly wrong. Luckily I had plenty of reanimation serum on hand.
Upon my return home I ralized I'm giong to need better communications with the Foundation in case another such emergency transpires. I've invited Chief Architect Lumina Elvejhem and Researcher Nonesuch Ra to post in this journal. I've also invited Caledon's Colonel (or is it Post Captain?)Hotspur O'Toole to join the Foundation. (Thank you verymuch for fur cloak, by the way! I'll be sure to wear it when winters comes 'round again or my travels take me to colder climes!)
Now I'm off to Tombstone Sim. There's a lot of hootin' and hollerin' on a Saturday night and that means a shootout. I'm also going to see if that loathsome Undertaker Rock Acronym shows up. I've challenged him for attaacking me and Lady Darkling in my own home and bulldozing my Tombstone practice.Bloodwing may have carried a badge in two cities, but I was still an Officer in the Capper Brigade! My revolver is loaded and ready. Wish me luck.
~Dr. Mason
Upon my return home I ralized I'm giong to need better communications with the Foundation in case another such emergency transpires. I've invited Chief Architect Lumina Elvejhem and Researcher Nonesuch Ra to post in this journal. I've also invited Caledon's Colonel (or is it Post Captain?)Hotspur O'Toole to join the Foundation. (Thank you verymuch for fur cloak, by the way! I'll be sure to wear it when winters comes 'round again or my travels take me to colder climes!)
Now I'm off to Tombstone Sim. There's a lot of hootin' and hollerin' on a Saturday night and that means a shootout. I'm also going to see if that loathsome Undertaker Rock Acronym shows up. I've challenged him for attaacking me and Lady Darkling in my own home and bulldozing my Tombstone practice.Bloodwing may have carried a badge in two cities, but I was still an Officer in the Capper Brigade! My revolver is loaded and ready. Wish me luck.
~Dr. Mason
Thursday, June 21
My New Office?
How wonderful of Kiralette to refer Dr. Fourzy to me! He is looking for staff to help run his new Sanitorium in Caledon Tam..and of course I am an expert on psychological traumas such as demonic possession and exposure to Things Man Was Not Meant To Know.
Oh great..back to the Sanitarium. Crimson Falls all over again. At least there the *inmates* were running the place. And this madhouse already *has* a Guardian Demon.
We now return to the Doctor's babbling, already in progress.
Afterwards I strolled down to Baroness Amber's estate for the Midsummer Ball. I wore my new Night Moon kilt for the first time for this occasion. It was a huge crowd..I think I even saw Steelhead's own "Baroness", the reclusive Kattrynn Severine! But with all the swinging tartans and taffeta of course, the time dilation was extreme. But it was a wonderful event.
Oh great..back to the Sanitarium. Crimson Falls all over again. At least there the *inmates* were running the place. And this madhouse already *has* a Guardian Demon.
We now return to the Doctor's babbling, already in progress.
Afterwards I strolled down to Baroness Amber's estate for the Midsummer Ball. I wore my new Night Moon kilt for the first time for this occasion. It was a huge crowd..I think I even saw Steelhead's own "Baroness", the reclusive Kattrynn Severine! But with all the swinging tartans and taffeta of course, the time dilation was extreme. But it was a wonderful event.
Wednesday, June 20
Where's my Office?
Last night the entire contents of my Tombstone practice were shipped to me in a crate, right down to the last vial of blood! I took the train in immediately and found the Undertaker's shack standing in its place! I was ENRAGED! Trying to boost his own business by increasing the chances of mortality! SHAMEFUL!
But it was later I learned that this entire fiasco was an ACCIDENT by the confused Mr. Wraith. He hadn't seen me in town in two weeks and decided I didn't want to practice anymore.
RUBBISH!! Did he not notice the new medical charts I had hung on the walls, that I had JUST RECEIVED for my Birthday on the 18th? And he should have known full well that I am on call in three regions. All he had to was send me a telegram and I'd be there whenever I was on the clock!
He did apologize profusely to me, explaining he has been a bit muddled lately. His apology was graciously accepted, furthermore my old friend Finn Fitzgerald is building a NEW Doctor's office for me in the style of one of the office from the other Tombstone we both once inhabited in its beginnings.
I did take a breather and wandered into Apache territory (don't try this at home, I had already introduced myself to the chief as a Medicine Man). As a Steelheader I readily recognized the glyph of Kokopelli on the fountain. The lovely Chief explained that the puddle of mud before me was sacred, being revered for its healing properties, as well as the fountain, which was likewise blessed by the spirits. Merely wallow in the first and bathe in the second and you shall be healed.
I asked some of the squaws gathered in the village if they could give me a hands-on demonstration of this process, since my sciatic nerve was still pinching me something fierce. They only giggled and shared something humorous among themselves.
And belated birthday wishes to Miss Emilly Orr! I knew we had the same birthday, but ou did not want to make a big row about it, but since everyone is, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! A lovely bottle from Acedia Albion should be coming to you in mail. You may return it to her in exchange for something very nice indeed..
And also thank you for the link to this item. I'm afraid my neighbor would not approve of me keeping such an item on the premises..especially one of the jars in particular.
~Dr. Mason
But it was later I learned that this entire fiasco was an ACCIDENT by the confused Mr. Wraith. He hadn't seen me in town in two weeks and decided I didn't want to practice anymore.
RUBBISH!! Did he not notice the new medical charts I had hung on the walls, that I had JUST RECEIVED for my Birthday on the 18th? And he should have known full well that I am on call in three regions. All he had to was send me a telegram and I'd be there whenever I was on the clock!
He did apologize profusely to me, explaining he has been a bit muddled lately. His apology was graciously accepted, furthermore my old friend Finn Fitzgerald is building a NEW Doctor's office for me in the style of one of the office from the other Tombstone we both once inhabited in its beginnings.
I did take a breather and wandered into Apache territory (don't try this at home, I had already introduced myself to the chief as a Medicine Man). As a Steelheader I readily recognized the glyph of Kokopelli on the fountain. The lovely Chief explained that the puddle of mud before me was sacred, being revered for its healing properties, as well as the fountain, which was likewise blessed by the spirits. Merely wallow in the first and bathe in the second and you shall be healed.
I asked some of the squaws gathered in the village if they could give me a hands-on demonstration of this process, since my sciatic nerve was still pinching me something fierce. They only giggled and shared something humorous among themselves.
And belated birthday wishes to Miss Emilly Orr! I knew we had the same birthday, but ou did not want to make a big row about it, but since everyone is, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! A lovely bottle from Acedia Albion should be coming to you in mail. You may return it to her in exchange for something very nice indeed..
And also thank you for the link to this item. I'm afraid my neighbor would not approve of me keeping such an item on the premises..especially one of the jars in particular.
~Dr. Mason
Tuesday, June 19
Making the Best of It
So the Birthday Party didn't go quite as planned. More of those RL issues almost ripped us out of world completely. And Miss Christine's cake, as lovely as it was, was so dense that it took an adamantium spork to pry off a piece. Luckily the good Doctor keeps one handy in his lab..for reasons I don't wish to contemplate. So we were able to pass the common plate and spork out and around a bit.
And speaking of passing out..
Darien, Darien Darien..why do you keep forgetting you can't hold your absynthe?
Well done, Darkling! I actually had horn envy! And the crossed eyes and face paint on top of it! PRECIOUS!
We are blessed with new Foundation Members! In SL this must be the Year of the Dragon..Kiraletter blessed us with this hatchling which took a liking to the Doctor..or his slice of cake at least.
And this little whelp came in a crate with badly spelled lettering from Avaria. Obviously one of Flea's latest creations. We're open to suggestions for naming them both.
Miss Tombola gave the Doctor some bizarre contraption..a pennyfarthing bicycle? It looks like he could break his neck on that thing, but since Xerxes has decided to only let me ride him, he'll have to get used to it.
And thank you everyone for the Doctor's supplies..and to Emilly especially for the arm braces. They truly complement my favorite outfit!
As for the Doctor and I sharing the same blog..I have a plan..
~BW
And speaking of passing out..
Darien, Darien Darien..why do you keep forgetting you can't hold your absynthe?
Well done, Darkling! I actually had horn envy! And the crossed eyes and face paint on top of it! PRECIOUS!
We are blessed with new Foundation Members! In SL this must be the Year of the Dragon..Kiraletter blessed us with this hatchling which took a liking to the Doctor..or his slice of cake at least.
And this little whelp came in a crate with badly spelled lettering from Avaria. Obviously one of Flea's latest creations. We're open to suggestions for naming them both.
Miss Tombola gave the Doctor some bizarre contraption..a pennyfarthing bicycle? It looks like he could break his neck on that thing, but since Xerxes has decided to only let me ride him, he'll have to get used to it.
And thank you everyone for the Doctor's supplies..and to Emilly especially for the arm braces. They truly complement my favorite outfit!
As for the Doctor and I sharing the same blog..I have a plan..
~BW
Monday, June 18
Happy Birthday to Us..
To our deva at any rate. And I'll be celebrating my release from icy prison. I'll be hosting a party at House Bloodwing tonight starting at 7. Or is it Bloodwing Foundation? Well the basement is still House Bloodwing as far as I'm concerned. I can't BELIEVE Dr. Mason torched my throne! BAH. I'll have to make a new one.
This will give me a chance to get the hang of hosting again. There shall be food and drink..and a beautiful cake courtesy of Christine.
I shall NOT serve frozen drinks.
And to make things interesting, I will be holding a contest.
I will pass out 100L prizes at the end of the night to each of the following:
Best Medical
Best Demon
Best Construct
Best Feline
And yes, if you show up as a windup neko-succubus in a nurse outfit you could walk home with 400L..if I let you leave. *grins*
~BW
This will give me a chance to get the hang of hosting again. There shall be food and drink..and a beautiful cake courtesy of Christine.
I shall NOT serve frozen drinks.
And to make things interesting, I will be holding a contest.
I will pass out 100L prizes at the end of the night to each of the following:
Best Medical
Best Demon
Best Construct
Best Feline
And yes, if you show up as a windup neko-succubus in a nurse outfit you could walk home with 400L..if I let you leave. *grins*
~BW
Sunday, June 17
The Unbanishing, Part III
I was just coming to grips with the feeling of drowning while still breathing and the tubes jammed down my throat when I felt the bullet pierce my wing through several folds. I winced in pain as I heard the muffled crash of glass through the liquid, then the roar as it poured down to the floor. I had no hope of keeping my balance in this state, I collapsed in a heap on the floor, wings tangled about me like broken umbrellas.
I slowly adjusted as I gazed up at Dr. Mason, pistol still gripped in his hand, held to the side.
"My apologies, but your added mass threw off the oxygenator's calculations. There would not have been time to reprogram it before you suffocated."
I wrapped my hand around the mask over my face and pulled it away with a suction sould, coughing as the tubes snaked out of my throat.
"Ever..heard of..escape hatch?"
"You couldn't have opened it in time. Neither could I. Your wings would have gotten tangled."
I tried to think of a clever retort, but was too busy trying to get my balance on all fours.
"Now you will listen to my conditions. I will move my equipment upstairs and you may dwell in this basement. You are not to interfere with my work as a doctor or reanimator. You will not disturb any of my creations besides Qli. You will not disturb any of my patients. Understood?"
I nodded as I found balance cross-legged on the floor. "Understood.." I slowly flexed my wings open and closed, hoping this greed gunk would dry off them soon. I sighed as I grumbled upon glancing back at the torn flaps in my wings from the bullet.
"You do realize," I said, "That we cannot be seen at the same place at the same time. Why , the tax implications alone.."
Just then, I heard the rapid approach of metal boots upstairs. There was a clicking of gears, and the hidden chute opened again. My daughter Qlippothic slid down the chute from upstairs, wearing her bronze skin and her new mechanical heart chamber installed over her chest. I recognized he bracelets, trigger mechanisms for the deadly Talons hidden in her arms in the event of danger.
"Father! I heard a gunshot! Are you alright? Fath.. Dr. Mason?"
Her head tilted to the side as she stared down at me.
"B-Blood..wing? DADDY?? DOES NOT COMPUTE!!"
She made one final double-take, then collapsed with a loud clatter on the floor.
My descendant and I stared at each other, then he stored the gun back in the cabinet before bending over Qli's body. I crawled over as well.
"I think she took that rather well...", we said in unision.
FIN
I slowly adjusted as I gazed up at Dr. Mason, pistol still gripped in his hand, held to the side.
"My apologies, but your added mass threw off the oxygenator's calculations. There would not have been time to reprogram it before you suffocated."
I wrapped my hand around the mask over my face and pulled it away with a suction sould, coughing as the tubes snaked out of my throat.
"Ever..heard of..escape hatch?"
"You couldn't have opened it in time. Neither could I. Your wings would have gotten tangled."
I tried to think of a clever retort, but was too busy trying to get my balance on all fours.
"Now you will listen to my conditions. I will move my equipment upstairs and you may dwell in this basement. You are not to interfere with my work as a doctor or reanimator. You will not disturb any of my creations besides Qli. You will not disturb any of my patients. Understood?"
I nodded as I found balance cross-legged on the floor. "Understood.." I slowly flexed my wings open and closed, hoping this greed gunk would dry off them soon. I sighed as I grumbled upon glancing back at the torn flaps in my wings from the bullet.
"You do realize," I said, "That we cannot be seen at the same place at the same time. Why , the tax implications alone.."
Just then, I heard the rapid approach of metal boots upstairs. There was a clicking of gears, and the hidden chute opened again. My daughter Qlippothic slid down the chute from upstairs, wearing her bronze skin and her new mechanical heart chamber installed over her chest. I recognized he bracelets, trigger mechanisms for the deadly Talons hidden in her arms in the event of danger.
"Father! I heard a gunshot! Are you alright? Fath.. Dr. Mason?"
Her head tilted to the side as she stared down at me.
"B-Blood..wing? DADDY?? DOES NOT COMPUTE!!"
She made one final double-take, then collapsed with a loud clatter on the floor.
My descendant and I stared at each other, then he stored the gun back in the cabinet before bending over Qli's body. I crawled over as well.
"I think she took that rather well...", we said in unision.
FIN
The Unbanishing, Part II
Doctor..Darien..wait..don't do this..
"No more of your deceptions, Demon! I finally have control of my life again and the only ones who who accept me as the real Darien are Fuzz and Qli! It's hard enough to get the masses to understand my Gift..or even accept me as a Doctor of Medicine without them worrying when I'm going to turn back into the Spirit of Lust!"
I've always respected your quest to become a healer, Doctor..and was it not I that set you on that path?
"MORE LIES!"
No, Darien..remember..back on that horrible night seventeen years ago..when you found your precious family pet lying dead in the toolshed? You remember that smell don't you? You've smelled it since, haven't you? That wasn't just from her paints..it was..
I gasped as the images and the cloying smell assaulted my senses, like I was there all over again.
"Chloroform! She was put under so the paint would kill her off! But who.."
I shuddered as I lowered the pistol from my temple.
"My..parents.."
Yes Darien. I am sorry. Your Father was a Doctor as well..he knew Lucian was with child before you did. That is why he wanted her killed.
Serpent lurking in the family tree was revealing to me the evil in all the branches of its branches.
You would have died there, Darien, trying to revive her. The family line..MY mortal line.. would have ended with you. That is why I told you the Spark of Prometheus. Remember..
Blurry human hands kneading ebony and blood red fur, desperate to revive but lacking the skill. That is when the Demon first appeared to me as a vision..scarlet wings spread wide to reveal pale skin ornate with dragon marks, crimson eyes glowing on painted face, Pale red hair crowned by majestic horns. His right hand he held up was wreathed in flame.
I said to you..'Hear me Child so you and yours may live. A god gave me this flame in exchange for his freedom. Listen to the Truth. Life and Death are illusions...only defined by which side of the River Styx in which you dwell.
The burning hand entered my chest like it was smoke. An intense instant of agony, then the incredible awareness of carrying the secret of Life within me.
Place the flame inside her so her soul may find its way back.
A moment of hesitation and my hand flicked alight like the Demon's had. I repeated the same feat..and in the vapors I saw the shade of Lucian, confused yet hopeful as her feline eyes met mine. And in her paws she carried the smallest, sleeping black kitten..with crimson ears and tail and flexing paws..
And that is all I remembered until waking in the hospital a week later. To hear from my father what I knew in my heart was a lie.
"Yes, Bloodwing..I owe you our lives."
And you owe me yours. Allow me to live in my home and my town again. Only your body will do.
"Why don't you try my other body?"
As the Demon paused to make sense of my suggestion, I flipped a lever. The greet steel cylinder rotated to reveal my clone floating green bubbling fluid, connected to the machine by tubes for respiraton and digestion. This was the same healing chamber that regrew the body I currently inhabited.
It is you..but I sense no soul..
It is me..down to the last strand of DNA. I decided to keep a spare body in case an even worse mishap occurs. There is a brain in this one. I was going to record my essence in wax cylinders to replay back into this creation on my demise. But instead..I hand him to you. Now we can both exist at once.
There was a jolt as I felt the spirit exit my chest the way it came. The white mist circled the chamber until it found the oxygenator and pulled itself inside. I saw it slowly drift through the tubes until it reached the clone's mouth and nose, and vanished inside.
The transformation was sudden, as there was no soul of the host to resist. The skin blanched and designs erupted. Twin plumes of blood tainted the green waters as horns jutted from the skull. The body twisted and squirmed as red wings expanded as best they could in the cramped space. Crimson eyes stared back at from behind the mask strapped to his face.
I lifted the revolver and fired the slug into the chamber. There was a deafening crash as glass shattered and life-preserving solution flooded the chamber floor. Bloodwing tumbled out as the feeding and respiration tubes ripped from the jolt and severed from the jagged glass left in the device. I took a step forward and stood over the helpless demon in his helpless new host.
"No more of your deceptions, Demon! I finally have control of my life again and the only ones who who accept me as the real Darien are Fuzz and Qli! It's hard enough to get the masses to understand my Gift..or even accept me as a Doctor of Medicine without them worrying when I'm going to turn back into the Spirit of Lust!"
I've always respected your quest to become a healer, Doctor..and was it not I that set you on that path?
"MORE LIES!"
No, Darien..remember..back on that horrible night seventeen years ago..when you found your precious family pet lying dead in the toolshed? You remember that smell don't you? You've smelled it since, haven't you? That wasn't just from her paints..it was..
I gasped as the images and the cloying smell assaulted my senses, like I was there all over again.
"Chloroform! She was put under so the paint would kill her off! But who.."
I shuddered as I lowered the pistol from my temple.
"My..parents.."
Yes Darien. I am sorry. Your Father was a Doctor as well..he knew Lucian was with child before you did. That is why he wanted her killed.
Serpent lurking in the family tree was revealing to me the evil in all the branches of its branches.
You would have died there, Darien, trying to revive her. The family line..MY mortal line.. would have ended with you. That is why I told you the Spark of Prometheus. Remember..
Blurry human hands kneading ebony and blood red fur, desperate to revive but lacking the skill. That is when the Demon first appeared to me as a vision..scarlet wings spread wide to reveal pale skin ornate with dragon marks, crimson eyes glowing on painted face, Pale red hair crowned by majestic horns. His right hand he held up was wreathed in flame.
I said to you..'Hear me Child so you and yours may live. A god gave me this flame in exchange for his freedom. Listen to the Truth. Life and Death are illusions...only defined by which side of the River Styx in which you dwell.
The burning hand entered my chest like it was smoke. An intense instant of agony, then the incredible awareness of carrying the secret of Life within me.
Place the flame inside her so her soul may find its way back.
A moment of hesitation and my hand flicked alight like the Demon's had. I repeated the same feat..and in the vapors I saw the shade of Lucian, confused yet hopeful as her feline eyes met mine. And in her paws she carried the smallest, sleeping black kitten..with crimson ears and tail and flexing paws..
And that is all I remembered until waking in the hospital a week later. To hear from my father what I knew in my heart was a lie.
"Yes, Bloodwing..I owe you our lives."
And you owe me yours. Allow me to live in my home and my town again. Only your body will do.
"Why don't you try my other body?"
As the Demon paused to make sense of my suggestion, I flipped a lever. The greet steel cylinder rotated to reveal my clone floating green bubbling fluid, connected to the machine by tubes for respiraton and digestion. This was the same healing chamber that regrew the body I currently inhabited.
It is you..but I sense no soul..
It is me..down to the last strand of DNA. I decided to keep a spare body in case an even worse mishap occurs. There is a brain in this one. I was going to record my essence in wax cylinders to replay back into this creation on my demise. But instead..I hand him to you. Now we can both exist at once.
There was a jolt as I felt the spirit exit my chest the way it came. The white mist circled the chamber until it found the oxygenator and pulled itself inside. I saw it slowly drift through the tubes until it reached the clone's mouth and nose, and vanished inside.
The transformation was sudden, as there was no soul of the host to resist. The skin blanched and designs erupted. Twin plumes of blood tainted the green waters as horns jutted from the skull. The body twisted and squirmed as red wings expanded as best they could in the cramped space. Crimson eyes stared back at from behind the mask strapped to his face.
I lifted the revolver and fired the slug into the chamber. There was a deafening crash as glass shattered and life-preserving solution flooded the chamber floor. Bloodwing tumbled out as the feeding and respiration tubes ripped from the jolt and severed from the jagged glass left in the device. I took a step forward and stood over the helpless demon in his helpless new host.
The Unbanishing, Part I
I was at work in my basement, testing my new neural-knit formula on a human arm with a voltometer. That's when I felt a presence in the room. Not of IGOR or one of my creations. An astral presence. I adjusted my aether-spectrometer goggles, and her essence came into focus..the pale shade of a neko female..a hint of lavender fur. I bid her welcome.
She wanted to talk to the Demon. Her. Of all people..
I knew the Demon had taken over the night before to see Christine's wedding reception. I grudgingly allowed it. Warily, now, I allowed him to speak through me. I felt my skin chill to pale and my eyes smart form the fire behind his eyes.
The first part of the conversation was clear enough.. Darkling and Lumina missed him so. Then we spoke of the past I only knew second-hand except by trauma. And we spoke of the state of my eldest daughter. I did not expect what I heard next. She wanted the demon..back. I thought long and hard about this.. I had been sitting on this formula ever since I became myself again, since it was nearly impossible to research. But perhaps I could summon his spirit outside my body, independent of me.
I switched the lever to raise me back to foyer and wheeled myself outside. Emilly was there, in the flesh that suited her best this week.
"Bloodwing, I forgive you. Bloodwing, I summon you back. Bloodwing, I break your banishment. Is it enough?"
The soul of Bloodwing, visible to all, rose from the earth, still encased in a sliver of the frozen glacial prison that surrounded him these past two months. His frame floated still, encased in ice until his soulflame turned to an inferno and shattered it.
I murmured a rote of protection as I clutched the protective amulet I had hidden under my coat. The demon approached me, undeterred in the least. It was too fast for me to express my horror as his spirit invaded my body like a hand putting on an old favorite glove. I felt my skull rupture as horns grew. Designs stretched across my face and body as if by some mad, invisible artist. I felt my shoulderblades snap as the wings unfurled. Once again I was a bystander in my own life! At least when I was trapped in IGOR's mechanics I knew he was programmed to return me to my true form as soon as it was ready and safe!
In a blink she was gone. I had one chance.
Bloodwing, the experiment I'm running needs close supervision or there is a risk of explosion. Release your hold so I can return to the laboratory. Unless I reset things exactly thre will no longer BE a House Bloodwing!
With a grumble Bloodwing pulled in his wings and the horns melted. I dashed back into the mansion and flipped the lever on the main level to slide me back into the basement. Without bothering to dust myself off I unlocked a never-used drawer in my desk. I retrieved my Le MAT Revolver from my army days. With a trembling hand I held the protruding central chamber to my temple, a 14 guage barrel with a solid slug, my fallback in case one of my creations ever turned on me.
Doctor! What are you doing?
I gazed at my warped reflection in the polished steel chamber across from me as I gently lay my hand on the second trigger.
"This is my body. MY life. MY dreams. I shall never let you control me again! No more, Demon! NO MORE!!"
She wanted to talk to the Demon. Her. Of all people..
I knew the Demon had taken over the night before to see Christine's wedding reception. I grudgingly allowed it. Warily, now, I allowed him to speak through me. I felt my skin chill to pale and my eyes smart form the fire behind his eyes.
The first part of the conversation was clear enough.. Darkling and Lumina missed him so. Then we spoke of the past I only knew second-hand except by trauma. And we spoke of the state of my eldest daughter. I did not expect what I heard next. She wanted the demon..back. I thought long and hard about this.. I had been sitting on this formula ever since I became myself again, since it was nearly impossible to research. But perhaps I could summon his spirit outside my body, independent of me.
I switched the lever to raise me back to foyer and wheeled myself outside. Emilly was there, in the flesh that suited her best this week.
"Bloodwing, I forgive you. Bloodwing, I summon you back. Bloodwing, I break your banishment. Is it enough?"
The soul of Bloodwing, visible to all, rose from the earth, still encased in a sliver of the frozen glacial prison that surrounded him these past two months. His frame floated still, encased in ice until his soulflame turned to an inferno and shattered it.
I murmured a rote of protection as I clutched the protective amulet I had hidden under my coat. The demon approached me, undeterred in the least. It was too fast for me to express my horror as his spirit invaded my body like a hand putting on an old favorite glove. I felt my skull rupture as horns grew. Designs stretched across my face and body as if by some mad, invisible artist. I felt my shoulderblades snap as the wings unfurled. Once again I was a bystander in my own life! At least when I was trapped in IGOR's mechanics I knew he was programmed to return me to my true form as soon as it was ready and safe!
In a blink she was gone. I had one chance.
Bloodwing, the experiment I'm running needs close supervision or there is a risk of explosion. Release your hold so I can return to the laboratory. Unless I reset things exactly thre will no longer BE a House Bloodwing!
With a grumble Bloodwing pulled in his wings and the horns melted. I dashed back into the mansion and flipped the lever on the main level to slide me back into the basement. Without bothering to dust myself off I unlocked a never-used drawer in my desk. I retrieved my Le MAT Revolver from my army days. With a trembling hand I held the protruding central chamber to my temple, a 14 guage barrel with a solid slug, my fallback in case one of my creations ever turned on me.
Doctor! What are you doing?
I gazed at my warped reflection in the polished steel chamber across from me as I gently lay my hand on the second trigger.
"This is my body. MY life. MY dreams. I shall never let you control me again! No more, Demon! NO MORE!!"
Friday, June 15
To Hell and Back
He DID say my name..even though he was a brain in a jar on top of a paranoid robot and an empty-headed shell with a hankering for cookies and fresh air. Neither of which were suitable material for possession. I just took my time in answering the call. Until we were whole again. I would go to Hell and back to see my friends Christine and Edward enjoy their greatest night..and that is exactly what I did.
I waited there in the doorway..everything looked so different I wondered if I was even in the right city. But I recognized faces and voices in the crowd..but they did not seem to notice me until I heard the gasps and joyful cries.
Sheriff Fuzzball seemed less than thrilled, concerned about his old war buddy. Not to worry..he'll wake up over his pile of bits and pieces, right where I found him.
Oh how I missed the dance! Miss Darkling and my Sister Lumina haven't changed a bit. I felt their love warm me even in the heart of the glacier. I heard another familiar voice..
But I did not see the ears and tail. It was only as she looked over her shoulder back at me as the icy hands pulled me back to my punishment did I recognize her..for only an instant, too late to say anything..and eternity is not long enough to find the right words.
~BW
Thursday, June 14
The Case of the Missing Clock Revealed (The Robot Did It)
Dear Steelhead,
Here are the events as I have pieced them together:
Koen attacked me. I summon the Demon with my dying breath, who exiles him to the Dark City.
The damaged sustained to my body is too much for even the Demon to heal, and there is not enough time to summon more help from outside. The Demon activates IGOR, and departs just before the droid begins removing my brain.
I am still adjusting to my new surroundings, vision blurry, being sloshed about inside the jar on IGOR's chassis. I hear:
***WARNING: Oxygenation unit incomplete. Parts needed immediately. Life support failure in 5 minutes***
I responded by thought.
(((Scan Foundation for materials)))
***Search complete. Parts not found. Life Support failure in 4 minutes***
(((Contact Tensai. Go to the clocktower. She will have parts.)))
***Aether broadcast disabled, parts reconfigured for Life Support. Scanning clocktower. Tensai not found. Parts found. Life Support failure in 3 minutes***
More jostling inside my jar. I focus and notice the giant number 12 staring at me from the clock face.
(((IGOR! What are you doing! Replace this clock! Getting... dizzy...))
**Repairing Life Support..failure in 5 seconds..4..***
I wake up later in my laboratory, looking down from a greater height than my human frame. The halves of the clock lie on the floor and gear pieces litter the table.
(((IGOR. You cannibalized the clocktower gears for my oxygenator?)))
***Affirmative. Life support repaired. Aethernet connection repaired..espresso machine repaired..**
(((WHAT? IGOR, people will notice the clock tower is missing and be up in arms! Put all clocktower parts NOT required for Life Support BACK in the clock and put it back where you found it!)))
***Invalid command. Clocktower destroyed.***
((Destroyed? By you??))
***Negative. Destroyed by creator.***
(((Impossible! I'm contacting Tensai immediatley!)))
***OVERRIDE! Tensai has threated violence against the parties who removed the clock. That would place IGOR and Dr. Mason in danger. Thoughts attempting disclosure will not be broadcast.***
So..I sat through that town meeting, trying to scream, trying telepathy..nothing related to telling the truth worked.
Later the robot duplicated my voice to convince a friend to hide the clock outside of Steelhead, to avoid discovery of the deception. Only after my body was healed enough that I could reinhabit it could I convince my robot to put me back in my skull.
Only later did I realize that the droid stupidly interpreted my commands to replace the giant clock..with my gold pocketwatch! When I asked him to find where I had apparently lost in in the scuffle, he broke into Tensai's safe and retrieved it! After that, I had the clock shipped back, and I repaired it myself and had the lummox put it back more or less where it was found.
I am sure the Management and the Sheriff would have enjoyed a long, drawn out investigation and trial, but it is not in my nature to steal. Only salvage. Once I was sure that Tensai would not seek revenge by burning down the Foundation did I return the timepiece.
The robot followed my programmed commands to save my life to the letter, with unfortunate consequences. If taken to court I shall plead Not Guilty due to extenuating circumstances. Further, I am far too busy trying to manufacture more antidote for the Caledon werewolf plague to waste my time in a filthy jail cell.
Thank you, my fellow Citizens.
~Dr. Mason
Here are the events as I have pieced them together:
Koen attacked me. I summon the Demon with my dying breath, who exiles him to the Dark City.
The damaged sustained to my body is too much for even the Demon to heal, and there is not enough time to summon more help from outside. The Demon activates IGOR, and departs just before the droid begins removing my brain.
I am still adjusting to my new surroundings, vision blurry, being sloshed about inside the jar on IGOR's chassis. I hear:
***WARNING: Oxygenation unit incomplete. Parts needed immediately. Life support failure in 5 minutes***
I responded by thought.
(((Scan Foundation for materials)))
***Search complete. Parts not found. Life Support failure in 4 minutes***
(((Contact Tensai. Go to the clocktower. She will have parts.)))
***Aether broadcast disabled, parts reconfigured for Life Support. Scanning clocktower. Tensai not found. Parts found. Life Support failure in 3 minutes***
More jostling inside my jar. I focus and notice the giant number 12 staring at me from the clock face.
(((IGOR! What are you doing! Replace this clock! Getting... dizzy...))
**Repairing Life Support..failure in 5 seconds..4..***
I wake up later in my laboratory, looking down from a greater height than my human frame. The halves of the clock lie on the floor and gear pieces litter the table.
(((IGOR. You cannibalized the clocktower gears for my oxygenator?)))
***Affirmative. Life support repaired. Aethernet connection repaired..espresso machine repaired..**
(((WHAT? IGOR, people will notice the clock tower is missing and be up in arms! Put all clocktower parts NOT required for Life Support BACK in the clock and put it back where you found it!)))
***Invalid command. Clocktower destroyed.***
((Destroyed? By you??))
***Negative. Destroyed by creator.***
(((Impossible! I'm contacting Tensai immediatley!)))
***OVERRIDE! Tensai has threated violence against the parties who removed the clock. That would place IGOR and Dr. Mason in danger. Thoughts attempting disclosure will not be broadcast.***
So..I sat through that town meeting, trying to scream, trying telepathy..nothing related to telling the truth worked.
Later the robot duplicated my voice to convince a friend to hide the clock outside of Steelhead, to avoid discovery of the deception. Only after my body was healed enough that I could reinhabit it could I convince my robot to put me back in my skull.
Only later did I realize that the droid stupidly interpreted my commands to replace the giant clock..with my gold pocketwatch! When I asked him to find where I had apparently lost in in the scuffle, he broke into Tensai's safe and retrieved it! After that, I had the clock shipped back, and I repaired it myself and had the lummox put it back more or less where it was found.
I am sure the Management and the Sheriff would have enjoyed a long, drawn out investigation and trial, but it is not in my nature to steal. Only salvage. Once I was sure that Tensai would not seek revenge by burning down the Foundation did I return the timepiece.
The robot followed my programmed commands to save my life to the letter, with unfortunate consequences. If taken to court I shall plead Not Guilty due to extenuating circumstances. Further, I am far too busy trying to manufacture more antidote for the Caledon werewolf plague to waste my time in a filthy jail cell.
Thank you, my fellow Citizens.
~Dr. Mason
Wednesday, June 13
Cerebral Drifts Gallery Opening Tonight at 9!
You've seen their works in SteamSkyCity, and now you can see them here! I am honored to present the Cerebral Drifts Gallery at the Bloodwing Foundation! The works of Katat0nik Pidgeon are on the main level and EllisDee Welinder's dark works are in the dungeon!
Industrial music on tap. Refreshments perhaps?
~dR. mASON
Industrial music on tap. Refreshments perhaps?
~dR. mASON
Conundrums
I'm rolling back and forth in my mansion, pondering the quagmire I've gotten myself into. I'm living across the street from a pyromaniac elf..whoever heard of such at thing? She burnt down her own structure because of a stolen clock! Be glad she doesn't live in Tanglewood! An elf choosing gears over wood..it defies everything I've read about the Fae! I wonder how she'll react to know that her safe has been ripped open, the only shred of evidence absconded?
Looking out from my roof..the tower clock has been returned..someone has leaned it precariously on her roof, as close to its original position on the old structure as possible.
And all that pales in comparison to another issue looming on the horizon..something I dare not even speak of at this juncture.
At least my Intelligent General Operations Robot (IGOR) found my birthday gift from Qli..it was lost in the carnage..I feared the neko might have kept it as a souvenir.I looked where I could from my wheelchair, and supposed it might have been thrown too high or two low for me. IGOR has a wonderful Search mode. I still don't know where it found those extra gears to keep the oxygenation going on my brain jar. And I don't know where it found my Prim & Proper gold watch either, except that it came in from outside after a lot of crunching and banging. Maybe the cat buried it in the back yard?
*puts on his magnifier goggles and goes back to fixing his watch while he waits for the Metaverse to phase in again*
~Dr.Mason
Looking out from my roof..the tower clock has been returned..someone has leaned it precariously on her roof, as close to its original position on the old structure as possible.
And all that pales in comparison to another issue looming on the horizon..something I dare not even speak of at this juncture.
At least my Intelligent General Operations Robot (IGOR) found my birthday gift from Qli..it was lost in the carnage..I feared the neko might have kept it as a souvenir.I looked where I could from my wheelchair, and supposed it might have been thrown too high or two low for me. IGOR has a wonderful Search mode. I still don't know where it found those extra gears to keep the oxygenation going on my brain jar. And I don't know where it found my Prim & Proper gold watch either, except that it came in from outside after a lot of crunching and banging. Maybe the cat buried it in the back yard?
*puts on his magnifier goggles and goes back to fixing his watch while he waits for the Metaverse to phase in again*
~Dr.Mason
Tuesday, June 12
Regarding the Werewolf Outbreak..
My fellow Caledonians,
For centuries the Bloodwing Foundation has dedicated itself to finding cures for ailments long thought incurable, especially those of a mystical nature. Lycanthropy, the disease that causes one to turn into a werewolf, is just such a condition.
And in fact, the Foundation has a cure for lycanthropy, though it is very expensive and difficult to formulate. I currently have enough for to cure two people.
Some people, like the esteemed Sheriff Ortega, have learned to live with their condition, and even turn it to their advantage. But for the newly Bitten there is only the animal instinct to hunt.
The Lycans are obviously gorging themselves on the exploding turkey population, since they have not as yet stalked any sentient creatures. Due to the close timing of the two events I theorize the first Lycan may have followed or chased the flock here as part of its hunting behavior.
In the meantime, if you see a werewolf, DO NOT APPROACH. Go indoors. Leave the capture to the experts. Only if your life is in danger should you resort to deadly force with a silver weapon. Judging from the caginess of the first Lycan it is obviously a native Caledonian familiar with the countryside. I don't want anyone to have to live with a guilty conscience when a dying Lycan turns back into a friend or loved one.
If you are bitten or scratched have the wound cleaned by a medical professional immediately, and contact the Foundation as soon as possible.
Look for unexplained sudden hirsuteness and longer teeth in your acquaintances. And if you see a pentagram on someone's hand, calmly seek shelter and contact the authorities. Carrying a sprig of wolvesbane may help ward off the beast.
Mr. Ra of the Foundation will be delivering the two doses of antidote to Caledon. If you suspect you may be either of the infected, go to him and he will administer the cure in complete confidentiality.
~Dr. Mason
For centuries the Bloodwing Foundation has dedicated itself to finding cures for ailments long thought incurable, especially those of a mystical nature. Lycanthropy, the disease that causes one to turn into a werewolf, is just such a condition.
And in fact, the Foundation has a cure for lycanthropy, though it is very expensive and difficult to formulate. I currently have enough for to cure two people.
Some people, like the esteemed Sheriff Ortega, have learned to live with their condition, and even turn it to their advantage. But for the newly Bitten there is only the animal instinct to hunt.
The Lycans are obviously gorging themselves on the exploding turkey population, since they have not as yet stalked any sentient creatures. Due to the close timing of the two events I theorize the first Lycan may have followed or chased the flock here as part of its hunting behavior.
In the meantime, if you see a werewolf, DO NOT APPROACH. Go indoors. Leave the capture to the experts. Only if your life is in danger should you resort to deadly force with a silver weapon. Judging from the caginess of the first Lycan it is obviously a native Caledonian familiar with the countryside. I don't want anyone to have to live with a guilty conscience when a dying Lycan turns back into a friend or loved one.
If you are bitten or scratched have the wound cleaned by a medical professional immediately, and contact the Foundation as soon as possible.
Look for unexplained sudden hirsuteness and longer teeth in your acquaintances. And if you see a pentagram on someone's hand, calmly seek shelter and contact the authorities. Carrying a sprig of wolvesbane may help ward off the beast.
Mr. Ra of the Foundation will be delivering the two doses of antidote to Caledon. If you suspect you may be either of the infected, go to him and he will administer the cure in complete confidentiality.
~Dr. Mason
Monday, June 11
Through My Eyes Stare Into Me
The cerebral reattachment was a success! Even though I have to recover strength and coordination, I am whole again! I was even able to make the rounds at the Radio Riel's Bardhaven Bonanza and the Baroness' engagement party.I hope to be back to work again soon.
~Dr. Mason
Saturday, June 9
Answers are Required
My analysis of the fur samples are incontravertible. Koen is a Sumatran Bloodtail..a rare breed of neko, almost never found outside the Indonesian jungle..except for the old Bloodwing estate.
And while there are legacy human genes in the neko species as a whole, he is clearly a direct hybrid..his hands are human while his feet still have a paw configuration. And the human DNA markers match that of my family.
His apparent age tells me he must have been born after Lucian was taken from me. But how did she survive? My memories of the..accident?..are blurry from the same fumes that made her collapse. But somehow, I must have saved her.
I've been replaying the aether broadcast of the attack over and over..out of hearing range of my body. Koen is showing classic symptoms of transferred anger. He believed I left his mother for dead.
I even tried to summon the Demon to get answers from him. But he cannot enter a disembodied brain nor a human form without a cortex. The banishment saved my life. The Demon's activating the Cerebral Recovery Droid saved my life as well. But this is not how I want my relationship with my son to end. I must consider how and when t recover him, and heal his tortured soul.
If Koen is to be rehabilitated I must know more about the trigger event.
I believe a visit to Bardhaven is in order.
-Dr. Mason
And while there are legacy human genes in the neko species as a whole, he is clearly a direct hybrid..his hands are human while his feet still have a paw configuration. And the human DNA markers match that of my family.
His apparent age tells me he must have been born after Lucian was taken from me. But how did she survive? My memories of the..accident?..are blurry from the same fumes that made her collapse. But somehow, I must have saved her.
I've been replaying the aether broadcast of the attack over and over..out of hearing range of my body. Koen is showing classic symptoms of transferred anger. He believed I left his mother for dead.
I even tried to summon the Demon to get answers from him. But he cannot enter a disembodied brain nor a human form without a cortex. The banishment saved my life. The Demon's activating the Cerebral Recovery Droid saved my life as well. But this is not how I want my relationship with my son to end. I must consider how and when t recover him, and heal his tortured soul.
If Koen is to be rehabilitated I must know more about the trigger event.
I believe a visit to Bardhaven is in order.
-Dr. Mason
Thursday, June 7
Losing Track of My Self
I tried to attend to business in green Tombstone while still in my exoskeletal shell. The residents were a bit..hasty at first.
In the midst of all this back in Steelhead my body, sans brain, decided to slip out of the nutrient tank and take a stroll outside.
First, he helped himself to Miss McAllisters cookies at the bakery, including trying to sample the advertisements. Then he drank from the larger fountain and tried to hold a conversation with statue of Diana on top.
He then ambled over to the Town Hall and took the podium to give a formulaic but nonetheless incoherent speech. The turkey objected on a point of order and it soon became a two way chasing match.
After being ejected from the Hall by said turkey my he frolicked a bit in the Public Garden under the gentle watchful eyes of Miss Lumina.
In imitation of classic monster movies Darien-minus climbed to the top of the lighthouse and bellowed. Local law enforcement seemed reticent to intervene, so I finally wired Qli to gate in from Caledon and rescue him. Te task was successful, and my stray body is now sleeping soundly in his bed after a glass of warm milk.
~Dr. Mason
Wednesday, June 6
Meanwhile in the Lab..
*Darien reads Kiralette's journal, The eyes in his cranial jar incapable of displaying emotion. His lumbering exoskeleton turns from his aether transmitter back to the glowing nutrient chamber, where he glances up at his own damaged face in the solution. His current "head" rotates to examine the controls as giant metal claws delicately flip switches and dials. The speaker in his torso captures the music of an escaped memory through wires as he concentrates. Does the Doctor even hear?*
and finding time so hard I pray
that this moment last forever
and will the world stay standing still
at least for me?
*The Doctor's brain does not turn its eyes upwards, only noting a a slight increase in hearbeat in the printouts below. He fails to notice the expression of sadness that passes over his true face.
I ain't got no body / that I can depend on
Am I alright? Let's just stay I'm stabilized. Am I dead? Not at this moment. I had this exoskeleton assembled for just such an emergency. As soon as the danger had passed, it activated, emerging from its hiding place and rescuing my brain in the jar you see on top. Am I in pain? No. Just rather numb. And sometimes I hallucinate a bit. Just bear with me.
One of those cursed Undertakers raided my home to try and pull me back into the grave! Meddlesome pests! They are to the Reanimators and the Created what the Men in Black are to extraterrestrials, or the Hunters are to the Undead. They must have caught on to me when they put my new doctor's office next to the undertaker's parlor in Tombstone. Between Darkling's magicks and my exoskeleton we made short work of that gothic cowboy reject from the wrestling ring!
I've stored what's left of my body in a healing tank in the laboratory. In a week its systems should be stable enough for cranial reimplantation.
Darkling has been so very helpful. She took my shopping in SteamSkyCity to shop and relax. I purchased a new steam generator for the Tesla coil..that way I don't have to wait for a lighting storm to pursue my experiments!
Questions upon Questions
I have not heard form Koen or the Demon since the attack. Qli is furious of course, but I am withholding judgment until I get more information.
Sumatran Bloodtailed Nekos are a rare species. I cannot dismiss out of hand that Koen is somehow related to Lucian, but is he really her son? Did Lucian survive the accident, after inhaling those paint fumes in the locked boathouse? How did I survive my rescue attempt for that matter?
If this is true, then my parents deceived me. They told me she died and they scattered her ashes! They sent me on my way, grieving, to the University and Medical School while poor Lucian was left to fend for herself in the city streets, to raise..my son? Was he living paw-to-mouth while I was putting my life at risk as a medic in the Capper Brigade?
Is Koen really my son as his spirit-form Vortex is the Demon's? Just as B________ needs me as a host body in this century, so would his child need a mortal to inhabit as well. As above, so below. Does this mean Lucian was an avatar of Sekhmet as well? Was my tragic life history planned a millennium in advance?
To Find an Answer
Darkling has offered to cast a memory spell, but I must be rejoined with my body first. Not all memories reside in the brain, it is true.
If any of this is true, I will have to rethink the role I have set myself to play in life, and try to undo the damage done.
~Dr. Mason
Tuesday, June 5
PLEASE HELP!!
*feline howling*
This is Dr. Mason..I've been attacked in my home by a neko..multiple lacerations..bleeding heavily..leg tendons ripped..can't stand..
Oh Doooooctoooor!
Sumatran Bloodtail...like Lucian..he claims I'm his..
*ripping of curtains*
Don't you DARE say my Mother's name! You have no RIGHT to!
*crash of metal*
You can't be her son! Lucian died in my arms!
*crash*
Oh it sure LOOKED like that didn't it? But no..she SURVIVED being trapped in that little shack with those PAINT fumes! Take off those stupid GOGGLES when I'm talking to you!
*rrrip* AAAGGGHH!! MY EYES!!
Dropped off in the slums of Caledon to fend for herself! To give birth BY HERSELF!
Entharion Kal'ovenyar..AGGHH LET GO! STOP!!
Now now now! No magic tricks if you can't wave your hands!
They told me she was dead! I LOVED HER! I left that house and never came back!
Until you MOVED YOUR HOUSE HERE! You're so busy building MONSTERS and calling them your KIDS that you never stopped to find out if you had a REAL KID!
If you're really my SON then you WON'T DO THIS!
DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I'M NOT YOUR SLAVE! I'M NOBODY'S SLAVE!! I CHOOSE WHO I LOVE AND NOBODY FORCES ME TO LOVE ANYONE!
Vortex..please..my sssssss..
*strangling sounds*
You don't even know my birth name! It's the same as your REAL family name! It's KOEN!!
*more clattering*
Alright..alright..take your last breath..let's hear your final words for alllll your stuck-up friends!
*gasp!* BLOODWING!
NO!! YOU CAN'T!
BLOODWING!
*violent rending* SHUT UP!!
Blood..wing..
*hysterical giggling* Too late, Pa! Too late! Too..
*yowling and the roar of magicks and the flapping of wings*
What a traitorous little kitten, trying to murder your own Father..A proud family tradition! Take it from me, Son...it's never works out the way you want it to. Now..What brought this on?
*incoherent yowling*
*malevolent laughter* Oh, by the Styx black waters! You are just like me! *sigh* It's always the one that got away that gets you in trouble isn't it? Come along, child..it's time for a little talk about your two Mommies and two Daddies..secrets not meant for this machine.
*eruption of flame and the aether transmitter turns to static*
This is Dr. Mason..I've been attacked in my home by a neko..multiple lacerations..bleeding heavily..leg tendons ripped..can't stand..
Oh Doooooctoooor!
Sumatran Bloodtail...like Lucian..he claims I'm his..
*ripping of curtains*
Don't you DARE say my Mother's name! You have no RIGHT to!
*crash of metal*
You can't be her son! Lucian died in my arms!
*crash*
Oh it sure LOOKED like that didn't it? But no..she SURVIVED being trapped in that little shack with those PAINT fumes! Take off those stupid GOGGLES when I'm talking to you!
*rrrip* AAAGGGHH!! MY EYES!!
Dropped off in the slums of Caledon to fend for herself! To give birth BY HERSELF!
Entharion Kal'ovenyar..AGGHH LET GO! STOP!!
Now now now! No magic tricks if you can't wave your hands!
They told me she was dead! I LOVED HER! I left that house and never came back!
Until you MOVED YOUR HOUSE HERE! You're so busy building MONSTERS and calling them your KIDS that you never stopped to find out if you had a REAL KID!
If you're really my SON then you WON'T DO THIS!
DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I'M NOT YOUR SLAVE! I'M NOBODY'S SLAVE!! I CHOOSE WHO I LOVE AND NOBODY FORCES ME TO LOVE ANYONE!
Vortex..please..my sssssss..
*strangling sounds*
You don't even know my birth name! It's the same as your REAL family name! It's KOEN!!
*more clattering*
Alright..alright..take your last breath..let's hear your final words for alllll your stuck-up friends!
*gasp!* BLOODWING!
NO!! YOU CAN'T!
BLOODWING!
*violent rending* SHUT UP!!
Blood..wing..
*hysterical giggling* Too late, Pa! Too late! Too..
*yowling and the roar of magicks and the flapping of wings*
What a traitorous little kitten, trying to murder your own Father..A proud family tradition! Take it from me, Son...it's never works out the way you want it to. Now..What brought this on?
*incoherent yowling*
*malevolent laughter* Oh, by the Styx black waters! You are just like me! *sigh* It's always the one that got away that gets you in trouble isn't it? Come along, child..it's time for a little talk about your two Mommies and two Daddies..secrets not meant for this machine.
*eruption of flame and the aether transmitter turns to static*
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