Zion Strife
Determined Individual
FFT Veteran
Posts: 188
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Post by Zion Strife on Dec 12, 2007 0:50:56 GMT -5
Zion strides cautiously into town. He had always been cautious these days, ever since going into hiding again. He figured it would spill over into full paranoia eventually. He moved slowly but purposely towards the mansion. He knew she would return there. She always did.
He unconsciously grabbed the necklace again. That had become a habit of late. It suddenly felt so out of place since what had happened. He looked down every alley he passed. Even Zion, himself, didn't know what he was looking for.
His pace quickened as he reached the road to the mansion. Lucia and him had fought this kind of thing before. He knew in his mind, somehow, the answers would become apparent if he got her help. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize where he was until he was right at the mansion door. He opened it a bit and peeked inside.
When he saw nothing, he opened it the rest of the way and went in. Once inside, he began exuding as much magical power as he could without too much strain. He wanted to let Lucia feel his presence if she was awake. He decided to wait in the hall for a bit, not wanting to intrude too far if Lucia was, indeed, awake and knew he was there. So he sat on the bottom step of the stairs leading to the top floor and waited.
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Lucia Valentine
Experienced Novice
Rest... awakening... life's cycle refuses to cooperate with me lately.
Posts: 100
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Post by Lucia Valentine on Dec 12, 2007 13:20:31 GMT -5
:: A familiar voice speaks from above. ::
"The manor is so empty these days..."
:: Suddenly, Lucia has appeared, sitting on the railing of the very staircase Zion was waiting on. As was often her habit, her legs are crossed at the knee, in an expression of casual rejection of the laws of physics. In some small ways, they simply didn't apply to her. ::
"... if I had known Father and Mother would disappear, I would have tried harder to learn more about myself. The new me, I mean."
:: She sighs and shakes her head. ::
"Well, you understand."
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Zion Strife
Determined Individual
FFT Veteran
Posts: 188
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Post by Zion Strife on Dec 12, 2007 18:08:29 GMT -5
Zion scrambles to his feet when he suddenly hears a voice. He backs away from the stairs and even goes as far as to reach up to the hilt of his sword before he realizes who it is and relaxes. He silently cursed himself for the overreaction but didn't dwell on it.
"I do. You told me yourself that your memories were returned but I doubted they would ever be fully what they were. Even i'm not really sure how much of you is the same."
He fell silent after that. The thought had just sunk in for him at that moment too. Nagging doubts sprung up in his mind about his plan at this. He dismissed them at once and continued.
"Either way, I came for many reasons. I'm sorry for disappearing again after returning to you but the world had need of me again."
He looked down and away from her and continued.
"That and I'm not sure how safe I am to be around at this point."
He continued to look away and looked as if lost in thought. He shook himself out of his thoughts and looked back to her.
"Anyway, before I get into that. I wish to hear of you. I've been gone for some time and I have been worried about the aftermath of the battle with Jenova."
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Lucia Valentine
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Rest... awakening... life's cycle refuses to cooperate with me lately.
Posts: 100
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Post by Lucia Valentine on Dec 14, 2007 16:23:14 GMT -5
"Worried...?"
:: Lucia smiles, slightly but obviously. ::
"You're checking up on me again. I should have known."
:: She levitates a bit, and slowly lowers herself to stand on the staircase. ::
"To be honest, I'm not sure how I am. I was only able to sleep a little more, before I was awakened again."
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Zion Strife
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Posts: 188
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Post by Zion Strife on Dec 21, 2007 10:25:29 GMT -5
Zion frowns at that. He was already worried about that her absorbing Jenova at the battle in the town.
"That wouldn't have anything to do with our fight with Jenova, would it?"
He didn't need to state his worries for them to be clear as day. They had been through so much to try and remove Jenova's influence from Lucia. He always got suspicious when abnormalities popped up when they're related to Jenova. He realized he was getting off topic and that he needed to present his current problem but he couldn't let it go without some kind of comfort that everything was as it should be. His concern showed on his face, whether he wanted it to or not.
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Lucia Valentine
Experienced Novice
Rest... awakening... life's cycle refuses to cooperate with me lately.
Posts: 100
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Post by Lucia Valentine on Dec 22, 2007 16:08:55 GMT -5
:: Lucia remains silent. For a moment, she considers lying just to put Zion's worries to rest. But they'd been through so much together, he'd probably see right through it anyway. So instead, she decides to tell him everything. ::
"Yes... it does."
:: Before even giving Zion a chance to register her answer, she quickly continues. ::
"But I'm okay. It has nothing to do with the Jenova inside me. Ever since I... changed, I've been very resistant to her. Or 'it'. Otherwise I never would have survived the fusion with Sev. Or what happened with Galeon at Nibelheim..."
:: Her eyelids slowly fall, as she gets to the bottom line of her explanation. ::
"That's what happened. I couldn't rest... knowing that he was still vulnerable to her..."
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Zion Strife
Determined Individual
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Posts: 188
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Post by Zion Strife on Dec 27, 2007 10:20:06 GMT -5
Zion thinks this over in his mind. He knows she's not lying or bending the truth. There were never any secrets between them. He knows they don't have much of a chance of finding the new Jenova host as it was. There was nothing they could do at the minute. Zion figures they would go after him eventually.
"There's, most likely, nothing we can do for him right now. We could hunt him down to try but I do have another pressing matter that I wanted to talk to you about regarding this crystal..."
Zion shows her the dark crystal.
"... and, what I believe is, the sentient being living within it."
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Lucia Valentine
Experienced Novice
Rest... awakening... life's cycle refuses to cooperate with me lately.
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Post by Lucia Valentine on Dec 29, 2007 11:49:28 GMT -5
"... Sentient?"
:: Lucia seems worried at that. She can't exactly sense what might be inside the crystal, but the mere fact that Zion came to her specifically narrows the already short list. ::
"What do you know about it?"
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Zion Strife
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FFT Veteran
Posts: 188
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Post by Zion Strife on Jan 9, 2008 21:53:35 GMT -5
Zion looks down at the crystal as he holds it up. He did know much about the thing. He only had general feelings and suspicions about it. He began trying to sort through them and organize them into something that might resemble a list of features.
"Well, it seems to want to protect me for some reason or another. I think that may point to it being a parasitic being of some kind, as it has no such love for others. It kept a mortal wound from killing me once and even took control of my body for a period of time. It talked to me, said I was "performing poorly" and took control. It took some effort to wrest back my body. I only have guesses at this point, unfortunately."
He looked from the crystal to her with a somewhat expectant look. He looked as if he expected her to have an answer for him of some kind. Even he didn't know why this was the case.
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Lucia Valentine
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Rest... awakening... life's cycle refuses to cooperate with me lately.
Posts: 100
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Post by Lucia Valentine on Jan 10, 2008 19:58:56 GMT -5
:: Lucia gazes curiously at the crystal. It wasn't the familiar feeling of Jenova. If it had been, Zion would have likely recognized it right away. Then again, the crystal may have shielded the strange being's identity somehow. With a sigh, Lucia lowers her head. ::
"If Mother were still here... she used to research things like this. Sentient beings awaiting reanimation in the Lifestream, if I remember correctly. This could be something like that. But..."
:: She frowns, narrowing her eyes as she tries to sense further into the crystal. Unfortunately, it seems to have no effect. ::
"... I am worried. It sounds similar to Jenova in some ways."
:: Finally giving up on trying to identify whatever was inside the crystal, Lucia steps a bit closer to Zion. ::
"Have you tried to destroy it?"
:: It was an obvious question, but Lucia needed to know that this "parasite" wasn't influencing Zion's decisions even now. ::
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Zion Strife
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Posts: 188
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Post by Zion Strife on Jan 11, 2008 0:07:45 GMT -5
Zion considered this to himself. He thought back and tried to pinpoint a time, if any, that he had tried to destroy the crystal. He couldn't think of one. That began to concern him.
"No, I haven't. I have attempted to throw it away but I've never been able to get rid of it. It always comes back the next day. I don't know how."
Zion thinks some more. They may need to preform some experiments to see the general nature of the crystal.
"We could try a few general experiments to try and discern it's reaction to certain things and the nature of the being inside, if there is one. I don't know where to begin though."
He thinks it over for a second then continues.
"We could start by finding out how it returns to me when I try to dispose of it. It's something i've been wondering."
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Lucia Valentine
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Rest... awakening... life's cycle refuses to cooperate with me lately.
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Post by Lucia Valentine on Jan 15, 2008 19:00:40 GMT -5
:: Lucia takes a moment to think back to what she knows of her mother's methods of experimentation. Zion's suggestion sounds like a logical first step to her, but she gets the feeling something specific might help any experimentation. Her thoughts immediately turn to the equipment in the basement. ::
"... We might want to try monitoring your own life force at the same time. If its absence affects anything serious, it might be difficult to disconnect from you."
:: She glances in the general direction of the no-longer-very-secret passage from the upstairs of the manor down to the basement laboratory. ::
"Mother may have left some equipment here that we can use. If I can figure out ways around her security..."
:: There's a hopeful tone in her voice... Lucia has wanted to unlock some of her mother's secrets since her latest awakening. Obviously, Zion's problem takes priority, but a door once unlocked can be opened again. ::
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Zion Strife
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Posts: 188
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Post by Zion Strife on Jan 21, 2008 23:28:01 GMT -5
Zion walked towards and passed Lucia to stand a short distance above her on the staircase. He looks towards the room with the familiar passage to the basement. He looks back to Lucia and holds out his hand to her, as if to help her up the stairs.
"Shall we?"
His tone and the gesture were somewhere between an attempt to lighten the mood and a somewhat romantic gesture. A slight smile finds it's way to his face. It was nice for him to be working with Lucia again. He holds this position, waiting for a response.
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Lucia Valentine
Experienced Novice
Rest... awakening... life's cycle refuses to cooperate with me lately.
Posts: 100
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Post by Lucia Valentine on Jan 23, 2008 18:22:49 GMT -5
:: Even Lucia smiles at Zion's gesture. It's a bit nostalgic... reminding her of days when her life was much simpler, despite Jenova. And maybe there could be something else to it, as well. ::
'Some things change... some never will...'
:: She accepts Zion's hand. ::
"Of course."
:: Lucia actually walks to the top of the stairs. As she gently slips her hand out of Zion's, she wonders exactly what things have changed, and what haven't. Favoring her companion with a slightly more obvious smile, she subtly shifts into taking the lead on their way to the basement. Most of the route is unchanged, but the ruined laboratory from years past has been renovated into a small home research center where Lucrecia had worked until her disappearance. Lucia sits at the computer, crossing her legs in a very ladylike fashion before moving closer to the keyboard. ::
"I'm not sure what she would have used for a password. We'll have to guess, and we only get a few tries before the entire system locks down."
:: She quickly glances over her shoulder. ::
"There might be some kind of hints in the library, but we can't be certain about that, either."
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Zion Strife
Determined Individual
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Posts: 188
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Post by Zion Strife on Jan 24, 2008 17:59:59 GMT -5
Zion returned Lucia's smile as they walked along to the basement and it's renovated lab. He wasn't quite sure what to make of his own actions. His rational brain, the one that allowed him to survive in the wilderness for extended periods of time, was yelling at him to stay focused but his mind wasn't paying attention to that at the moment. He stands behind Lucia, looking at the computer over her shoulder. He considered her explanation about the password and allowed himself a smirk.
"Seems everything is a mystery to be solved around here."
Thinking about it more carefully, his mind kept going back to one thing as a possibility. He had no basis for this but neither of them really had basis passed instinct at this point.
"The cave. The one where my father and his group found her. It's name escapes me but something tells me it's that. Although, I could be wrong."
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Lucia Valentine
Experienced Novice
Rest... awakening... life's cycle refuses to cooperate with me lately.
Posts: 100
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Post by Lucia Valentine on Jan 24, 2008 18:16:16 GMT -5
:: Lucia frowns, the mention of the cave bringing back a particular memory of her father. ::
"Mother would never talk about it, but Father mentioned that his own father was connected to her research. He was the first one to go to the cave with her."
:: Lucia goes with the impulse, speaking the name aloud as she types it. ::
"Grimoire Valentine..."
:: The password screen on the monitor clears, revealing files on both old and new research performed by Dr. Lucrecia Crescent. Lucia can barely conceal her shock. ::
"... That's it. We're in Mother's database."
:: There are so many files on Lifestream theories and different sentient life forms, Lucia is unsure where to begin. ::
"Do you want to look at some of these files first, or try running tests? We should be able to use the lab equipment now."
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Zion Strife
Determined Individual
FFT Veteran
Posts: 188
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Post by Zion Strife on Jan 25, 2008 9:45:13 GMT -5
Zion was just as surprised when that worked. He considered his options. As he briefly skimmed over the file names that appeared when the password went through, he thought of something he was surprised he hadn't considered earlier.
"Is there a machine somewhere in here that might be able to scan the properties of the crystal? If not whether it's sentient or not, something that might be able to try and identify it's properties."
The thought amused him that he had been contracted by that resistance force in Narshe for just such a device. I thought it odd that he hadn't thought to come here first. Either way, he figured that it wasn't something he could dwell on with the task at hand.
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Lucia Valentine
Experienced Novice
Rest... awakening... life's cycle refuses to cooperate with me lately.
Posts: 100
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Post by Lucia Valentine on Jan 29, 2008 20:14:43 GMT -5
:: Lucia pauses for a moment. ::
"... I doubt there's anything that specific. Sentience is difficult to scientifically test. But scanning the crystal for traces of Lifestream energy should determine whether it is really alive."
:: She begins to look around on the computer for some kind of control program for such a scanner. ::
"Could you try looking for the machine? It should be in here somewhere... a black box with a small viewing window, if I'm correct."
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Zion Strife
Determined Individual
FFT Veteran
Posts: 188
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Post by Zion Strife on Feb 10, 2008 23:07:25 GMT -5
Zion scanned the room quickly and didn't see much that came close to that description. He figured it might be hiding behind something and walked deeper into the room to check. After a quick browsing of the random equipment, he finds a mid sized, hi-tech looking, black box with a small glass movable section for entering and removing objects. Wires seemed to connect it to the main computer. Zion considered it for a second then called to Lucia.
"I think this is it. It looks like it's hooked up to the computer. See if you can activate it."
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Lucia Valentine
Experienced Novice
Rest... awakening... life's cycle refuses to cooperate with me lately.
Posts: 100
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Post by Lucia Valentine on Feb 11, 2008 17:12:30 GMT -5
:: Lucia searches through programs a bit more before coming up with one that might work. She activates it and checks the interface. The monitor displays a bunch of scanner information, all blank at the moment, only parts of which might actually make sense to Lucia. ::
"How about now? Is it working?"
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