WHEN: 1943 April 21; around noon
WHERE: Khymeia Academy
WHO: Lance and Sato
--
[11:46] Lance makes his way across the Academy grounds, only ever so slightly looking like a tourist about to give himself whiplash. After all, how many floating islands do you get to wander across on a daily basis? Three so far, if his count was right.
He eventually finds his way to the appointed meeting place, where he was set to meet the mysterious name from the Aethernet, [N.Sato]. However, a mere exchange of words and coin was not all he had in mind. After all, in his arms he carries a container of his own - a bag that seemed to emit a papery rustling sound as it is jostled by the slight shifts that come with walking.
Once Lance reaches the door of this place, he opens it and clears his throat before knocking lightly on the metal frame. After all, Glass was expensive and he dared not to touch it - let alone rap upon it with his knuckles. In fact, he's a bit worried that doing this might cause the fragile sheet of crystal to shatter outright.
[11:50] Naoki Sato had indicated the Technomancy building at the Academy. He spent a lot of his daylight hours there when not in Dashrix's personal lab or auditing certain courses - or hunting. Sometimes he did hunt during the day. But today he was behaving, mostly on account of recent dalliances and not wanting to alert the technomancy dean to their happening. He could be seen standing at a table obviously made for a taller man, using his blood to manipulate certain mechanical parts until he heard the knocking.
The red liquid withdrew from the small brass bits and rods and seemed to seep back into his skin. Sato turned, tilting his head to stare through the door at the person on the other side. Lance did not look like a student simply due to the lack of uniform and he DID have a snake around his neck. It wasn't hard to put the pieces togetehr and figure out who it was.
"Come inside, the door is open," Sato said with a little flip of his hand. A quiet click in the door itself gave away that it likely... was not already open, and if Lance was perceptive enough he could see the shadows moving to open the door for him as he entered. "You want to see my ability to handle -- toxins," he said plainly. "Is that correct?"
[11:59] Lance raises two fingers in a V pattern in response to Naoki's questions. "Almost," he replies, "You are correct in that I've brought a sample for you to test yourself against. However, additionally, I've come to discuss a trade for venomous beasts that I may use for myself."
He steps in once bidden, careful to avoid the shadows on the floor, treating them as another extension of Naoki's body. After all, who would want to step on their Host's feet? That would only engender a great deal of animosity, and discomfort. The irony of the fact that he's about to give Naoki a giant bundle of poison despite this is not exactly lost on him.
Said bundle is proffered to Naoki in the form of a fabric messenger bag once Lance nears close enough, though Lance neglects to open it in order to give Naoki a proper look at what's inside. He doesn't know what piece has drifted to the top throughout the journey, and it would perhaps be best to give Naoki the agency to choose /when/ he looks into the Abyss, in case the Abyss decide
[11:59] Lance to have Lance's face staring back.
"That said, I suppose I ought to reintroduce myself," Lance adds, "My name is Lance Song. With me is Baihe. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
[12:06] Naoki Sato uses said shadows to shut the door behind Lance, watching that door for a moment as he flexes and relaxes his hand, as if that skill is one he isn't yet accustomed to. The distraction is momentary. As Lance speaks he turns to him, frowning thoughtfully at the other portion of testing required. "There are no venomous beasts in this part of the college. There are some among the students and many on the island. They will have to be collected," he stated, crossing his arms to observe the man.
At least until the bag is offered. Naoki takes it and turns, a sweep of his arm moving some mechanical bits and bobs aside so he can set it on the table. "Sato," he says in simply reply to Lance's introduction. "I am apprentice to the Dean of the College of Technomancy." Evidently whatever other pleasantries would normally be given are lost on him.
Instead, he opens up the bag, taking in a breath to bid the shadows to move and begin to lift items out of it.
[12:14] The inside of the bag is.... Lance. Or rather, what used to be Lance. Most of the contents are altogether impossible to identify, but near the bottom is what appears to be half of a face. They are paper thin sheets of shed skin, the like that one might remove from themselves if they had a rather terrible sunburn. Dry, and papery, their removal from Lance's main body means that they have lost a good deal of their original fluidity, trapping the poison inside. While this means that holding it would no longer risk rendering Sato's flesh numb, consuming it would no doubt release the toxins contained within to wreak havoc upon their predator.
"Time is no object to me," Lance replies flatly, "Whether it is next week or next month... I suppose the only one who elects to whine over it shall be Baihe herself... I just wanted to make sure that we were still upon the same page for that... That said, it occurs to me that there is a low likelihood that simple beasts will survive the process, so I wish to refrain from accepting anything with... /too/ much sentimental value."
[12:21] Naoki Sato spread the dry bits of shed skin over the table, assembling a canvas of what used to be the serpentine-bound man's face. "Are you a shifter?" he asked, running a fingertip over one of the larger pieces before turning to appraise Lance again. "Meaning - are you able to take the form of the snake that accompanies you, or does your body simply exhibit serpentine qualities based on the association?"
He looked Lance up and down before stepping closer to him, bending to look at Baihe herself. He seemed to be searching for the hallmarks in anatomy that might denote a venomous snake in terms of headshape and design. "Then I will collect beasts and inform you when they are available. Is there a suitable number for your experimental group? And do you have - " he paused, blinking. " - ah. I suppose I am the... control group. Or would be, if I prove resilient." He lifted a finger to lift his own lip up. The teeth in his mouth were triangular and sharp, almost shark-like. "Do you have fangs?" he asked when he'd let his face relax.
[12:34] Lance thinks for a moment, seemingly considering the questions that Sato had posed unto him. However, halfway through this process, the man's expression seems to lose focus, as if drawn elsewhere by some external force.
Baihe, the white serpent. As Naoki inspects her, perhaps he would notice some jarring inconsistencies with her physical form. Firstly, her body is entirely incongruent with any specific species of serpent on record. It is as if someone took a list of all the things that are quintessentially 'Snake' and mixed them into one conceptual mixing bowl and the thing that emerged was Baihe. Secondly, depending on Naoki's attention to the transient, he might notice that she herself is not entirely physical - as if Aether itself had decided to take material form but wasn't doing the greatest job at it. Third, as a combination of the two prior points, while her head is just a little too thin to be venomous, the Serpent does open her mouth to reveal an almost mercurial set of teeth as if sensing Sato's inner queries.
"No," Lance replies, returning to reality after some small amount of time, "I am no shifter... Nor do I have fangs. I am... We are, just an aspect of nature.... Mrhm. Excuse me. As for numbers, I suppose that would have to depend on the size of the beasts. If you like, I can show you the jar I will be using? Not now, but perhaps another day? It is a little too big for me to bring it all the way out here."
[12:40] Naoki Sato steps back, noting both the way Lance's focus wavers when he 'interacts' for lack of a better term with Baihe and the oddities of the white serpent's features. Years of dealing with Thirteen before her tangible body had gotten him accustomed somewhat to more transient things, Aetheric entitites specifically. He seems curious, studious even. "Where does the toxin come from?" he asks, turning back to the table to take a piece of discarded skin into his palm to look it over.
There are microscopes nearby and odd lens-bearing contraptions on the tables - things that Dashrix often used when examining more minute things. Sato steps over to one and straps the head-mounted lenses to his face, pulling them over his eyes. Blood seeps from the sides of his neck to tweak at dials that adjust the focus, allowing him to peer at the skin in his hands on a microscopic level.
"Am I to ingest these?" he asks without any hint of disgust or hesitation at the thought. Making another 'appointment' of sorts to examine the jar met with a nod. Sato doesn't seem bothered or surprised by the idea of a jar large enough to hold Lance + some nameless assortment of beasties.
---- continued in Discord