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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Jul 5, 2013 17:15:25 GMT -8
tagged: naos. time: may 3rd, 11AM. notes: date is changeable, just say. Whoever had decided that Mikhail was suitable for giving tours and job advice was an idiot, and he had the distinct feeling that it was Komau who was behind it. He hadn't even been given any real warning. He'd just been told, during his second day of work, that he'd be getting a shadow for the next day. Komau had seemed particularly amused, and that amusement hadn't exactly inspired much confidence in Mikhail. Whoever was shadowing him was probably trouble--never-mind that shadowing was far from his favorite thing.
He'd been shadowed several times before by younger members of the society, but that had been in a much different capacity. Back then he'd been a hunter, and a good one at that. Now he was just an archivist, and he wasn't at all confident in his skills. He barely knew his way around the base, and yet he was still supposed to be explaining things to people. Or person. Probably person. Even Komau couldn't be cruel enough to assign him a whole group, could he?
At least it was clear enough what to do. Go to his desk in the vault. Wait for the plebian (or plebians) to show up. Easy enough.
Only it wasn't that easy, because as he approached his desk, he spotted... something. A carrier of some sort, sitting dead center of the desk, and he stopped where he was, suddenly nervous.
What the hell had Komau gotten him into?
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Post by NAOS DIA on Jul 11, 2013 8:00:03 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 3rd
tag | Mikhail
words | 561 | It had been a long night. An eventful night, but a very long one nonetheless. Most people would have been shaken after dealing with such a situation, but for some reason Naos was still far from it. Not only had he and a group of elementals been nearly killed by a swarm of bugs, but also Naos took it upon himself to actually write out a report for the incident before he went to bed that night. He was tired, yes. He skipped a day of school for the first time since he had arrived in Los Angeles only for the sake of at least getting some sleep. It also helped him avoid questions about the bandages on his arms and legs for the bites and stings he had received, not that he couldn't have just lied about a bicycle accident or something.
School was unnecessary anyway. He wasn't learning anything there he hadn't already learned a few years ago aside from some occasionally useful social cues and the fascinatingly biased point of view of American history. Naos's duties in the society had taken priority. That was why, though he had missed school, he still pushed himself out of bed around ten in the morning. He wasn't feeling his best, but it would have to do. A little bit of yoga, a shower, and then it was off to Demand Media. As he was still quite young and not really on a defined path career-wise, he had been occasionally following around different people to see if there was a particular field of research he was most interested in. In all honesty, Naos didn't like the idea of limiting himself to one area at any point, but he still found trailing behind someone all day amusing. Although he really should've just asked if he could reschedule, he was supposed to be following around someone in archival work that day and he really didn't want to miss it even after what had happened. His mother was an archivist, after all. For him, this wasn't so much a field-learning experience as it was an opportunity to see if there was some sort of correlation in the behavioral patterns of archivists in general. Ah, science.
Naos's entrance to the room was quiet at first. He wanted to get a good look at the area and possibly the person he was dealing with before immediately speaking up. At a glance, the man present was as pale and thin as he himself was, if not paler thanks to a lack of hair color. There was also a notable height difference, but that was something Naos was used to seeing. At least it wasn't another much taller cousin he was dealing with this time. He was not a tall boy and he did wonder if his hormones would ever do their job of giving him a few more centimeters. He was already sixteen, after all. Alas, that was beside the point. The idea was pushed away when he too noticed the carrier sitting on the desk, but for now he'd leave questions until after a greeting. That was the proper thing to do, right?
"Hallo!" The Norwegian boy chimed happily with a friendly wave ready for the man. "Are you Mikhail Usenko? I'm a little early, but I believe I'm supposed to be shadowing you for the day." |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Jul 11, 2013 13:47:20 GMT -8
tagged: naos. time: may 3rd, 11AM. notes: date is changeable, just say. Once upon a time, Mikhail could have stared down a wendigo without flinching. Now the simple act of someone talking unexpectedly was enough to make him jump and whip around on the spot. No, not one of his horribly intimidating superiors. Instead it was just a boy of maybe half his age. He seemed just as thin as Mikhail himself was, only he stood a half a foot shorter then him, necessitating the grey haired man to actually look down at him.
Early. Mikhail generally liked early, but with some sort of thing on his desk, he'd have preferred more time. That time would have been used to figure out what it was, maybe tidy up his desk. It was tidy enough as is, but you could never be too tidy when someone else was probably going to end up staring at it a whole bunch.
"Ah, yes." He quickly answered, setting his shoulder bag down on the edge of his desk, far from the carrier. "That would be me. I only just got in--you're a bit early, so I haven't gotten anything set up." He paused, eyeing the carrier apprehensively. "...Nor do I have any information on you, or what is on my desk. Did you bring it?" Which was plausible. Maybe the boy had a pet he'd brought along or something. He was really hoping it was that, because the alternative was Madaki leaving a present.
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Post by NAOS DIA on Jul 12, 2013 8:28:47 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 3rd
tag | Mikhail
words | 322 | Naos had in fact learned the lesson of why you shouldn't sneak up on anyone within the society the hard way. A few times. Why he still chose to do it every now and then was a question he didn't have a logical answer for. It was just amusing. He just kept waving, but he had been ready for the worst when the man turned so quickly. It was a relief when he was met by a calmer reaction afterwards. Though judging by what the man was saying perhaps his early arrival was just too early. If nothing else, it was good to know that he was talking to the right person.
"I see!" His response came with a sense of having already made a revelation for the moment. "You did know I was coming at least, right? I would have thought they'd keep someone in your position better informed than that, so I didn't think to bring any sort of paperwork with me. Or much of anything else, really." He had his identification cards, his glasses, his cellphone, and a few dollars on him, but other than that he hadn't even brought a pen or paper along with him. He had considered bringing his school textbooks to glance over what he was missing, but he could do that at home. It was bound to be less interesting than anything that would happen while shadowing the archivist.
That being said, he eyed the carrier with more curiosity and allowed himself to come closer to the man's desk. He leaned over to try and peek inside one of the openings. "This certainly isn't anything of mine. Maybe someone left it here by accident?" That was highly unlikely to be the case, but Naos was amused by Mikhail's current situation and it wasn't like he really knew about whatever was inside of the carrier. Three minutes in and this was already worth forcing himself out of bed. |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Jul 12, 2013 14:40:49 GMT -8
tagged: naos. time: may 3rd, 11AM. notes: date is changeable, just say. If the boy thought they kept Mikhail informed, he was dead wrong. He was too new, and despite it's relatively small size, the society was still a bureaucracy. There was paperwork all over the place, and no one told him anything. The problem was only exacerbated by his superior--Madaki seemed downright disorganized, and while Mikhail was fairly sure there was some sort of method to his madness, he had no idea what that method was. For all he knew, Madaki could have his entire office packed with reminder post-it-notes that kept him on task. Maybe he only assigned tasked on days starting with T. Who knew? It seemed impossible to understand the man.
"I am still new here, so I am a tad out of the loop on things like this. I was told someone would be shadowing me, but I didn't get any files explaining what you already know or need to be shown... or even if you've been at the LA base long." Which could go either way. Maybe he was brand new, just transferred, or maybe he'd lived there all his life and knew the base better then Mikhail did.
The animal inside the carrier spotted Naos and let out a loud mrowl. Mikhail let out a soft grown in response. An animal. Someone had left an animal on his desk, and he stepped forward, pushing the carrier slightly to reveal a note.
How had he known there would be a note? Because Madaki wouldn't leave him completely in the dark--even if the note was more or less completely useless, simply passing the animal along and telling Mikhail to 'have fun'.
"Apparently I now have a pet to keep track of because he's 'unsuited to stay on the base'." He paused, giving the carrier another glance. "And his name is Princeps."
The carrier gave another mrowl, and the animal inside headbutted the grate.
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Post by NAOS DIA on Jul 12, 2013 21:32:30 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 3rd
tag | Mikhail
words | 320 | A sound! A cat! It was definitely a cat then. Naos couldn't make out its full shape very well from the hole he was peeking in, but that's what he had figured. Not that… it was a very normal looking cat. Or was it? While Mikhail talked, Naos just nodded along, though he finally turned his eyes away from the carrier to look back up. Plenty of people were being transferred to LA, so it wasn't weird to hear that he was new. The boy had only been there a few months himself, but he was observant and at a low enough rank to not really be bothered a lack of communication.
"That makes more sense then. I came here from Norway around the beginning of the year. I'm training in research, but I say that very generally. I think they're trying to get me into a more specific field, and that's why I'm here. Just show me what you think is important," he shrugged casually. He didn't want to go into the things about archival work he did know. He was a wordy and thorough person, and he knew himself well enough to not even start the explanation of what he knew from his mother. What would be more useful to him would be to see the man's take on the job anyway.
A smile grew on his face when the tall man found a note. That didn't sound too bad to him. "You're really lucky! Pets are a lot of fun. I had a hamster once a few years ago, but I'm not allowed to have any more." Once again something else he didn't need to go into. Instead, Naos needed a better look at this animal. He snuck around to the other side of Mikhail's desk to look through the grate. "I imagine a princely animal doesn't like being stuck in this. Want to let him out?" |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Jul 14, 2013 17:30:47 GMT -8
tagged: naos. time: may 3rd, 11AM. notes: date is changeable, just say. Norway? Mikhail vaguely wished that he spoke Norwegian, but it had simply never been in the cards. Maybe if he'd actually been from Russia he'd know it, but being from Antarctica had greatly limited the languages he was exposed to. He knew Russian and English and nothing else, and even then, his Russian sounded slightly off to those who were from the motherland. He'd spent too much time speaking it only to specific people, and in a way it was like it's own terrible dialect, spoken only among the few Russians who lived at the base.
"I hear that Europe is lovely to visit." He had no idea what it was like to live there, but maybe one day he'd go visit.
He glanced back at the cat carrier before continuing. "I can't say I've ever had a pet before. Resources are tight when you go far south, so pets were strictly out of the question. I can't say I know what to do with them either." He gave the note another glance. "I was hoping I would get more information."
At the very least he took the boys suggestion, even if it turned out terribly. Reaching out he unhooked the latch, and before he'd even had time to open the door, the cat was out like a shot. It streaked across the desk, making a bounding leap onto a half-empty bookshelf, scampering up before sitting at the very top, now eight feet in the air.
From it's new position, it seemed to eye the pair, and Mikhail eyed it right back. It didn't look like a normal cat at all. It was grey and had the rough shape of a cat, but it was never going to pass for a normal cat in public. The tips of it's ears, feet, and body were a bright blue, and the fur across it's eyes matched. While he couldn't see it at the moment, it even had stripes along its back. Only the stripes were perhaps the least noticeable thing on it's back, because the cat had what was best described as bat wings, even if they looked slightly fuzzy.
"A winged cat." Mikhail mumbled to himself, clearly in disbelief.
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Post by NAOS DIA on Jul 20, 2013 19:13:11 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 3rd
tag | Mikhail
words | 323 | "It is very lovely in general. I miss it some days, but Los Angeles is nice, too. Even if it's a lot hotter here." And oh how it was hotter. Naos often compromised by wearing a lot of sleeveless hoodies or ridiculous t-shirts he had picked up from the thrift stores around town, but avoiding sunburns was an issue that couldn't be solved by only cool clothes or ice cream. Alas. Judging by the man's complexion he probably had a similar issue with the weather and the sun. That name was Russian from what he knew but he claimed to be from the south. The far south. And he had assumably never been to Europe based on his comment about visiting there.
The red-haired boy tilted his curiously in thought, piecing together the information so far to pinpoint out a location. There was one particular place that came to mind that wasn't necessarily unlikely. He had a strong hunch, but it seemed fair enough to just ask. "How far south?" Couldn't get excited about it without really knowing first.
Until he could have an answer, his attention went back to the cat. He let out an impressed whistle when it was released from its carrier. "Well, taking it to PetCo for food recommendations is out of the question then. But it's still a feline! That means it's a carnivorous hunter. I bet it likes to claw things up and eat chicken. Or fish. Flying fish perhaps!" A 'winged' fish for a literally winged cat? Yes, that made sense to him. Naos hopped up on Mikhail's desk to get a better look at the animal.
"He looks clean, too. Most cats clean themselves, but you won't have to deal with shedding as much if you brush and wash him regularly." The boy had never had a cat, but he had read enough books and seen enough movies to know how to deal with them. |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Jul 30, 2013 13:18:09 GMT -8
tagged: naos. time: may 3rd, 11AM. notes: date is changeable, just say. How far south? So far south that, if you went on a long trip, you couldn't go south any more--all directions would simply be north. He gave a wry little half smile as he eyed the cat, clearing his throat. "As far south as you can get, unfortunately. I transferred from the Central Antarctic base." Which was the biggest of the three, and the largest Society vault in the world. It had to be isolated to be so, and was well out of the way of any normal bases. No one was going to accidentally stumble across it--the Society had at least one member in each base to keep track of expeditions, keeping everyone away from the entrance.
As far as Mikhail was concerned, it wasn't of any interest at all. He'd grown up there, so he saw little special about it. He was far more interested in normal places--cities with people. How could they just go about their daily lives, surrounded by people ignorant of the truth? How could they manage to hide it, to not let anything slip? He supposed they were raised to do that--to always be on guard--but he found it awkward for him.
He frowned a bit as the boy climbed onto his desk, crossing his arms over his chest as he glowered at the cat. He hadn't wanted a pet. He really hadn't. "I imagine fish and mice would probably do it just fine. You also haven't given your name either." And calling him 'boy' would probably look unprofessional.
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Post by NAOS DIA on Aug 13, 2013 5:54:42 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 3rd
tag | Mikhail
words | 434 | "Ah, no, I haven't!" He hadn't given his name, though it wasn't that it had entirely slipped his mind. Naos kept his eyes trained on the cat as he finally hesitated to answer something. One of the other things that the boy had learned the hard way was not to lie about his name within the confines of the society. Security being what it was, it was always best to be honest to avoid the unnecessary hassle of having to explain himself for lying. Still, his name often took away a certain anonymity that he occasionally envied within their ranks. Even if one was not familiar with the name Naos Dia, he was still a Dia. Perhaps in coming from Antarctica, the man would be less familiar with the surname? It was doubtful considering that one of his cousins was a consul, but oh well.
The boy gave a sigh, but kept his smile on his face. "I figured you would already have my name, but I suppose under the circumstances that's assuming too much. I should have considered that sooner in our conversation, so I apologize. My name is Naos Dia," he answered, followed by a casual shrug right after. "But you can call me whatever you prefer, really. I don't mind. It'd probably be good to have some clarification on how I should address you, too."
Though as soon as Naos finally put that information on the table, he was quick to sweep it to the side again. He was there for a reason, after all. Things were off to an interesting start, but perhaps the to-do list needed vocalizing. "So let's see… we should probably find food for the cat if you ever want him to come down from there and trust you. We could probably borrow someone's lunch somewhere around here. It's either that or I can see if I can get tranquilizers from anyone, but I don't think that will work out as well. Then you should show me what exactly you really do other than get vague assignments from others."
Hmmm… what else. Those were the most important things, but he still had a spark of curiosity in his eye that he wasn't about to drop. In fact, why drop it when the conversation could be easily worked into whatever else they were doing. "Also…" Naos started again, sitting down on the desk and propping an elbow on his knee so that he could lean his head into his palm. "I'd love to hear about Antarctica, too! It's not everyday that you meet someone from that base, yeah?" |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Aug 13, 2013 14:37:12 GMT -8
tagged: naos. time: may 3rd, 11AM. notes: date is changeable, just say. The boy seemed almost hesitant to give his name, which was a tad concerning. Obviously it had some sort of significance. Maybe he was well known as a troublemaker? Only that didn't make any sense, because he already knew Mikhail was new to the base, and he wouldn't know any pre-existing reputations unless it was severe enough that someone higher up might have explicitly warned it. He was rather hoping that wasn't the case, because he had a hard enough time dealing with normal people, let alone some horribly infamous troublemaker.
As it turned out, the name was important for a much different reason. Upon the reveal, Mikhail's eyes widened slightly, clearly showing his surprise before it evened out. A Dia. He knew of the family, having encountered half a dozen or so on their shifts in and out of the base, but he'd never run into a proper main family member. Naos Dia was a familiar enough name even if he'd never heard of the specific boy who carried it, and he was almost entirely sure that meant he was from one of the more important families. He would have to look later, but for the moment he cleared his throat, resisting the urge to straighten up and make sure he looked presentable. Naos might have been from an important family, but he was just a boy, and he was simply supposed to be shadowing him.
"Simply Mikhail is fine." He resisted the urge to drop in a patronymic, considering how young Naos was. Nevermind that he was't Russian, and probably didn't actually care about slavic naming customs.
The name seemed well deserved as he proceeded to launch into what was a particularly orderly breakdown of the situation, and despite most people probably being put off by it, Mikhail actually found himself relaxing. He did well with people who thought things through, and after a moment he gave a nod.
"My suggestion would be... hm. I don't want to leave it out, but at the same time we'll need to fetch food. If you know the base, perhaps you could fetch some fish from the cafeteria while I watch the cat, and then I can answer your questions about Antarctica." That sounded like the best plan to him, because he wasn't entirely sure where he'd locate fish in the building.
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Post by NAOS DIA on Aug 24, 2013 6:45:44 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 3rd
tag | Mikhail
words | 314 | The slightest disappointment appeared on Naos's face for just a moment after their exchange about names until it drifted into something more thoughtful. One one hand, he didn't want to make much of a big deal about what his own name was. On the other hand, he wasn't really sure how he felt about addressing the man as just Mikhail. That was what he was told to do, yes, but this was a predicament that he felt needed a bit more consideration. Given time, he was sure he could come up with a better way to address him.
Mister, sir, comrade… that was all too common. Perhaps the problem was that Naos wasn't sure how well the name Mikhail really suited the man. He started renaming him in his mind before a different sort of suggestion was given.
It was the fact that Mikhail seemed to be all for plans that brought a grin back to the boy's face. He, too, really liked plans, especially when they could be agreed upon with another. That was also when he finally hopped down from the man's desk. "Yes, sir! I'll be right back!" Now having a clear mission to accomplish first for the day, Naos gave the proper salute someone would give their superior officer. Then he turned and wordlessly left the room to see what he could find for the cat.
It was only about twenty-five minutes later that he peeked back in the doorway with a bag that contained two cupcakes, a can of tuna, a can of sardines, and a zip lock baggie containing two goldfish still occasionally wiggling in their last throes of life. He looked around before re-entering the room, and then placed the bag upon Mikhail's desk. "Mission accomplished! This one is for you," he announced, rather proud of himself as he held out a cupcake to the older man. |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Aug 24, 2013 20:09:14 GMT -8
tagged: naos. time: may 3rd, 11am. notes: notes. Sir? Had he just called him Sir and then saluted at? Mikhail felt an eyebrow raise as Naos darted off. He wasn't quite sure about how it sounded, but he supposed that 'sir' was acceptable. He didn't feel like one, but it was suitable for his rank if absolutely nothing else. He straightened up a bit more as the boy left, glancing back at the cat. It hadn't moved, but it was absolutely watching him. There was no question about that. Mikhail knew next to nothing about cats, and while the average person might have had a leg to stand on by comparing the flying cat to a normal cat, he didn't even have that.
As the minutes ticked by, Mikhail was starting to wonder just where the boy had gone. He'd expected him to run out and get some in a few minutes, not a half hour. After five minutes had passed, Mikhail cleared his throat and decided he was just going to have to try and do what he could. He approached the desk, getting together some of his paperwork and glancing at the cat every so often. As he got into a habit though, the cat seemed to have settled where he'd first climbed, sprawling out and making no attempt to flee as Mikhail might have expected.
He was midway through a report when Naos returned carrying a whole lot more then he'd expected. Sardines? Tuna? Wiggling fish? Nevermind the cupcakes. He was about to protest, fairly confident that Naos had just kidnapped someone's pet and was about to feed it to his pet. He made a little 'hm' noise before reaching down, retrieving the squirming pets. They were dead anyway, so he might as well put their sacrifice to good use. He plucked the first fish out of the bag, and it wasn't even fully in his hand when the cat pounced, springing off the top and landing squarely on Mikhail's head. He stumbled backwards, grabbing at the desk, and the cat lunged again, slashing at Mikhail's hand and the fish in it.
Needless to say, the goldfish didn't survive.
While the cat was distracted, Mikhail grabbed the second fish, whistling once before tossing the fish into the carrier in the frantic hope that the cat would dive for it. It didn't--it simply looked at Mikhail as if he was stupid, grabbed the rest of the fish it had caught, and hopped right back up to it's perch. Mikhail stared at it forlornly, having entirely ignored the cupcake.
"What do we do now then?"
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Post by NAOS DIA on Aug 28, 2013 10:46:13 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 3rd
tag | Mikhail
words | 315 | Naos watched eagerly for the result of his venture. Though his offer of a cupcake was being ignored, it was nice to see that Mikhail was willing to try the goldfish first. As a budding scientist himself, this was a small experiment that he was he was taking mental notes on. One never knew when he'd have to feed a winged cat himself. It seemed that the cat bait was… effective? There was a head tilt as Naos watched the comical scene unfold before him without any intervention.
"I think he likes you." Naos noted this knowing that was completely not the case. He failed in stifling a rather amused laugh. This was an animal too clever to just like the company of whoever had food, which the boy tended to appreciate himself. It was very cat-like and he decided that he could understand it to an extent. This was going to be trouble for the poor Antarctican man though. He sat the cupcake down on the desk when Princeps jumped back to the shelf, pulling the one he had brought for himself. Mikhail wasn't going to eat his right away, but that wasn't keeping Naos from helping himself.
What was next on the list? "We wait," he suggested, motioning to the cat. "Lock him in here and give it a few days, eventually he'll get hungry again. Then he'll have to decide if he'd rather starve to death or rely you. I still say tranquilizers are on the table, though." He took a bit of his cupcake and shrugged again. These were just ideas in the end. He wasn't really sure how that'd play out, but he liked to think that he had watched enough animal documentaries and read enough books to have some vague idea of how they worked. Or didn't work.
"You said you'd tell me about Antarctica? What's it like there?" |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Aug 28, 2013 12:37:12 GMT -8
tagged: naos. time: date & time. notes: notes. "I think it's looking at me like I'm an idiot." Mikhail muttered quietly. The cat certainly looked it. He was giving Mikhail a look that was comically close to 'do you think I'm an idiot' from his perch. He really didn't think the cat liked him at all, and it flew right over my head that Naos was probably teasing him.
If waiting was the name of the game, then he was going to try his cupcake. He turned around, scooping the cupcake off the desk and inspecting it like he would inspect an artifact. It was... well, it was a cupcake. What sort of kind it was he had no idea--he had zero experience with cupcakes. It was probably vanilla though--vanilla being, as far as he knew, the default taste for anything sweet. After a brief inspection, he peeled down one side of the paper and took a bite. Not bad at all--a little bit too sweet for someone who had grown up without candy, but for the moment that was fine.
"I don't think tranquilizers are a good plan. I have no idea how animal tranquilizers would interact with it. It might die from too much, and I'm unsure what sort of dosage to give it." Because despite not knowing anything about cupcakes, he did know a good deal about animal tranquilizers.
The question was sort of nice though, and he considered it for a moment. "Either very dark or very bright. Depending on the season, we're well off the normal sun cycle. We'll get three months of no sun at all, and then three months of no night at all every year. It's fairly rare it ends up like it is here, where they're mostly equal." What else might he care to know about Antarctica? "Summers are probably about as cold as European winters, depending on where you are exactly. It's the winters you have to watch for. From may to august, with no sun at all, it's freezing." He paused, then added a last minute thought. "And dry. It's always dry."
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Post by NAOS DIA on Sept 2, 2013 10:03:43 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 3rd
tag | Mikhail
words | 333 | There were a few more muffled chuckles to be had, but no tranquilizers then. Fair enough. The younger boy shrugged and nodded, taking another bite of his cupcake. For Naos, it was a matter of starting with an assumed base and just performing trial and error until something worked out. However, it was not his cat to be drugging. He liked to think that Mikhail would figure something out on his own. It was that or Naos was going to have fun watching this situation get progressively worse throughout the day.
For now, he was happy enough to hear Mikhail talk about the cold, cold continent he had came from. The boy leaned over on the desk again, looking up with the interest of any younger person being told a fascinating story. Unfortunately, Naos found himself a little bit disappointed with what he was being told. He probably needed to be a little more clear about what he wanted to know. That and he was feeling a little cheeky around this poor soul. "I've read books," he stated, playing with the cupcake wrapper a bit in his hands. "A lot of books, actually. I know that Antarctica is a bit less than twice the size of Australia with an ice shelf that's nearly two kilometers thick. The dryness you mentioned helps lead to its classification as a desert. I don't need you to tell me about the climate or how it's affected by the Earth's axial tilt. All of that always made living there sound miserable to me, but people still do."
He took a small pause to glance back up at the cat. "I already know all of the basics, but what I want to know is why people still live there. What else is there that people don't always write about?" Though his re-questioning was still fairly vague, he was just short of simply asking Mikhail what the Impedio Society was hiding there. He was optimistic the other male would understand. |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Sept 4, 2013 17:22:07 GMT -8
tagged: naos. time: same. notes: notes. He'd assumed, based on the boys young age, that he had minimal knowledge. Most people knew that Antarctica was big and cold and little else, but apparently Naos was a step beyond that. His question helped though--it gave him something to work off of. Just being asked to talk 'about Antarctica' was too vague and general. There were a thousand things, plenty of which the average person who would live there took for granted. When you grew up there, spending your entire life there, you simply didn't think about certain things that other people might find interesting.
He considered the question, but he supposed it was really two. There was 'why do humans bother', and then 'why does the impedio society bother', and after a moment he opted to answer both. He paused to consider his wording before answering.
"For the average human, it's science. There's a million things we can only learn down there. We can learn about climate change and animal life and how bacteria does in freezing temperatures. It's also... well, it's beautiful. I didn't realize how beautiful it was until I got up here. It's just so clear, and there's no lights so you can always see the stars." The stars were much different down there.
That was really only half the question though. The other half was more specific. "There's monsters down there. Some of them have been undisturbed by humans for a hundred years, but now that humans are living on the continent, the monsters need to be kept in check. It would be a disaster if a yeti rampaged through an Antarctic base filled with scientists with cameras." One of the worst disasters in Society history, no less.
"It's also safe. We can build as large as we want, and with spies in the few bases that there are, there's no need to worry about someone accidentally stumbling upon us. Most of the area we build in is unlivable, and the only reason we can stay there at all is because of artifacts to ease things along. That's the other reason--we can store dangerous artifacts down there, well away from civilian populations." Anything really dangerous got shipped down there for safekeeping.
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Post by NAOS DIA on Sept 5, 2013 11:06:16 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 3rd
tag | Mikhail
words | 370 | Naos took his time finishing his cupcake as Mikhail went on. He was much more intrigued by these answers, nodding occasionally and smiling with an odd sort of satisfaction in what he was hearing. These weren't things that he would be forgetting. The monsters and the artifact storage made perfect sense when he thought about it.
"I see. I've been at this base for about four months, of course, but the only other large base I've been to is the one in Sweden. It's about nine hours by car from where I lived in Norway, but I had to go there to take care of my paperwork before I came here. We all know that the only reason half of us are here is because of all the things happening in this part of the world. I managed to finally catch a glimpse of this firsthand," he admitted vaguely.
And boy had he glimpsed. It would have been impossible to ignore after being attacked by a swarm of bugs with your only living help being two awakened humans and their friend who was likely also involved. Things were indeed happening in Los Angeles, so the Society was right to pull over more of their resources. However, it was hard to say how long it would last. He had his reasons for bringing this up. "Antarctica doesn't sound too bad from your point of view. I worry sometimes, because after this who knows where they'll see fit to station me. I would rather not end up in the middle of nowhere, but it's not really up to me. And I'm probably better suited for somewhere like that."
He was still smiling, but he did roll his eyes at the idea even if he knew it was true. Big science departments were often tucked away to where it would be totally fine if something weird got a little out of hand. From what he was told, though, that wasn't the main purpose of the Antarctic base. "Is that why you're an archivist here? Were you an archivist there? Did you encounter any dangerous artifacts yourself? Or monsters?" No reason to be shy about his questions after what he had already asked, right? |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Sept 5, 2013 12:42:19 GMT -8
tagged: naos. time: same. notes: notes. Antarctica was a strange beast. To some, it was a curse--an isolated base with no normal humans around, just nothing but a wall of society members. To someone with an active interest in being out and about among the normal population, there was no worse base, but to someone who preferred privacy and quiet, there was no better. It all varied by person, and he reached up, scratching at his cheek as he thought about how best to try and console Naos. It wouldn't be that bad. It was unlikely he'd be shipped out to a remote place if it was going to be bad anyway. He was a Dia, and the name carried enough weight that it was unlikely he'd be sent away from the action. "Well, if they do send you there, it'll be for a good reason. Things are always busy down there, everyone is always working. There's not a lot of downtime, but if you want to be productive, it's extremely useful." Beyond useful, really. If you wanted to be productive as an archivist, there was no better place. Even as a hunter it was one of the more productive areas. Young hunters who were going to be hunting creatures were frequently sent down for more hands on training. Fate creatures kept in captivity simply weren't the same as those who had grown in the wild.
The next batch of questions were an uncomfortable set, and Mikhail lapsed into silence for a moment as he worked out how best to dodge around it. He wasn't going to lie--not to anyone--but he wasn't going to spill the whole truth.
"I was a hunter down there, so I have minimal experience with the Antarctic vaults. I was moved up here for medical treatment, and since LA has become a hub of activity, the decision was made to keep me here rather then returning me to my old base." There were a lot of other reasons, but that was the most presentable one of the lot. He wasn't going to explain that there would be too much shame in going back--that he'd have to see the damage, still being repaired, from the mistake he'd made.
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Post by NAOS DIA on Sept 9, 2013 9:31:36 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 3rd
tag | Mikhail
words | 336 | While he was still piddling about inner imaginings of Antarctica in his head, he was also processing what Mikhail was telling him. There was a bit of silence between them, but Naos let that be as he finished his cupcake. He assumed that the man was trying to find the right words for giving an efficient answer to the questions that had been asked. It was, after all, still a rather broad question. If this man had lived in Antarctica for so long then it was possible that he had seen lots of things. However, the reply that was finally given seemed off.
"A creature hunter or some other kind? Because I can understand keeping you here after medical treatment with everything happening," he started, tossing his cupcake wrapper into the man's trashcan. "I can't understand why you're an artifact archivist then unless your minimal experience really outweighs that of a better candidate. Whose decision was that?" For a moment, Naos was looking at the man a bit more quizzically. He gave himself a bit more time to really pull apart what was being said to him. This man was moved for medical treatment and then they stuck him at a desk job rather than take advantage of his experience as a hunter in an area that really could have used that experience.
The thought left the younger boy with the simple question of what made Mikhail unfit to be a hunter now. He didn't pry, at least not quite. He wouldn't directly ask for now. He was just formulating a list of possibilities in his head. As his first assumptions were the most obvious, he now had his eye on Mikhail to search for any sort of physical handicap. However, he was keeping himself from staring. Instead, he leaned over on the desk to rest his head in his palms. "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't say things like that. I'm sure there must be something. You do know how to do your job here, right?" |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland
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