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Post by MIRACH DIA on Sept 18, 2013 22:47:37 GMT -8
“You realize I’m the crazy cousin, don’t you? The maniac, Mirach? The one that wants to cut everybody up into little pieces and poke them with needles and god knows what else, just to satisfy my own psychotic tendencies while using the excuse that it’s for a greater cause, like science?” Boy what a mouthful. “That’s what Dominic tells me anyway,” Mirach said, grinning. “He’s got such a way with words, doesn’t he?” Not that she admired or even liked him. Mirach loathed Dominic; he was a constant thorn in her side (almost as bad as Arcturus on training days), but he was fun to mess with and therefore a necessary person in her life. However, the point was still the same. Mirach knew all too well there was no love lost between members of the Dia family; they were either too busy rubbing each other’s noses in their own victories and successes, or they were fatally compatible—about as volatile as fire and gasoline. Thus far, Mirach had yet to find a single family member she connected well with. Her brand of “unstable” didn’t seem to mesh well with anybody else’s, certainly not Arc and her straight-forward, beat-things-mercilessly-to-solve-any-problems-logic. Of course she also had that powerful grenade launcher and the infamous Plan B if that didn't work: blow-it-up-logic.
Nope. That just didn't work very well with Mirach.
“You’d think more of the Society would see the wisdom in studying people from the inside out, but alas. You forget to put an organ back one time and they never let it go.” There was no grin at that one, no hidden smirk in her eyes, no humor in her tone. “Okay. Fine. I didn’t forget. But I was gonna put the damn thing back; I just wanted to test something first. I wouldn’t have kept it.” She paused. “Probably.”
Maybe.
Mirach was leaning halfway across a clean lab table in one of the many office rooms as she spoke with Naos, amused, but doubtful. For the most part, home base seemed rather quiet today. This one lab was empty, and not scheduled for use any time soon. Science equipment, computers, filing cabinets and other all important supplies were kept out of the way. The room was as clean and fresh as it had been the day it was first constructed, which said a lot. It hadn’t seen hide nor hair of a good science experiment for at least a week. Mirach was lacking in projects too (it was kind of hard when Arcturus kept all the interesting things locked up in her sector and Dominic kept confiscating what little Mirach managed to scrounge), but a new one always seemed to crop up at just the right time.
Like right now, when it was unexpectedly presented to her by her young cousin. “But if you’re willing to overlook my special brand of crazy, as Dominic puts it, I’m willing to take you up on your offer,” she joked. “Let’s see these birds of yours, cousin. Naos. Right?”
Time Stamp: May 6th, 11:00a.m.
Notes: A post! Hope it's okay. ^^ Also, if the date doesn't work for you, just let me know. I can change it up. xD
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Post by NAOS DIA on Sept 20, 2013 8:42:25 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 6th
tag | Mirach
words | 655 | "I hear a lot of things about a lot of people, but I prefer to make my own analyses first hand." He laughed, but took note to keep her statement in mind. It didn't bother him at all actually. Perhaps it should've, but for now Naos was just amused by her honesty. "In any case, the plan is to take apart a bird that can set itself on fire, not to raise a puppy. It seems like I've asked the right person for help if what Dominic says is true."
When Naos had first really learned about who his family was and who he was supposed to be, a lot of questions were answered. However, just as many questions were tossed up in the air. For the most part, he had managed to find answers to many of those questions over time, but there were still some loose ends. He was still left wanting to know his cousins, or at least the four cousins who mattered most through the family's naming caste system. The logic behind this was more than just simple curiosity. He knew how he was raised, he knew what was expected of him, and he knew his nature. Now, to further understand himself in his teenage years, he wanted something he could compare and contrast against.
He set out on this mission in the most unsubtle ways possible, as he didn't see the point of hiding his desire. He wanted to get to know his cousins better, so he just kept trying to contact them through various methods. Getting any attention from Arcturus was proving to be one of the biggest challenges, but, to be fair, she was also one of the busiest people in the Society. Thankfully, he had managed to get ahold of Mirach instead. That was just as good for the time being.
"My name is Naos, yes. I like science, too, so I don't mind. As for myself, I've just been told that I need to stay away from certain places, people, and things. That and I talk too much, so I hope you'll forgive me for that if I do." Naos hurried about the room they were sitting in for a moment. For the most part he had everything he needed, like cutting tools, pins, picks, tweezers, etc.. He had plenty of cloths and the proper board to cut on. The only things left to grab were gloves and some good goggles, which only took him a minute to dig out of a drawer and toss on the table.
Then, with some excitement, he picked up the small metal cage that had been sitting on the floor, and he placed it on the table with everything else. The two budgies sat inside. He slipped on the polka-dotted oven mitt that he had borrowed from his home. It was his only safety measure for the moment. "I was given these by Alexus Lovell, the dark-haired botanist who always smells very lovely. From what I understand they were taken from the Lexington Mansion." The mansion that 'disappeared'. Looking back on it, he regretted not taking one of the bugs he had faced. However, that could have gotten him in more trouble, and would have likely lost him his ride home and the contact information of said ride. At least he now had the interesting birds to play with. "I've also been told that they are dying, which is kind of obvious by how much they're… poofing? Fluffing? Ruffling? Ruffling! By how much they're ruffling their feathers. It's nice to have them, but I don't know what could already be degenerating in their current state. That's why I wanted to dissect them before they actually did die."
The teenage boy used his oven mitt to take one from the cage and held it out to Mirach. "Here. This one can be yours. You can even name him if you want to!" |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland |
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Post by MIRACH DIA on Sept 23, 2013 11:10:08 GMT -8
Naos had earned her full attention (and definitely some respect) at the 'take apart a bird that can set itself on fire' bit. It wasn't every day that people around the office said those kind of words to her. Mirach's eyes lit up and her smirk returned. As far as she was concerned, the rest of the conversation pertaining to anything but the budgies might as well have been summed up with: noise, blah, blah something or other, and more noise about talking too much, none of which was important. He could talk all he wanted to--he had brought her presents. And not just any presents either: magical animals that spontaneously combusted without a second's thought, and he was completely okay with her ripping them apart, feather by feather, just to see what made them tick. Finally. Someone who understood her. Best. Family member. Ever.
"I think we're going to get along well, cousin," Mirach admitted. It was the highest form of compliment coming from her, particularly when she had offered it to a family member. Mirach turned away to rummage through another drawer at the exact moment that Naos brought the birds out and set the cage onto the lab table. She personally didn't have any oven mitts on hand, but there were heat and chemical resistant gloves also stowed away with the rest of the safety equipment in the lab. She did grab a set of gloves, but only bothered with one for the moment, reaching out to accept the budgie he offered, almost gently at first.
Until her fingers closed around its barely breathing chest like a new, cold cage.
There was nothing warm, or inviting, about that grip of hers, not when she intended to do much worse, and she snorted with amusement as the animal sensed it. Here it was, barely clinging to life, and it flared its fiery feathers in her gloved hand, sweating heat in one last act of desperation. Mirach kept it at arm's length while it nipped and scratched with its tiny beak and talons. It reminded her of a certain whimpering, red-headed patient she had treated not so long ago, and the uncanny resemblance almost made her smile. But the bird had a lot more fighting desperation about him than that lamb did.
"I'll settle for Rojo; simple enough--spanish for red." Though in reality, she only named it that for her own amusement. For the next few seconds her smile faded and a hard, almost steely look entered her eyes. She finally picked up the other glove and began to poke and prod the poor thing in her hands while he radiated heat and tongues of flame that attempted to lick and singe her fingers. But no amount of twittering noises, scrabbling, or fire could pierce the thick gloves protecting her skin. By the time she had stolen a pair of goggles off the lab table, Rojo had all but burned himself out. His flames flickered with a breath of life, but not much else, tolerating her hands as she deliberately and deftly brushed aside flaming feathers or felt for bones or fragile organs below his lukewarm skin. After a few seconds, she had almost lulled him into a light, feverish sleep. Clearly, the animal knew he would not be going anywhere, and his weak body could only tolerate so much. Temporarily, however, Mirach treated him as she might treat a patient under similar circumstances. The strange, accurate way her fingers seemed to locate tired bones and sensitive spots, earning a cry or a twitch of discomfort, was an testament to her skill. She never seemed to falter, and never once seemed to be surprised by the nervous noises Rojo erupted with.
No, she knew what she was doing.
"Isn't it amazing," she said, almost absently, as she turned him over in her hands and began to spread one wing, and then the other, "how this little bag of flesh, meat, and bones, can set itself aflame without burning itself to ash? What a skill. Supposedly shared by some of these "awakened" super powered freak shows." Mirach paused. Her eyes flashed. "Do you see these feathers here?" She spread one of his larger primaries, grinning as the bird fidgeted in her hold, "I suspect there's some type of mucus--or a combustible coating--that covers the barbs and the quill, protects the animal from itself. Maybe it works like the waterproof feathers on a duck. Water practically slides off of them. Imagine if that's what's working here, but with fire. This chemical, mucus, perhaps neither of the two, just an inherent, resistant gene, has allowed something as destructive as fire to wash off of the host. Imagine the weapons--or practical uses--the knowledge of such a thing could have if it were harvested, or genetically engineered to match the qualities that these birds possess. Or if you will, imagine finding the means by which to break it down entirely; suddenly fire based freak shows would no longer have very much to stand on. Oil does this with waterproof feathers--its how waterbirds drown. These animals too, must also have an inborn weakness; nothing in nature achieves perfection."
Oh yes. She was enjoying herself a bit too much.
Time Stamp: May 6th
Notes: Like a kid at Christmas or something.
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Post by NAOS DIA on Oct 13, 2013 5:21:05 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 6th
tag | Mirach
words | 576 | To top the excitement that he already had, the idea that they were going to get along just fine brought a weird sort of cheer to Naos. He returned her compliment with a warm grin. It was nice to know what cousins he was going to be able to relate to, even if what they could relate to was minimal. So far the only other he really knew of Arcturus, but he still knew so little about her. What he did know was that she could eat him alive given the opportunity. Or at least put him through physical hell during a training cession that he would be woefully incapable of completing. He had heard things from others that made him fairly certain Mirach could break him in two if she wanted as well, but for now their subject was science. This was an even playing field that made him much more comfortable, not that he ever showed any discomfort.
Her response was interesting to him, and it was one that led to him thinking that this was going to be a fun experiment. It was also possibly one that he was going to learn a little something from. Already he was watching wide-eyed as she held the bird in her palm and listening to her go on as intently as a child being told a fairy tale. They were going to get along well. At least for something like this.
Her logic was sound, finding no discrepancies in her theories about the bird's possible traits. She didn't ooh or aah about its magical properties. Instead, she was looking at it from the stance of a fellow scientist. And oh, how he loved it. There was something he adored about looking at elementals from that point of view. As he had heard before, magic was just science that people didn't understand yet. Once they did take it apart to better understand how it all worked, then what threat did any elemental really pose?
"That makes sense," he said, agreeing with her theory about what could possibly be protecting the birds' exteriors from being burnt to a crisp. "It would've been nice to have one that wasn't dying, because I also think that perhaps they need to maintain a higher body temperature than birds normally do. The body temperature is dropping for these two. They might have something unique in their blood stream, or their blood would start losing oxygen and then boil after extended exposure to extreme temperatures. Not that birds have a lot of blood to begin with, but I'd still like to know. Also, how does that affect their breathing?"
Naos imagined that the creatures would need a significant amount of oxygen to maintain their existence. He made a thoughtful noise to himself as he eyed his own bird still in their cage. "I was thinking of the name Kelvin for the other." He figured that he didn't have to explain why. It was simple and a bit cheesy, but why give a creature your going to cut up anything better? It was cute to him, at least. "I guess the easiest way, if not maybe crude, to test their heat resistance capabilities would be to just see how their insides do against fire." Set an organ or two on fire, test the boiling point of their blood, etc.. Between the two of them, they could get through plenty of tests in no time. |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland |
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Post by MIRACH DIA on Oct 15, 2013 17:33:43 GMT -8
Kelvin. Mirach suppressed a small laugh, shaking her head; that was adorable name and horribly appropriate, especially when she considered some of the tests Naos had already hinted that they should undertake. Kelvin therefore, was a perfect name. Mirach smirked. “We should, yes. Grab one of special test tubs in the cabinet behind me and set up a burner with an open flame.” For the first time in her life, she was beginning to think she actually liked a family member. She could certainly get used to his company; he was young, yes, but brilliant, and seemed to share her enthusiasm in the lab. That placed Naos, regardless of his age, on equal intellectual footing with her and therefore, on a pedestal above almost everyone else she had ever met.
“I doubt we’ll be able to take blood the old fashioned way,” she mused openly, smiling down at the animal in her hands. “But we might as well give it a shot before I cut anything open. It should have a high tolerance of heat for sure, but I’d have to be quick.” Mirach sorted through a few of objects and equipment she had already gathered earlier, including some of her own. She found a syringe needle she thought was small enough, popped the plastic cap off of the end with the flick of her thumb. It rolled across the tabletop as she searched the bird, thinking. Long before she had focused on human anatomy, she had concentrated most of her attention on animals. They’d more or less been her first test subjects and patients in life, though it was still difficult sometimes, to reroute her current knowledge back to the old. “I’m thinking the brachial vein,” she said casually. In humans that was the upper arm; in birds it would be in the wing.
It took work to sift feathers made of flame out of the way; she asked Naos to put on some gloves and help her hold Rojo still on the tabletop, wing extended, as she searched with gloved fingers for the right vein. “Ah ha,” she breathed, eyes lighting up when she found it. Mirach pricked the bird quickly, shoving the tip of the needle through fire and skin and drawing back the plunger. “So, Naos,” she said casually, “is science your only love, like with Arcturus and her guns? Or are you hiding other talents?” She paused, drew out the syringe and smiled. She had worked fast enough that neither the needle, nor the barrel of the syringe, had suffered any damage or burn marks. She offered it to him. “Would you like the honor? Pour it in and apply the flame; I'm curious to see how it reacts."
Notes: Yeeeep. Mirach likes Naos.
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Post by NAOS DIA on Nov 18, 2013 7:28:55 GMT -8
There's a gap where we meet, where I end and you begin.
May 6th
tag | Mirach
words | 414 | Upon her orders, Naos hurried to the cabinet to pull out a few test tubes. She had asked for one, but who knew what else they'd decide to do by the end of their experiments. They were only just beginning, and Naos was enjoying what plans they were already making. This was a cousin that he was going to enjoy being around. The more they could do today, the better. A few extra beakers, dishes, and needles couldn't hurt. There was no harm in being prepared, and he'd just sterilize and put everything back into the cabinets if they didn't use them.
The problem with most smaller birds was that they tended to bleed to death rather quickly. Thankfully, Mirach's actions were skilled and quick. When Naos turned back around he watched with fascination while he got everything prepped for her. He snapped on the appropriate gloves that he had taken out and set up the burner. Usually he was the one who talking on to shamelessly obnoxious ends for as long as anyone possibly could, but for the meantime he was more than content just to hear her explain. He had studied enough biology to understand what she was telling him, and it was exciting to actually hear from someone who knew what they were talking about.
He hadn't seen her question coming though. He did not snap out of his focus, but he gave her a cheerful shrug. "Oh, I have many loves and talents," he answered without the slightest bit of humility in his voice. "I like using my brain on anything, I think. I wasn't allowed to do much as a child other than read." Read and learn. He was being honest with his cousin, finding no real reason that he should walk around subjects or lie to her. The fact of the matter was that he was a Dia with expectation, and who better to understand that than another person in a similar position. Though Naos wasn't sure what Mirach may have had to go through in her youth, his was just full of what he said. Learning. Reading. Books, books, books.
He was excited to take the needle from her, but he carried out the experiment with a still hand. His eyes were set intensely on what reaction might come of it. "What about you?" Naos asked to the side, not having much trouble carrying on a conversation as he also stared rather intently at the test tube. |
electric has gangnam style and back to neverland |
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