superposition: ((talk to me))
Qubit ([personal profile] superposition) wrote2019-09-06 02:00 am

IC Inbox (Redshift)

"You've reached Qubit. Leave a message."

abheirrant: (❧ but none could be found)

[personal profile] abheirrant 2021-03-11 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
Right. Good. That's good.

[He pulls in another deep breath. He feels better, honestly. Maybe they can put this off. Maybe—

No no, no thinking like that. Qubit already chastised him once for delaying the inevitable. He frees one hand from around him and adjusts the tea on the glyph. His entire arm is trembling, and he fights the urge to gnaw his lip. Doesn't have much of it left, after all.]


I don't like this.
abheirrant: (♛ felt nothing but bitterness)

[personal profile] abheirrant 2021-03-12 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Carlisle's apparently not done, his voice croaking its way out of him once again, his shaking hands more animated as he tries to gesticulate his overwhelming anxiety.]

I don't like this, and I don't like you being here for this. [His tone sounds harsh as it comes out, grating in his throat in a way he finds distinctly uncomfortable.] I know that- I know I ought not do this on my own, and I trust no one else with this endeavor, but I don't— I don't...

[He shakes his head, unable to figure out exactly what he's trying to say. It must be his nerves drowning out rational thought, he assumes — or worse, his mind failing him as a precursor of the worst case scenario. Qubit is right: he's utterly terrified, and he's not sure any outcome of the day's experiment will grant him solace. If it works, it means he'll have to do this again and again, draining the life out of the plants of Anchor periodically in the hopes he doesn't turn on the people. It's necromancy, abhorrent and repugnant and absolutely vile in the eyes of his goddess, further proof of his monstrous nature. He is a creature, not a man; he cannot forget that.

And if it doesn't work, well... they'll have more catastrophic problems to deal with. Correction: Qubit will have to deal with them, as Carlisle expects he will no longer exist in any capacity. He shifts in his spot, feeling the physical distance between them, and in that moment, Qubit might as well be across the colony. At least he'd be safer there.

He sighs one more time.]


Forgive me. I am unwell. I know this is for the best, but I cannot help but feel we are making a mistake.
abheirrant: (❧ a sudden happening)

[personal profile] abheirrant 2021-03-12 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
But what if—

[He's about to ask about the possibility that there is no going forward from this experience, but he's so taken aback by the glyph that pops up from Qubit's watch that the question instead gets lodged somewhere in his throat. He knew Qubit was futzing with glyphcrafting — he's been keen to foster Qubit's interest in the subject, after all — but Carlisle wasn't expecting him to use it here, and certainly not with what appears to be one of his glyphs.

He recognizes it, and despite his anxious state, pieces together a couple of key details: Qubit, clever as he is, recognized what the glyph was designed to do, and he intends to use it here to protect his devices. Carlisle unwraps his arms from around himself, leaning on one hand to get a better look.]


You're a quicker study than I thought. I've not — [a tremor runs through him, but he recovers] — fully tested that one yet.
abheirrant: (❧ he kept his suspicion under wraps)

[personal profile] abheirrant 2021-03-13 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[While Carlisle's eyes glow all the time — some days brighter than others, as is the current case — he finds it unsettling when Qubit's eyes do the same, largely because he doesn't fully understand the reason for it. It's connected to his technokinesis, he's sure, but Qubit's insistence it isn't like magic, despite all the signs that say otherwise, always leads to Carlisle having more questions than answers.

His teeth grind behind his mask, his fingers curling into the desiccated soil beneath him. Qubit trusts Carlisle's work more than Carlisle himself does. Then again, Carlisle doesn't trust much of what he does these days, but that may just be his aggravated condition talking. He tries to clear his throat; his voice sounds worse with every word that escapes him.]


Your faith in me must be misplaced. I'll not apologize should your machines be ruined.

[Yes he will, but maybe a few times less than his normal dozen apologies.]
abheirrant: (❧ an unnatural glow)

[personal profile] abheirrant 2021-04-01 02:18 am (UTC)(link)
[Carlisle pulls in a deep breath.]

I suppose I'm as ready as I can be, given the circumstances.

[He looks back to the glyph on the ground next to him, his uncertainty still woven into his brow. He closes his eyes, trying his best to push out the mental image of a black streak of rot snaking its way across the ground toward Qubit the moment he activates it. He has to trust this will work, or that, at the very least, Qubit will know how to handle it if something goes horribly wrong. He has no other real choice, and it's better than the alternative.

One more breath to steel himself, in and out.]


May her watchful eye observe us in this endeavor; may not a day go that she does not dream, and that we do not dream in turn. May it be that when we return to the cycle, our dreams are the same.

[That brief prayer said, he activates the glyph; the array lights up with a flash, leaving the cup steaming pleasantly beside him. Carlisle holds his breath as he lifts the mug to his face, inhaling deeply only once it's there—

And he's out like a light. That's nearly literal in the case of his eyes, the overwhelming illumination of them fading to nearly imperceptible glow. His hand trembles as he drops the mug, the rest of his body stiffening bit by bit for a second or two before going completely slack. His torso topples sideways rather than back, leaving him in a crumpled heap as he hits the ground without the slightest bit of resistance.

Said ground does suffer immediately: much like it did with Ami, it fades and withers around him, but the distance this time is limited, not even reaching Qubit's cameras. It seems the plan has been met with some success, but how much there will ultimately be is yet to be determined.

That's if Carlisle ever wakes up again, of course.]
abheirrant: (❧ oh.  oooooh.)

Bless Qubit, man.

[personal profile] abheirrant 2021-04-08 08:26 am (UTC)(link)
[Qubit's backup plan was a good one, but he's right: there's just not enough force behind the robocrab's pokes to stir Carlisle. Thankfully, he has a backup backup plan, and that one gets results. The stun gun connects with Carlisle's chest, there's a split second of sharp krrkkrrkkrrking as the taser goes off, and then—]

GAHHH!!

[Carlisle rises with enough force to knock over the mechanical crab before he even realizes it's there. His fingers — with his hand at his abdomen rather than his chest — curl against his coat, the fabric pulled taut as he gasps; the air rakes along his windpipe, his throat impossibly dry. Unfocused, violent light spills from his eyes as he buckles to the pressure of his own magic, and he feels his aural compulsion lash out at those around him — in this case, the only one around him. Though he's helpless against it, he tries to rein it in anyway.]

I'm here! I'm here, I'm- I don't- don't do this

[He buries his face in his hands, his fingers knocking his glasses and crown askew, his body trembling as he forces himself to take a few deep breaths. One by one, they calm him, and he gains more control over himself, his energies evening out as they flow once more through his frame. Carlisle slowly becomes aware of that current, and of how strong it is, stable in a way it hasn't been since—

Since... well, he can't think of the last time he felt this steady, magic-wise. There's a balance that wasn't there before, and it feels undeniably good. After a minute and some change, he lowers his hands, and while his legs are shaking beneath him more from his nerves than any legitimate weakness, he still manages to get to his feet, straightening his accessories along the way. He looks around him once his glasses are back in place, first at the withered grass, then the decaying remains of the reindire, then the treeline, and finally at Qubit himself. By the time his eyes make it to his friend, the light in them has settled, honed into their usual, illuminated pupils.]


How long? How- how long was I out?
Edited 2021-04-08 08:28 (UTC)
abheirrant: (❧ the sound was soothing)

:>

[personal profile] abheirrant 2021-04-09 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
[72 hours. Days. Carlisle had hoped it wouldn't take that long, given he had to be under constant supervision during that time, but at least it seemed to have been worth the trouble. The forest overall looks relatively intact, save for the area directly around him. That looks like he expected: shriveled trees, discolored grass, the sad remains of the reindire he spotted seconds ago. He takes another look at it — definitely deceased, certainly his fault — and rubs at his chest in discomfort. He has a couple of new holes in his coat from the stun gun that will need fixing, but other than that—]

Remarkably well. [His voice is clear, his tone smooth, the more melodic parts of his accent coming through.] Better than I can recall feeling, even long before... [A beat as he shakes his head just a fraction, trying to think of a nicer way to describe his demise.] Well, this.

[His eyes land on the mechanical crab lying on its back, its legs unable to right it; he stoops and puts it back on its feet, still frowning behind his mask at the reindire in eyeshot. It remains unmoving, almost peaceful; it died without struggle. Maybe it simply thought itself exhausted, he considers for a second, lying down to sleep — only dreaming, never waking.]

I apologize for any inconvenience this caused you. [He turns from the reindire to Qubit, brushing his hair back into place with his hand before picking up the belongings he'd brought out there with him.] I hadn't expected to be out so long. It- it felt like moments for me. I was here, and then... I wasn't.
Edited 2021-04-09 03:25 (UTC)
abheirrant: (❧ he tried (& failed) to hide his mirth)

[personal profile] abheirrant 2021-04-09 07:41 am (UTC)(link)
[Though he has no idea what data Qubit could have possibly gleaned from his devices while he was sleeping, Carlisle can't help but be encouraged by his friend's optimistic chatter. Maybe that's just how wonderful he feels talking, but he finds Qubit's energy to be surprisingly contagious. Despite how dubious Carlisle had been in his last waking moments about those glyphs, he's delighted to hear they worked — smiling at the prospect, even.

He tries to answer Qubit's questions as they prepare to meander toward the field. Are the cows okay? Surely the cows are okay. Qubit would have said something if the cows weren't okay, right? Or maybe what he wants to show Carlisle has to do with Scraps.

Oh, perhaps he's finally gone, Carlisle considers. The very thought makes him perk up as he starts talking.]


I don't know, honestly. I certainly had a dream the last time I tried this concoction, though my enchantment was not as strong then. Before I passed out, there was this brief... [He waves a circle with one hand, as though trying to conjure the correct word from thin air.] Distance from my body, as though I were simultaneously there and not. Cisth, I feel better than I've felt in so long, and I still cannot describe it properly. Does that help? Or make any sense at all? And it's so quiet now! Has it always been this quiet?

[Forgive him, Qubit — he's just excited to not have a consistent, maddening hum competing with his every waking thought for a change. It's still there, as that's the magic keeping him animated, but the current is so much calmer than it was before, as though it has nowhere in particular to be.]
Edited 2021-04-09 10:56 (UTC)
abheirrant: (❧ troubling times)

[personal profile] abheirrant 2021-04-09 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I wasn't, but it certainly felt like it from the inside. That begs the question of not only why that happened, but also if there are any consequences or lingering effects of such a phenomenon.

[He gesticulates with his free hand as he follows Qubit, sorting through his own guesses, hoping maybe some of that data Qubit was talking about might help paint a more complete picture of why he is the way he is.]

For example, Reynir visited me in that dream I had before. Literally visited, as it was within his capacity to do so. Did I only dream because of his presence? Or is my conscious somehow separate from the rest of me? If so, have I merely been- been possessing my own body all this time? And how? Was I exorcised, then drawn back? And who would have done so were that the case? Was the Blight Heir not a Revenant? And if not, what was he? And by extension...

[His voice slows with his gait, his brow furrowing.]

What am I?
abheirrant: (❧ an unexpected emotion)

[personal profile] abheirrant 2021-04-10 12:00 am (UTC)(link)
[Carlisle nods, successfully reassured for the time being. Qubit's right that he's putting the cart before the horse, something he really ought not be doing when he just woke up from a magically-induced nap. They have enough questions to deal with before they get to the more nuanced angles of his existence. Once step at a time.]

Of course, of course. Forgive me, there's just a lot on my mind, and it's clearer than it's been in days. I'll consider these things when I can, but I want to hear about your findings, first.

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