(voice)

[hexrot]

—This is Jayce Talis. [ that's not going to mean anything, to anyone. this man's voice is rasping, dragging, in between sounded exhausted, heavy and ill. ] I'm a scientist. I researched . . . The Arcane, with my . . . With my partner, Viktor— most of my life.

[ frequent pauses are a must. he almost feels out of breath if he doesn't, and that puffs through the radio, ragged and sluggish. ]

All of us— seem to have a symbol. A rune, on our bodies. If you've been to the Shrine, then I'm sure . . . You have something else, now. Maybe a message. Please, if you could show it to me. I'll be . . . [ another hushed pause, ] Outside the Common Room. There's a truck, with . . . Butterflies, [ the irony in his voice is dry. ] That's— Where I'll be.

If it helps get us anywhere, I . . . Need, to crack it, I . . . [ i promised, he mutters, before swiftly adding, through a strain that's tight in his throat: ] That's all.

(action/flavor)

[ jayce is rebounding hard on his magic sepsis as his first symptom to becoming undead! so he is not visibly well for anyone who wants to come see him, but he is trying deathly hard with the symbols and trying to fight the clock with obsession. the iridescent pick up near one of the camp lights is a mess of papers in the front seats as much as the flatbed behind it, spread out and held in place with pebbles or stones, littered with those very symbols as well as formulas he's trying to link and complete like a map.

it's what keeps him from giving into sleep. ]

Comments

[airskate]

[ Okay. Magic. That sounds a little far fetched (though Shadow knows that's hardly fair, given the situation they're in right now) but the important thing is that it doesn't sound like Jayce was researching creatures. ]

I found something about 'Draoknis'. Would that be useful?

[hexrot]

Very, [ he tries to put some emphasis on the word, but it just ends up sounding dragged in the dirt. ] thank you.

[airskate]

[ There's no further response over the radio, but a few minutes later Shadow shows up outside the truck. Even without the butterflies it wouldn't be hard to find the place. The mad scattering of papers is exactly what Shadow has come to expect from scientist types, and Jayce looks about as terrible as he feels.

Still, Shadow's not about to make any assumptions. ]

Jayce Talis?

[hexrot]

[ jayce glances up from his work and gives a nod. he's not unused to yordles— which is what he thinks he's seeing, taking shadow's appearance in stride and with custom. there's just one thing missing that he can't seem to use in turn, mildly apologetic for it. not overly so, since ot wasn't brought up in the first placw; he remembers the voice, though. ]

I don't know your name.

[airskate]

[ Shadow's getting used to the varied reactions he's been getting. Jayce's total non-reaction is definitely the one he prefers, however. Even better, it serves to reassure him that Jayce really isn't the sort of scientist he's worried about. ]

Shadow.

[ Introductions out of the way, Shadow offers out a sheet of paper, where he's copied the sigil and message he found. It's still branded onto his skin, but his fur makes it kind of hard to see. ]

This matches the sigil I found when I first woke up here, too.

[hexrot]

[ shadow. easy enough to remember. jayce takes the paper offered and gives it a scrutinizing once over. he assumes this is for him to keep, utters quiet thank you before his focus tunnels. the cargo bed might be a little . . . high, for the hedgehog's height, but there are ways to get better looks. the sides of the bed have indents for steps, to get a leg up. if he wants to see the maddness that was connecting all of this, he is welcomed to.

even if it's just the pepe silva meme. ]

In the garage, right? [ that was their starting point— and shadow was right. jayce glances over the papers and points to the sketches from the garage itself; there's the same symbol. ] These symbols, they could be . . . Connected to us. That's how it could've triggered a summon.

[airskate]

[ Shadow does want to see the madness that Jayce has sprawled over the bed of his truck. And while he could just jump up there, he's familiar enough with scientists to know that their work tends to be delicate. So he makes use of those little indents to haul himself up and peer over the sides. ]

Right.

[ They may have left said garage behind, but Shadow still remembers it clearly. The symbols being connected to them seems obvious enough by now, but Shadow thinks Jayce will have more insight than he does. ]

Have you ever found the same symbol on two different people?

[hexrot]

Not yet. [ jayce nips a nail from the corner of his thumb; he has to put his anxious energy somewhere and he doesn't want to strain his braced leg with pacing as of yet. ] It'd be ideal if I could see everyone.

[ but some question his motives, his health, even his mental state, which, alright. not the first time he was called unwell in the head. mother was the first to point it out. ]

It's not easy to come off as trustworthy, like this. [ but he's not about to make himself mister golden boy of the century again. he had everyone drooling over his looks and profitability and no one actually interested in science. he's not about to do it again, so jayce only cants his head in acceptance of that. ] Patience.

[ thing is, he might not have enough time for patience, and his expression tightens with grim truth as he scans his formulas and fits shadow's somewhere. ]

[airskate]

[ Jayce's response—his even-handed acceptance of his own inability to inspire trust—earns him an appraising look from Shadow. This is... well, pretty different from what Shadow has come to expect from scientists. The Professor and the Doctor had both shared a similar sort of intensity, a dedication to their goals to the exclusion of all else, but they'd also both possessed a degree of self-assurance that tipped over into outright arrogance. If stymied by the distrust and uncertainty of those around them, they would have never assigned any blame to themselves. ]

... Some of the other Drifters might tell me if I ask.

[hexrot]

[ sometimes the inevitable fall from glory shakes you up. jayce had his own fair share of baseless confidence and moments of terrible decision making despite wanting to do the right thing. his error had always been in letting some of it get to his head, in being so easily malleable and in wanting to please everyone at the same time.

at least he saw it before he couldn't change a thing. with slight surprise, jayce looks up from his organization, pulling his parted lips together. if shadow is offering, it means he has at least some level of trust with the others. that he wants to put this forward, that there's value in it— ]

If you could do that, [ he bows his head, and tries not to think about the ticking time he's got over his head. ] I'd owe you.

[airskate]

[ Well, that settles it. Shadow turns his gaze back over the symbols, memorizing what he can. He's sure he'll need to ask Jayce for copies of them if he really wants to commit them to memory, but that's not immediately important. ]

Who have you already asked?

[hexrot]

I can count them on a hand.

[ which isn't much. jayce can scribble the names down: serph, blake, viktor. roger. yang. that's it. ]

good to wrap here?

[airskate]

[ Shadow looks over the list of names. Some of them are people he was thinking he could ask, but some of his candidates aren't on this list. After a moment, he nods. ]

I'll ask the others and let you know what they tell me.

thumbs up!!!

[hexrot]

[ if he's agreed, then— he can see the importance of knowing. which is good. the more with similar mindsets, the better. jayce nods, although it takes a moment or two to actually add his words. he's quite tired. ]

Thank you.