Fantasy The Rotting Hero

[Hill the Traveler]

I heard a whisper on my shoulder,


Pretending life, is worth the fight,


oh can you hear, the sound of Thunder?


When fear strangles a soldier's pride.


....................


I remember cheering from towers, a face


smiling in the light


I remember the bells, the flowers,


those days are dying in the


dark


......................


I was shaped for the fury, of the human race's vice.


I was promised the glorious ending, of a knight!


But that end is out of sight.


=====================




​

The Rotting Hero -- A man who fought in a war against the most violent, arcane, and awful monsters, is the sole survivor, and the victor of such a war.


This man was found atop a pile of half rotten bodies, both corpses of friend AND foe...looking aged, hardened, almost petrified in his pose, of a victorious knight.


His country, Aegis, could not turn a blind eye to any soldier, and thus brought him to the heart of Aegis.


Too unsafe to allow traverse the public, due to the outbursts of violent power and rage, he is kept in a holding facility, until a war erupts.


For 50 years, he has not aged, and has been used in countless wars. He was a weapon, not a man, like a sword in the hand of its user.


To the contrary, most of Aegis is in love with our powerful representative of their power. And bring gifts of candy and letters of thanks, (on some occasions, soldiers saved by his strength were sending confessions of love!)


In these coming years, 60 years after he was brought back to Aegis, he has grown too unstable, the entire heart of Aegis is at unrest, as small tremors, and unintelligible mutters flow through the castle and city.....


Suddenly, he's been growing pale, and looking skeletal. The public is at unrest, as a neighboring nation is growing abrasive towards Aegis, and the man in the heart of the castle is not ready for war...


Who are you in this day and age?


--


ALERT, ALERT, RESTRICTIONS INBOUND!


You can only pick from these few character "types", you are not designated a person, but a role, think like a Class in an MMO.


1. Attendant -- Carefully tends to Vocemeius, the man in the heart of the castle. Mostly poking and prodding through Vocemeius's mind, asking questions. This character type may/can give out information to the public quietly.


2. Scientist of Arcane Studies -- A carefully selected group of exemplary thinkers and mages, to see if Vocemeius's condition/power's status. This character type may/can give out information to the public quietly.


3. Sorceress -- Assistant to Aria, a group of mages who wrangle Vocemeius if he gets dangerous, or helps Aria command him in the heat of battle.


4. Anti-Arcane Cultist -- A threat to Vocemeius, those who believe he must be disposed of, as his stability and willingness to obey is a liability. Some are recruited as mercenaries at first to get recon on movements of patrol, or weak spots in the vault that holds Vocemeius.


5. Military Council -- A mix of strategists, politicians, and generals/colonels that now have extreme pressure on their backs, as the public is unrest at the thought of Vocemeius weakening. Mostly public speeches and decisions are made. They usually interact with citizens by having average conversations.


6. THE PRESS!-- People who publish what they think of any current events, maybe be the propaganda central of Aegis, or a not so famous paper containing the anonymous thoughts of angry citizens?//A normal citizen.


7.Activist -- People who speak for the side of the "Will our hero stay or go?" argument.


---------------


RULES


=========


1.Barely any combat in this RP, this is an interesting fantasy, not an arena, sorry, brawlers! ;_;


2.NO ROMANCE, this is a story about a rotting weapon, not your love story between two military council people.


3. No metagaming, you are given information about your job, you also do not get to instantly have information about the situation about Vocemeius, if you are citizens, the press, an anti-arcane cultist, or an activist, information may never leave the walls, unless.


4. Other than sorceresses, and Arcane Scientists, NO ONE CAN USE MAGIC, sorry special snowflakes, your snowstorm making citizen does not exist.


--


--


The holding vault the houses Vocemeius, is sweltering hot, at 90 degrees fahrenheit. The vault is spherical, with blastproof windows, in 3 layers. Pipes are dug into the back of Vocemeius, who is dressed in a large fur cape, a concealing helmet with the likeness of a crown, large armor with smaller pipes, meters, and devices within it. Vocemeius sits on a circular platform, in the middle of the gigantic sphere.


Below him, equipment, resembling speakers on a boombox, vibrate as they siphon arcane energy from him, to power the very devices they observe him with. All the while, these "speakers" play the voice of his loving caretaker, Aria, head sorceress. The same chilling, yet commanding song that drives Vocemeius from his catatonic, hair trigger temper, to a lucid, powerful warrior.

"Our names won't be remembered,


if we die like trampled flowers,


I refuse to be forgotten, as less than worthless...


...You no longer live as cattle, will you rise and join the battle.....


There are beings, that live off your fears...


They'll try to control you, as if they own you...


will you let them steal your freedom?


Channel the anger, swelling inside you, fighting the boundary until you


break it


Deep in your soul, there's no hesitation, so make yourself the one they all


fear!


There is a wild fire inside you, burning desire you can't extinguish...


Your crimson arrow rips through the twilight...this is the moment for war!"

​

While this song sounds like it may channel him into wanting to break out, it simply is a song that sounds nice to him, and will only act based on the tone Aria makes, this recording is that of a lullaby, keeping him calm, and sleepy.


A few attendants check some pumps, lifting the cape and opening flaps on his armor casually, as if he were just an engine....


Vocemeius, occasionally, may suddenly swivel his head to the side to look down at an attendant, in a sudden and terrifying way, especially at unfamiliar attendants, such as new recruits whom are teased later for reacting in a terrified, child-like manner as the strange stare, from his concealed face ( the "crown" helmet is also a mask for his face. ) After a half our checkup, the attendants walk back through the vault door, to record their findings, nothing has changed, but his skeletal look, and more weak voice/paler skin have not worsened or improved.

 

[Hill the Traveler]

Hill the Traveler updated The Rotting Hero with a new update entry:


Closed on Scientists and Attendants!

Here are the still open character types:
Sorceress


Politician/Military Council


Citizen/Soldier


Activist/The Press

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Hill the Traveler]

Hill the Traveler updated The Rotting Hero with a new update entry:


IT BEGINS!

The RP will soon begin at 3:00 P.M. EDT
(check timezones at http://www.timeanddate.com/time/map/)


The scene will open at Vocemeius getting his "checkup".

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[AngelicCiel]

(( I am assuming we are starting the the morning.)


Althea rolled out of the sun spot on her bed and glared at it like an angry bear in it's cave. Mornings were not her strong suit, but she sighed anyway giving up the ghost and removing herself from her blanket cocoon. Immediately afterwards, she got out of bed and did her morning stretches. 1, 2, 3; some breathing, some stretches, some punches, some breathing, some blowing fire, and she was done. Next she just slid on her robes and a lab coat over that. Althea did not see the need to dress any differently then what she was and even her green & brown robes were simple. Traveling definitely turned her off to the pattern of fancier robes as one's power increases. It was something that she came to realize was only for mages who wanted to get attacked walking from one town to another.


After a rather boring and unremarkably unwritten scene in which Althea unraveled, combed, and braided her hair for the day, the mage stepped ou unto the street and quickly up into the awaiting carriage. The carriage ride was always the segue she need to go from being alone to being among people. The people she worked with in particular. Some of them were a bit on the odd side. No really, beyond the pale types.


At the castle, as usual, she was whisked away as they swept her into the building as if she were in some sort of overclassified operation.


The whirlwind deposited her in the observation room. Stretching again after all the unnecessary rushing, Althea walked over the the console and opened her work journal of sorts, as well as removing her paper copy from her bag.


With both open she walked over to the overhead speaker: "Good morning, Vocemeius." Althea spoke plainly, with no special intonation for her subject. She wrote everything that happened next down in both journals, but only putting her opinion on the paper.

 

[Hill the Traveler]

Vocemeius briefly looks around, as if confused, and pulls the large fur cape over his shoulders a little more, making him look like a furry lump with a crown on top. Strange... 
The viewing room is a small, boxy office like area, with cameras and microphones and computers covering the walls. It's cooler than other rooms in temperature, relaxing for someone who just woke up in the muggy summer of Aegis. 
All the staff was on edge around Althea, as this day was different than all the other days of checkups...


This was the day Vocemeius was to be shown to the public for the annual Day of Heroes. A showcase of all the military heroes throughout Aegis's history....but never excluding Vocemeius as the main attraction, however, in good spirit and honor of Aegis's soldiers, they don't give out medals to Vocemeius, or put him too far into the center of attention, no military could be THAT pompous, could they?


Clarence, and Verna are soon to do psychological and physical checkups, as well as Althea having to determine if the exposure to Arcane energy the public will experience from being around Vocemeius will be safe.


Other attendants must simply watch their superiors, the ones who REALLY knew this strange man well, work their ways with him.


The singing sorceress, Aria, has not shown up from her quarters in the castle, the constant recording of her song is muffled as it plays through Althea's ears.

 

[AngelicCiel]

((Thanks for the ob room description.)


Althea closed and put her journal into her bag. Sitting in a chair she pulled up the daily log for Vocemeius's condition and noted his cape adjustment. Rolling in her chair she moused over to the temperature console.


"89 degrees. Someone is sensitive today, aren't we." Althea turned the knob ever so slightly to bring it back to 90 degrees.


Rolling back to the journal console and pulling out her paper journal she noted something else:


Subject responded to -1 degree temperature change. Cause unknown, will have maintenance take actual room temperature and compare to viewing room console. Other reasons possible: subject now requires hotter room; subject has actually responded to single degree temperature change. Requires further study at a later date. Will return to normal for now. Room Temperature 89: experiment complete. Results: Inconclusive without instrument checks.


Stretching, Althea spun around in her chair. Things could move slowly, when her co-workers were not around to have conversations with her. For now, she decided, she would refrain from anymore actions until they arrived. After a moment of staring at the console, Althea closed both journals.


"Day one of operation 'good morning' down. Perhaps I will convince some of the others to jump in on my days off." She said spinning around again.


"I feel like there is something else I have to do today...."

 

[Hill the Traveler]

Vocemeius, with the temperature change, shrugs his cape off somewhat, like it became normal temperature then.


Aria opens the door, not dressed in her overly-fashionable attire, but now some sort of extremely-fashionable black robe.


She speaks to Althea: "You, Clarence and Verna (she puts a more disgusted emphasis on Verna's name, Aria seems to not like the little girl who cuts everyone up...) are going to have to do his checkup soon, we don't want a grumpy, unmoving hunk of junk being presented today...also, don't change the temperature, he rustles up that cape too much..."


She speaks in a nagging tone, in the sense, a nagging mother that nags in your best interest kind of tone, this makes you listen up more than usual to her orders. 
Aria promptly leaves sighing and muttering something about "cough drops and honey for breakfast", in her usual cold, uncaring voice.

 

[AngelicCiel]

Althea sighed and spun around in her chair. Riiight. She thought in response to Aria's complaint about the temperature. Perhaps i should note in the journal that she had a bigger reaction than he did.


She watched as Aria swept out of the room. Turning a lab assistant she said:


"Oh no, ice queen is getting a cold." Althea shook her head regretfully to sell the joke.


The assistant turned their head and looked at her from the corner of their eyes.


"I am pretty sure she was out of earshot, but even so..." She shrugged getting up out of her chair.


Out of the observation room, Althea could better check what rolling waves of arcane energy were being emitted from Vocemeius. Before she left, the pumps were checked, and down on the floor she checked the pumps and levels again, but the float was open air, so Althea would have to actually send a drone in there to see how the average person in Aegis would be affected standing a couple meters away. She would also have to calculate just how many meters away they would have to be and get the parade coordinators to push the crowd boundaries back.


Hand on the knob to the sphere Althea swiveled around again to see if she could spot another 'volunteer' to go in with her. Only attendants were standing around though, and they grow used to the amount of energy Vocemeius emits. Only the scientists and the other lab rats who stayed in the observation room, managed to get a clean reading. Still, someone normal had to go with her; mages and sorceresses don't tend to get magic poisoning, especially accomplished ones. What feels like a hot day to Althea could be a nauseating sensation to a normal person. Deciding that there was no point in going without another person to measure, she let her hand slip off the handle and looked around before going back upstairs to the observation room.


Down again in what was becoming her favorite chair of the day, Althea picked up the phone to dial the PA technician.


"Hmm, yes, hello this is a call from the 'basement' observation deck. Can you send an official of some sort down here...No, they cannot be a mage or sorceress...Yes, thank you." Hanging up, she waited. The PA tech wasn't stupid. He would send someone who was authorized to be down here.


Over the intercom she talked to the attendants: "Vocemeius is getting a visitor today, behave yourselves."


Sure they looked up at her annoyingly and some pretending not to understand, but they knew that she meant someone important might be coming, and that they should be on their best behavior.


Turning to the meters again she sighed. The fastest way to decide public safety was to actually have someone walk in there, but if that fell through, she would calculate exposure based on the readings and maybe a quick trip herself. It was not her fault if the government could not supply her with everything she need to make an accurate reading.

 

[Hill the Traveler]

A nervous secretary is sent down to Vocemeius's room. She atleast gets to be the 1st person to see him that isn't a scientist or attendant today, coooool.


She stumbles into the room after being hastily pulled into there, she gains her balance, and walks over to the platform the armored man sits on.


An attendant gives the signal to begin the procedure. The secretary asks a few questions they made her ask. Her state does not seem to change other than being nervous.


Vocemeius looks like he's asleep, but suddenly moves, leaning in to investigate the secretary, his face a little too close to hers.


The secretary screams with surprise and takes a few steps back. Vocemeius tilts his head, and grabs his face, shaking his head.


For the first time, in 20 years, Vocemeius SPEAKS. His voice sounds young as spring, but somber as a veteran reminiscing on his comrades.


"Stop screaming, it's not right, I don't want that!" is all he says, he sounds like a child.


The secretary is three times more scared, and escorted out by some attendants, yet, she is unaffected by any of the energy he emits, good.


But now he speaks?! What an interesting turn.

 

[AngelicCiel]

Althea's mouth hung open for a moment until she manually pushed it back up into place.


What now? Respond? Reassure him she's just overreacting? Stay silent? Really, he only said anything because she was actively screaming, so he probably won't react to being spoken to normally like the attendants and scientists do everyday.


Pondering this conundrum, Althea taps her forehead with one hand and taps the control board with the other.


Could it be that her screaming was hurting his ears? I am sure it is not the first time he has heard someone scream at him. The question is can he sit on a float and be paraded through streets full of cheering and screaming people.


Thinking it best to check his ears anyway. Back to the intercom, she first calls down to the attendants.


"Send her up for debriefing, and afterwards, I want you guys to check Vocemeius' hearing. There are going to be a lot of people screaming today."


Althea nodded to herself. She could work on the speaking thing later, but she would never get the chance if Vocemeius went AWOL during the parade. Just to be sure she called into Vocemeius' cell as well.


"I am going to have the attendants check your ears. It will only take a moment Vocemeius." As long as he was communicating like a human being than she was going to keep informed of goings on around him. Perhaps this little incentive would motivate him? She recorded down all previous thoughts in her paper journal and noted the speaking in both journals.


As for that woman. She has the clearance to come down here but not the stones to stand in his room for two seconds without screaming? Althea was definitely going to give it to her.

 

[Hill the Traveler]

The Attendants hurriedly get down to business, and open up the helmet/mask he wears.


His face is plain, not heroic or handsome looking, small lips, small nose, wide eyes, small eyebrows...I guess this is also a reason why the helmet is also a mask, he doesn't look like a hero.


His expression is that of an apologetic and ashamed person, his skin is paler than his usual caramel, and his bright blonde hair, disheveled and unruly, like a child, still...


The Attendants lowered the sound of Aria's voice from the speakers, and then played a low quiet tone.


Vocemeius blinks, and stares at the attendant closest to him.


A somewhat louder tone is played, Vocemeius blinks, and stares at his feet.


The loudest tone is played, still baritone, Vocemeius does nothing this time.


They do the medium pitch tones, quietest to loudest, Vocemeius does nothing out of the ordidnary....


Then, the high pitched tones come.


The quiet one makes his eyes widen, and place his hands on his knees, as if trying to hold himself back.


Medium volume, high pitched tone plays, Vocemeius is visibly sweating.


The loudest one is about to be played, an attendant runs to the soundboard to stop this--


Vocemeius hears the loud high pitched tone.


He stands up, hands on his ears, roaring "GET OUT, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU!" the short man in the armor flings off his cape, and runs for the vault door, swatting away attendants--did I say swatting? TOSSING Attendants away.


The high pitched sound stops, and he's banging on the door...


What about the high pitched sounds made him react so violently?


They turn up the recording of Aria calmly singing...


Vocemeius looks down at his feet, as if ashamed, and walks back to his seat, pulling the cape over his front now, like a blanket, crossing his legs....

 

[AngelicCiel]

Althea blinks once or twice. Rolling over to the phone again she dials up the phone operator instead, and then they connect her to the person she needs.


"Yes, sir..." She listens for a moment. "In my humble opinion sir, it would be political suicide for you to send him out right now. I also suggest that you look into hiring a few more attendants to replace the ones he just finished bouncing of the walls of his cell....No, I am not overstating this. If just one soprano voiced woman is screaming in the crowd, he is going to tear a path through the crowd to get away from her. Let alone several women per block. I don't have enough time - or uninjured staff - to find away to fix this. I am not going to sign off on this. Good luck finding someone who will after they review that tape." Still on the phone she turned to one of the slightly spooked lab assistants and pointed from the observation screen to the ceiling. They nodded and started using the control panel.


"I am sending the footage as we speak sir." Althea paused for a moment and listened. "I don't know sir asking the crowd to be quiet is a tall order. Parades by their very nature are excitable events." Another pause. "Well, surely you cannot postpone the whole parade...Ah, you mean just his section...I still think it would be safer to implement plan B. I have yet to see Vocemeius' statue swat an attendant away...Yes, of course even if you did not send her she would come." After a moment she nodded and hung up.


"Well, that did not go well." Althea called down to the attendants. "I'll be down there in a moment for the critically injured. Jared already called the medics for the rest of you, and those of you without injuries...take an hour or two off."


Jared the lab assistant nodded to confirm he had done so.


Before she could get down there she saw the secretary. With no time to effectively lecture her, Althea made sure what she did say got across, before she sent her back upstairs.


"Grow a spine girl, or one of those ambitious yuppies you passed on the way up the corporate ladder will rip out the one you have. Your boss will be notified." She said before nodding to Jared to send the woman back upstairs, before heading down to the attendant's floor herself.

 

[Hill the Traveler]

Vocemeius's appearance is canceled for the festival. 
Vocemeius is curled up in his seat, cape over him like a blanket, all comfy. He seems calm now, he occasionally rolls his helmet, which is still off, around with his foot. A check up is scheduled soon for his psychological state, Verna will soon be sent in to perform some tests on him.... 
Meanwhile, in an Aegis war room, directly below the "throne room" for the one and only Vocemeius, the greatest minds of the Aegis war machine strategize, as talks of their neighboring country, Sect, wanting to move in on Aegis as Vocemeius worsens....


This includes Johannes, and several other strategists.


Eigban, cartographer and route planner for many surprise attacks.


Sieson, a scientist that discusses how and when Vocemeius will be deployed into the heat of battle.


Rrec, a desert dwelling immigrant drafted into a war 15 years ago, war hero, brutal warrior, orders what weapons will be used for what mission.


And several other combat geniuses that aren't really that well known.


Sieson is on the podium, discussing that using Vocemeius's unstable condition to their advantage, his unpredictable power may devastate their ranks, or any standing resistance in Sect's forces.


Sieson is well known for his one and only solution....Use Vocemeius for something! Except stealth missions, you know how that goes...

 

[Armed Thief]

Johannes was leaning on his hand, one leg crossed over the other. Here he was again, sitting among those better suited to become politicians than participate in this war business. Here he sat, amongst men of presumably higher capability than him in what he assumed was intelligence and other subjects that had nothing to do with the war. A scientist, of all things. He could never understood why the higher ups let this kook have a place in the war room, much less take precedence in the discussion Perhaps, he was directly related to the Vocemeius project, that's why. Those in the rank and file who put their lives on the stakes table every day, those who had grown disenchanted with the whole Vocemeius worship called the 'hero' of Aegis the Project. A weapon. A thing. Inhuman. An alien not of this world. Johannes could only do so much to silence them, to tell them it was rude to speak of their national hero that way.


"You think so too, Lieutenant, don't you?" one of the Sergeants had said when Johannes told them off.


He was right. Johannes had, indeed, the same thoughts as the soldiers. As romantic as the thought was, a man who had everything to lose to death putting his country ahead of himself was to be cherished as much as, if not more than, one that had nothing to fear even if Death turned her grim scythe towards him. Johannes uncrossed his legs, straightened up on his seat and placed both of his gloved hands on the table.


"With all due respect, sir, I'm sure your scientific prowess and knowledge far surpasses those of us who have done nothing but dig trenches and bloody our coats with our enemies' blood through our whole lives, but your tactical know-how seems lacking, with the absence of a better word. We have troops ready to deploy, troops ready to do as you wish. Is the deployment of our esteemed hero of legend," he paused to let the subtle sarcasm seep into the room, excusing himself by taking a picture of the man in question from a file and looking at it, before continuing, "really that necessary? We don't want him getting...more stressed out, do we?" His face was neutral throughout, but his voice bore something dangerous in it, something that said that he knew all that they were trying to hide. His objective was simple: to bring the light back to the soldiers' eyes, to rally them back to the frontlines as patriots willing to die. At the rate they were going, more of them will fall to the crippling disdain for their strongest man. When that happens, Johannes wasn't sure if the Project had the capability to take down a whole other country, but if he couldn't, their country would crumble and fall to enemy hands. Whether the citizens will blame the soldiers or their Vocemeius, Johannes did not wish to know. He won't let that happen.

 

[Hill the Traveler]

Sieson looks confused. And lets out a kind of nervous laugh no man would ever laugh.


"How long have we been using him? 60 years...How many times has he failed? None."


Sieson smirks condescendingly. "See, without him we don't have the morale, we don't have the intimidating image of our little hero devastating their resistance."


Sieson continues. "Need I remind you, 10 years ago, in the battle against that bird worshipping country, Aero, I think.....the airship blasting hailfires of cannonballs onto our frontlines, did you read the casualties? I still can't remember the number, it was so high....it was about to enter the most populated areas of Aegis civilians, but guess what? Vocemeius just leapt up and crushed it, just like that...." He snaps his fingers to emphasize that.


"And you think we're going to NOT use him? He's perfectly fine, strange occurrences can happen any time with something like Voce--"


Sieson is interrupted, a scared looking attendant, in their goggles, labcoat, smock, and face mask, walks up to Sieson.


They have hushed conversation, and Sieson looks as though he's been shot. He sinks into his chair, hand over his face.


"Go on, Johannes, what do we do if we're not using Vocemeius?"


The karma has never felt so good.

 

[AngelicCiel]

((I assume they were not getting the alerts either?)


Althea did what she could to help the attendants that were worse off, the ones who got hit and then immediately hit something else without hang-time inbetween. The less injured attendants sat up as they watched her work her magic, literally. On a nicer day, Althea would shout something akin to "Cura II!" or some foolishness like that while she healed someone in order to entertain herself, but today was already starting off bad, and so she put the jrpg jokes aside for the moment. When she had attended to the seriously injured and they were safely being carted away by the medics she took a large breath and waited before letting it go.


The man had the mind set of a two-year-old right now, and Althea was definitely not going to send anymore attendants in there to see what was physically wrong with his ears. Althea would have to wait for...that woman...this time referring to Verna. The child was smart, Althea would give her that, but she was also just that, a child. The worse type of child in particular: morbidly curious. And on average Althea treated Verna the same as everyone else, but at the same time made sure her back was never to her. Althea did, however treat her differently when it came to Vocemeius. The girl wanted to dissect him for goodness sake. It was written all over her face at times. God forbid there was ever a chance she was left alone with Vocemeius, he would stomp her into a bloodly mess when she tried to dissect him. Even so, Althea felt the need to protect him from her.


With a rotation schedule set-up so that the attendants could take their hour or two breaks, Althea contemplated going back upstairs, but she wanted to run a competency test before Verna arrived for the phys-


Althea spun around. Shouldn't Verna have been here already? Oh, she was going to kick herself when she heard all of the stuff she missed today.


Back to her thoughts, before Verna arrived for the physical test. Even if it was Verna, Althea did not want to have to relocate Vocemeius while they were getting the stains out the sphere. Of course sending the attendants in was not an option, and when she looked up all the scientists and lab techs were waving at her from the observation deck.


Picking up the nearest phone, she dialed the observation room. "Oh, I see, so you all want me to do the competency test. Even though I just finished healing all those attendants while you all sat on your hands. If I die, don't let Verna dissect me you selfish cowards." Althea shook her fist at them, but they laughed at her last words anyway.


Hanging up Althea sighed, why couldn't today be normal? Vocemeius sleeps. Vocemeius eats. Vocemeius blinks. The normal.


Taking a few long breaths to gather up her energy, Althea enters the sphere- empty handed for less distractions- and reads his mood before firmly closing the door behind her.


"Good afternoon, Vocemeius. My name is Althea. Can I ask you to do a few things for me?" She spoke keeping her voice low and even, like a doctor talking to a child. At the same time she thanked God, that she had been given the voice of a tenor.


((Unnaturally long post is unnaturally long.)

 

[Hill the Traveler]

Vocemeius looks at Althea blankly, and looks her up and down, like an animal making sure the other animal isn't going to try to snap it in half.


Vocemeius makes a low, tired groaning sound, and nods.

 

[AngelicCiel]

"I know, I know, we are all tired today." She nodded after his tried groan. "Thank you for cooperating, anyway."


"First, do this." Standing up straight with her arms out and her legs together, she brought her left hand to her face and touched her nose. "It will tell me how aware you are of your surroundings." Althea waited for him to react.


"Okay. Now, Vocemeius, do this." Starting from the 'T' pose from earlier, she brought the tips of her fingers together. "This will tell me how aware you are of yourself." Again she waited for him to mimic her.


"Next, I need you to show me on one hand how many fingers I have on both of my hands."


First she held up one finger on both hands.


Second, one finger on her left hand and two on her right hand.


Lastly, two fingers on her left hand and one on her right hand.


"Good, now almost done." Numbers are probably complicated for him anyway so I will use a different version of that test to confirm.


"Do what I do this time."


First, two fingers on each hand. Then, two on the left three on the right. Lastly, three then two again.


"Last question Vocemeius. What is my name?" She said pointing to herself as she did the first time she said her name, so he could remember.

 

[Hill the Traveler]

Vocemeius stood up and stretched his arms out, being the one true 'T'.


Vocemeius stares at your fingers for a moment. And speaks. "One." "One."


"Two...." "One." "One, two..........."


He begins mimicking your finger movements.


At the last question he blinks a few times, and immediately responds "Esther."


w h a t ?

 

[AngelicCiel]

Althea puts her hands on her hip for a moment


He was able to tell how many fingers were on each hand, but failed to combine them and show me the answer on one hand. He did however perfectly mimic me the second time, so he definitely had no problem counting. He did the 'T' pose but was unable to touch his nose or fingers, so he might be a little uncoordinated right now.


She was going to go a bit off the cuff, but Althea made that decision in a split second so Vocemeius would continue thinking this was part of the test.


"And who is Esther?" Althea continued with the same tone.


"What does she do?"

 

[Hill the Traveler]

"Esther..." Vocemeius then does something unthinkable, and hugs you.


"It's been so long, Esther, it hasn't been good...." He sounds like he's about to cry, WHAT IS HAPPENING?


"They're not nice, they're never nice...." Vocemeius tightens the hug slightly.

 

[AngelicCiel]

Althea closes her eyes for a moment and breathes slowly.


I ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT FREAKOUT. She thinks to herself. That is the WORST THING I CAN DO RIGHT NOW.


So for a moment she just sort of hangs out in his arms, while Althea battles against the ever rising levels of adrenaline in her bloodstream.


Well, Esther must have been human since I am not being crushed into smithereens by this hug. She talks herself back into the job a hand rather than the obvious threat to her safety......


Nope. Nope! Freaking out, now. Freaking out riiiighht now! She does her breathing exercises again. Okay, alright, okay. I am good I can do this. As long as he thinks I am someone dear he won't crush me...I think. What if it's been a long time because she tried to kill him though? If he remembers that will he try to kill me? A long string of higher level and overly complicated thought processes start up.


After a moment she says: "You have startled me a little Vocemeius, by picking me up...Ah...How long has it been since you have seen Esther?"


Althea avoids admitting that she is Esther, just in case he accuses her of lying later, but she still seizes the opportunity to get to the bottom of whatever is happening to Aegis' greatest hero.


"I think, Vocemeius..." She took a pause to finish that thought. "They are hurting you...to find out what is wrong with you." Althea carefully words that sentence; fighting the claustrophobia that comes from having your arms trapped down by your sides.


I just need to find the right time to address him putting me back down.


She waited.


"Althea would like it if you put me down, Vocemeius. She does not like to be picked up."

 

[Hill the Traveler]

Vocemeius drops you, sort of, you might fall onto your butt from being let go, BUTT that doesn't matter. Vocemeius sits down in his chair, ashamed looking.


"Go away." He pushes on your knee with his foot lightly, a gesture to tell you to GO AWAY.


He goes silent after that.

 

[AngelicCiel]

Althea gives an exasperated sigh.


All that being in fear for my life and not one shred of useful information. It is so like working with a child. I am sure he and Verna would have a lot to talk about.


"Fine. I will leave you alone, but there won't be anymore attendants coming today. They are all a little shook up from how badly you treated them today when they were trying to help you." She said getting up and brushing herself off.


"I am sure Esther would have been disappointed to see that. Good afternoon, and goodnight, Vocemeius." She said opening the door and closing it behind her.


Outside Althea takes a couple steps down the stairs to the floor. Hunches her back and then shakes all over like a dog drying off.


"I feel so much better with all that unused energy gone." She said to herself.


The attendants sort of eyeball her up and down while she shakes off what remains of all her uneasiness in little bursts, as she goes upstairs to the observation room.


In the room she surrenders her lab coat to one of the lab techs who will take it to get tested for all kinds of things. Arcane radiation, extra pheremones, you name anything that will explain what just happened and that lab tech will test for it.


The other scientists in the room wheeled her chair over to her.


"I hope you wrote a copy of that in my journal too." She looked to Jared, who pointed to the screen with her journal open on it.


"And you guys saved a copy of the footage?" The tech guys in the corners held the earpiece of a giant set of headphones in one hand and gave her a thumbs up with the other.


"Alright then incident recorded." She said spinning around in her chair she stared at the ceiling.


"You should probably go home." Someone suggested


"Why? After all I just went in there, so next time it is time for one of you other backstabbers to go in. If it happens today I want yo see it and I want to record it and later I want to mock you for almost losing your lunch just by walking in there...Also I want to enjoy my time as 'king of the lab' a little longer."


There was no point in going home yet anyway. Her house was empty.