video, @chronicler

[scholiast]

(The feed flicks on facing a large tank, propped up on a desk. There's a slight shuffling; a hand appears on the side of it, and then Lucretia pops into view, peering through the glass. Those who already know her might be surprised by her altered appearance: she is noticeably older, and looks around fifty instead of her previous late twenties.)

Where did it go?

(She makes a face, then reaches out to her camera as if to end the feed: thankfully, what she had lost comes swimming into view at that exact moment in a blur of purple and electric blue, pressing against her cheek. It's a small jellyfish, hovering in the air. Lucretia chuckles, cupping her hand about it as she faces the camera.)

I thought I'd take a moment to introduce everybody to Junior. It's a voidfish– a kind of... (she pauses, gesturing vaguely with one hand as Junior curls a little tendril around her ear,) fish-esque alien, I suppose. From space? (It's complicated.)

It enjoys consuming memories, and specifically enjoys art, so I thought I would extend a request to the network for any kind of media they might like to share with it. Usually, giving it something to eat would erase whatever is given from the minds of everybody who has not drunk of its ichor, but I think the climate here doesn't agree with Junior's powers. Not according to some tests I've been doing; the memory loss is very temporary.

But I digress: it loves all things creative: paintings, music, poetry... So if you'd like your work to be judged by a fish, there's always that option available.

(She makes to turn the feed off, then pauses.) Oh, and if anybody knows where I could find an optometrist in this place, I'd be really grateful. My prescription has... changed some what.

Comments

@ciscodelamancha | text

[franciscoramon]

[ Well this just got Complicated.

Cisco watches the video over a few times before he sends off a response, and he's still doing a great deal of thinking, so he starts small. Simple. Because things are probably gonna get unsimple before too long.

He hasn't spoken to Lucretia in a while - definitely not since she'd gotten older, and double definitely not since her fight with Taako. It's... weird. Seeing the woman he recognized, but so much older. Like a different person. ]

it's cute af.
i've got some comic books you can feed it. there's a few i've got doubles of.
i could make it something original, too, if the whole creativity thing extends to machines.

audio

[scholiast]

(Lucretia switches to audio, so she can keep drawing as she talks, little mindless doodles to give to the voidfish as a treat.)

Oh, you should: kind of like a uh, word and picture burger. Delicious.

And I think that it probably does; honestly, Junior is game for anything at this point. It's probably getting sick of my sketches.

--> audio; private

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco switches to audio, and also to private for good measure. It's a lot harder to hide tone when he is not texting, and he definitely doesn't sound as happy or as enthusiastic as Lucretia is probably used to hearing him. ]

I'll bring some stuff by later tonight. A well-rounded diet is good for nutrition, and all that. Where are you at, these days?

[ Which is a roundabout way to say that he knows she'd moved out of the house with Lup and Taako, and by implication, that he probably knows at least a little bit about what went down. Which will probably go a little ways to explaining the uncharacteristic coolness of his messages.

He should leave it there. He really shouldn't say any more. ]

That all you been feeding it?

[ ...or he could just let his paranoia flag fly free, consequences be damned. It isn't that he doesn't believe her, about the memory loss being temporary, but... he absolutely does not believe that weak-ass story for one second. Which means, if he's not mistaken, that Lucretia has the ability now to take away people's memories, whenever she sees fit, and there's no way any of them would know. Unless he drinks some of the ichor as a precaution. But she could do it to other people, unless every single person inoculated themselves. ]

( text; ) un: shigeru miyata

[mysophobic]

I...have a lot of drawings that I used as practice sketches, if that would work?

[ He doesn't mind his work being judged, although having it done by a fish is a new one for him. ]

audio

[scholiast]

Certainly would. What are the sketches of?

(Junior doesn't care; she's personally interested.)

[mysophobic]

Landscapes mostly! And some of the events that happened here awhile ago. But...whichever you think would be best, I can definitely give you some!

video; b.potts

[tutee]

Lucretia? You're-- [ Old. Except Bill cant just say that. ] You look different.

video

[scholiast]

(Oh, uh. Awkward. Lucretia makes a face, like she's trying not to laugh.)

Yeah, uhhhhh. Surprise, I suppose.

[tutee]

[ Laughing would be an appropriate response. Bill is just too shocked and confused to laugh. ]

...Alright, but... how?

video; un: kirk

[winscenario]

I've got quite a few books. Novels and poems, literature both from my world and others. [ Whatever he could get his hands on, really. ] Also plenty of music. I'm always happy to share, even with a jellyfish. So long as I get to have it all back once it's done with it.

As for your other question, you might want to try the hospital. Even if they don't have an optometrist there, which I doubt, I'm sure they'd be able to point you in the direction of a clinic.

[scholiast]

(Oh, this might be a problem huh.)

Well– about that. (She rips off a piece of the paper she's been doodling on and holds it up to the camera for him to see: it's just a scribble of a duck, simple stuff. But the voidfish, spotting it, hums loudly, plucks the piece of paper out of her fingers before she can hand it over, and promptly consumes it.)

Thanks. All the squinting is starting to make me look unfriendly.

[winscenario]

Oh. [ Jim hums, thoughtful for a moment, then shrugs. ] I can always make duplicates. Think it'll be fine with just copies of my stuff?

[ He is not going to give it his book collection, no. Sorry about that, buddy.

Chuckling, he nods. ] Yes, the squinting does make you look terribly judgmental. [ He's not particularly serious. ]

video; un: feywild

[imperceptus]

It likes art, hmm? Shall I just pose, then?

[ SMILE. ]

By the way, you're looking rather distinguished today.

video

[scholiast]

Absolutely you should; perhaps it will consume you.

(Smile.)

But thank you, I think it's the extra twenty-two years.

video

[spellslots]

Lucretia!

[Don't be a dick to his very good friend Rin Lastname.]

[imperceptus]

[ Rin's just gonna stay out of that discussion over there, because hey: none of his goddamn business. To Lucretia, he just offers an unwavering smile. ]

I can't think of a higher compliment.

[ He shuts one eye. ]

Twenty-two, huh? I wouldn't have said a day over, say, twelve.

Video @d.va

[bunnyhopped]

[ The girl on the video response looks a little perplexed, eyes narrowed and her lips forming a little bit of a pout, and she looks almost as though she's trying to run what Lucretia had said through her head one or two more times. ]

So basically... If you feed your space jelly something, that something gets erased from the memories of people who haven't had jellyfish juice?

[scholiast]

Uh huh.

(That sure is a reductive way of putting it, but hey: whatever works.)

But only temporarily. Normally it would be able to completely erase the memory, but it isn't working as it usually would. (Lucretia frowns, then shrugs.) I don't know why, but it isn't important.

[bunnyhopped]

[ Reductive, yes, but listen there isn't really magic where she comes from... kind of... But Hana looks completely contemplative, so at least it's not like she's taking this lightly. ]

That sounds like a weird side-effect... but kind of dangerous too, to end up changing people's memories?

video; @star-lord

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter squints at the camera for a second. Then, ]

You know, I ran into a tentacley-alien-space-monster, once. [ "Ran into." "Fought and killed." Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe. ] It hopped through dimensions to feed on power sources. Lots of teeth. Lots of tentacles. Sort of looked like what might come out of a John Carpenter and Jim Henson jam session.

[ A pause, as he realizes he's digressing. He clicks his tongue ]

Anyway. Any chance you could just set the little dude up next to a couple of speakers and play some music for him for a while? 'Cause I've got some recommendations.

[scholiast]

(Oh, good. This sounds so much like the Hunger that Lucretia's eyes widen and she pushes her glasses up her nose as she straightens in place. Junior flops off of her shoulder and spins slowly through the air, humming to itself.)

You ran into it? And you're still alive?

(No, the digression is cool. She has one hundred questions for anybody who has come face to face with the Hunger and lived to tell the tale. She almost forgets the rest of what he had said in her excitement.)

Huh? Oh– uh, sure. I have speakers on my phone and I've played it a few things. It doesn't like music quite as much as it does written work, but I'll happily take any recommendations that you have.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter chalks up her interest to the fact that he’s just, you know, kind of admitted to fighting a big space monster. Which is totally fine – he led an exciting life before arriving in the Quarantine, where occasionally he moonlighted as an exterminator.

(Also? He was kind of a big deal. But Peter’s a humble kind of guy, and he’s not likely to mention that.

Yet.) ]

Yeah. I mean, the thing tried to roast me alive and eat me like I’m some kinda marshmallow, but I came out of it fine.

... Him, not so much.

[ RIP in pieces, abilisk. ]

Maybe give “Beyond the Sea” a shot. Bobby Darin.

[ Is Peter going to give strictly ocean-themed songs as suggestions? All signs point to yes. ]

action because i can

[dancingmd]

(Look, why use the video feed when she can use this announcement as a convenient excuse to visit Lucretia in person? (As if she's ever needed one before.) She leans in the doorway and watches Lucretia and Junior for a moment. It's... weirdly cute.)

You're dating a doctor and you go to the network for medical advice?

(Tsk!)

yes beverly call her out!!

[scholiast]

(Lucretia glances over her shoulder, surprised (Beverly is officially one of the exceptions to her wards, and does not ping them when she comes to visit), but pleased to see her. She plucks her glasses off of her face as she stands, and Junior tumbles lazily down into the air off of her shoulder.)

Oh, hello to you too. In my defense, I didn't think having problems with glasses would constitute a visit from a doctor? (She grins, and comes over to give Beverly a kiss on the cheek.) If it makes you feel better, nobody has given me any good advice yet.

[dancingmd]

(Beverly warms to her touch. Kisses are so nice!)

If we were at home I could fix you right up myself but I'm afraid I don't have the tech here for it. However, there are several good optometrists at the hospital that I could recommend.