[ Despite obtaining Jasnah’s number, Lune hasn’t needed to reach out and use it yet — she rarely texts someone just to chat, there usually needs to be some pressing question to push her into it, or some eminently practical and pragmatic reason behind the communiqué — but, at last, it has happened. ]
[ — The message finds her in transit, walking back into the dormitory after a lengthy stint at the library. And because old habits die hard, Jasnah resists responding until she's made it back to her room. Then, with all the same ceremony as though she were sitting down to her spanreeds, Jasnah takes a seat and rests her elbows on the desk. Communication device propped up at eye level. ]
Intrigued. We haven't got many. My opportunities to visit were few and far between.
[ And now she's also intrigued about the question itself. ]
I know someone who's considering putting in for an empty gallery space. They asked for suggestions, and I thought perhaps a museum for the general public might be a good idea, considering how knowledge has been gatekept (figuratively and literally) within the Sanctum, and there's no guarantee they won't close those doors again in future. I used to do some archival work with the Expedition journals, but it wasn't my specialty.
[ Reams of context. Jasnah reads the message one, twice, three times. She doesn't begrudge Lune her explanation; however, it makes her wonder whether her fellow scholar frequently finds herself required to justify her requests, her stances. Showing one's work is natural — expected — in all manner of circumstances. But Jasnah isn't convinced that this is one of those. ]
Go on. Whatever you'd like to ask or offer — do it plainly.
[ Ultimately, it's not the explanation she questions. It's all that explanation without the actionable stinger. ]
[ Where some might have taken offense to that response, Lune just-- bursts into a surprised laugh. Evidently she's picked up some bad habits over time from other people, circling indirectly around a topic without getting to the fucking point. Maybe she's been around Verso too much.
Back to being direct, then. She does actually appreciate this style of communication. ]
They would like to focus on art, but pitched that the space could share or rotate exhibits, splitting focus between art vs history. If so, the museum half would need a curator.
I don't think I have the right qualifications or the time to manage half of it on my own, but so I was wondering if you'd be interested in working on it together. It wouldn't be paid, unfortunately, but I think it might be a valuable public service.
[ A valuable public service. Jasnah's turn to laugh — although her is perhaps more hollow. Except, except, except. She reminds herself of what Lune has left behind. Tells herself that for someone in those circumstances, adding value to their current circumstances might carry more appeal than looking for a way out. A way home.
But most of all, she laughs because the offer reminds her of one she'd made to Sciel so early on. That she'd heard of someone else looking for teachers, and wanted to recommend the woman. How strange is Fortune. ]
And my self-reported inexperience with museums hasn't managed to dissuade you?
[ Perhaps the humour reads poorly by text, but it's intended with a good nature. At any rate, Jasnah considers herself a quick study. ]
[ It's all very silly. Setting aside all the diligence, skill, and critical thinking required to become an expert in anything — Jasnah is acutely aware that her expertise in Rosharan proto-languages, the Desolations, and Voidbringers is hardly helpful here. And working at the library as a transcriptionist reminds her that she's a novice in someone else's historical waters. But... ]
It could be interesting. Tackling such a project alongside you.
[ How does one graduate beyond novice? She puts in the hard work. ]
[ Finally. Pinning Jasnah down feels like successfully wrangling a slippery eel which keeps wanting to squirm out of her hands. (So many of her favourite people are like this. Why?? A thing to ponder some other day.) ]
I'm glad you think so. I didn't want to turn it down entirely for a lack of capacity,
[ Perhaps fittingly, Jasnah is the first person she's admitting this to, outside of her roommate: ]
I finally went for a research assistantship at the Lyceum. It's a long commute, which cuts into the time as well, but it's more joolies and better access to research material for my own extracurricular projects.
[ Being a little coy about the latter? Maybe. Two people can be eels. ]
[ So. They'll be colleagues of a sort. Jasnah has circumnavigated anything like an assistantship thus far for all manner of reasons. But she'll be curious to learn how Lune settles into the role. ]
What manner of extracurriculars?
[ If Lune continues to play coy about it, she'll likely drop the subject. Maybe. Or - at any rate - her curiosity will go underground. Back to puzzling. ]
Chromatic ore and its effects; how to repurpose it, ideally for protecting our personal vehicles much like how the Rail is protected.
The nature of death in the Diadem; how do deceased people appear here? How often does it happen?
Documenting diffusion zones, in the off-chance that they do repeat.
Less concretely: Storm-chasers and the cosmic storms and whatever they've managed to learn there. I also want to know more about the reef labs, but they've been closed for repairs since the Sanctum opened.
Yes. Sciel has me looking into that second question, too.
[ Everything else is also appetizing (of course) but Jasnah suspects she's of slightly more use discussing death and on the ways it can be cheated, on occasion. ]
Although I sensed her curiosity was more than merely pragmatic.
[ For once, she's not fishing for more. Sciel's friend is likely heaps more familiar with whatever emotional forces are at play; Jasnah is instead trusting Lune to register a kind of slant-concern conjured by the sentence. The last thing she's interested in doing is enkindling a wicked hope in someone else's heart. ]
[ Confirming the suspicion, but no additional context offered. Sciel's business is Sciel's business, and it's intensely personal; far more than Lune is equipped to deal with even if she wanted to blab. ]
In my earliest days here, I met a man who hypothesizes that when someone is torn from their world and brought here it represents a kind of splintered timeline. I suggested to her that the two phenomenon could be one in the same.
[ Because (at the time) that explanation had felt more merciful than some of the more concrete examples Jasnah could describe. ]
[ Jasnah doesn't have the set of datapoints from her home world to compare like this, and so Lune is quick to supply them. The nitpicky, finicky details which she's been chewing over, like something caught in her teeth. ]
I woke up here after playing games on a beach. Our fellow expeditioner, Maelle, is from later on: she remembers reaching a landmark that Sciel and I hadn't reached yet in our journey. And yet to Maelle, we were still present and accompanying her; we didn't suddenly vanish.
Thus: it can't all be one single uninterrupted timeline. It seems to splinter. And as far as we've been able to tell, we do share the same memories and experiences until the points of divergence.
[ Hm. Don't mind her as she pauses, briefly, to jot some of this information into a slim notebook. ]
As hypotheses go, it's got legs. However — there's another possibility. One I didn't mention when she first asked for my help.
[ Sciel had latched too quickly, too obviously onto the concept of a splintered timeline. On finding a way to control it. On — rewinding herself, it seemed like. And Jasnah realized in an instant that any further theories might require vetting. The one she's thinking of could wholly miss the mark. Best not agitate the other woman with mere conjecture. ]
Will you tell me more about the death in question?
[ If this were handwritten, Lune would be fidgeting. The other end of her pen tap-tap-tapping against the blank page (at least she'd learned from a young age not to chew on the nib, the ink got everywhere). In lieu of that, her fingers tap the edge of her clunky telephone. ]
Do you mean the one from the deceased person we met?
[ As soon as Jasnah confirms, Lune forces herself to answer the initial question. Crisp, factual, no matter how much it aches. She talks like the healer she's become. ]
Initial stab wounds and lacerations, then fully impaled on a sword. Deceased almost immediately after.
[ Maybe she ought to proceed more gently. Maybe she ought to pause and say I'm sorry for your loss — but Jasnah matches Lune's crisp and factual approach.
She does, at least, explain: ] That is, was it an ordinary death? There are stories of individuals returning from the dead if, at the moment of their passing, they were heavily imbued with magic.
[ Investiture, not magic. But she's not ready to get into the Proper Noun just yet . ]
[ She never really knows what to do with pity or condolences when she's on the receiving end of them; has always hated them. And it'd feel extra-strange now, accepting any words about loss when the loss himself is, technically, walking around again-- even if all of their grief still happened at the time.
So. It's appreciated. This approach is easier. ]
Hm. That, I'm not sure. I didn't witness it directly; it sounded ordinary as far as such things go, but technically nothing on the Continent is ordinary.
[ The blur of red petals left behind, so the only thing they had to bury was the prosthetic arm. Gustave hadn't crystallised into chroma, but that just meant he hadn't been killed by nevrons; he'd died like anyone in Lumière instead. ]
[ So. Not likely to be a Cognitive Shadow. Good. Jasnah would not have enjoyed explaining the concept to Lune. Specifically, the bit where no one is quite certain whether a Cognitive Shadow is someone truly returned from the dead or simply an echo left behind by vast amounts of Investiture. A copy, albeit a very, very good one. ]
Most likely a quirk of timelines and timing, then. One that remains to be seen whether it's mere coincidence or intentional on someone's part.
Intentional. As in, if some force is specifically and consciously choosing who to bring over into this world?
[ Lune asks that question; and then almost immediately starts to justify the theory, pondering it. ]
Despite all the diversity here, there does seem to be more overlap than you'd expect, if it were truly random across every conceivable world and every possible outcome to the ∞th degree.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text;
How do you feel about museums?
no subject
Intrigued. We haven't got many. My opportunities to visit were few and far between.
[ And now she's also intrigued about the question itself. ]
Why?
no subject
Whereas you're a historian.
[ And thus: better-qualified. ]
no subject
Go on. Whatever you'd like to ask or offer — do it plainly.
[ Ultimately, it's not the explanation she questions. It's all that explanation without the actionable stinger. ]
no subject
Back to being direct, then. She does actually appreciate this style of communication. ]
They would like to focus on art, but pitched that the space could share or rotate exhibits, splitting focus between art vs history. If so, the museum half would need a curator.
I don't think I have the right qualifications or the time to manage half of it on my own, but so I was wondering if you'd be interested in working on it together. It wouldn't be paid, unfortunately, but I think it might be a valuable public service.
no subject
But most of all, she laughs because the offer reminds her of one she'd made to Sciel so early on. That she'd heard of someone else looking for teachers, and wanted to recommend the woman. How strange is Fortune. ]
And my self-reported inexperience with museums hasn't managed to dissuade you?
[ Perhaps the humour reads poorly by text, but it's intended with a good nature. At any rate, Jasnah considers herself a quick study. ]
no subject
And you said you were a historian.
no subject
[ It's all very silly. Setting aside all the diligence, skill, and critical thinking required to become an expert in anything — Jasnah is acutely aware that her expertise in Rosharan proto-languages, the Desolations, and Voidbringers is hardly helpful here. And working at the library as a transcriptionist reminds her that she's a novice in someone else's historical waters. But... ]
It could be interesting. Tackling such a project alongside you.
[ How does one graduate beyond novice? She puts in the hard work. ]
no subject
I'm glad you think so. I didn't want to turn it down entirely for a lack of capacity,
[ homegirl is addicted to picking up more work ]
and you were the first person I thought of.
no subject
Lack of capacity?
[ What are you up to, Lune. ]
no subject
I finally went for a research assistantship at the Lyceum. It's a long commute, which cuts into the time as well, but it's more joolies and better access to research material for my own extracurricular projects.
[ Being a little coy about the latter? Maybe. Two people can be eels. ]
no subject
What manner of extracurriculars?
[ If Lune continues to play coy about it, she'll likely drop the subject. Maybe. Or - at any rate - her curiosity will go underground. Back to puzzling. ]
no subject
Chromatic ore and its effects; how to repurpose it, ideally for protecting our personal vehicles much like how the Rail is protected.
The nature of death in the Diadem; how do deceased people appear here? How often does it happen?
Documenting diffusion zones, in the off-chance that they do repeat.
Less concretely: Storm-chasers and the cosmic storms and whatever they've managed to learn there. I also want to know more about the reef labs, but they've been closed for repairs since the Sanctum opened.
no subject
Yes. Sciel has me looking into that second question, too.
[ Everything else is also appetizing (of course) but Jasnah suspects she's of slightly more use discussing death and on the ways it can be cheated, on occasion. ]
Although I sensed her curiosity was more than merely pragmatic.
[ For once, she's not fishing for more. Sciel's friend is likely heaps more familiar with whatever emotional forces are at play; Jasnah is instead trusting Lune to register a kind of slant-concern conjured by the sentence. The last thing she's interested in doing is enkindling a wicked hope in someone else's heart. ]
no subject
[ Confirming the suspicion, but no additional context offered. Sciel's business is Sciel's business, and it's intensely personal; far more than Lune is equipped to deal with even if she wanted to blab. ]
Have you found anything promising yet?
no subject
[ She assumes yes. After all, Sciel is one who introduced the concept to Jasnah. But — bear with her, this is indeed going somewhere... ]
no subject
Only the one so far, with Sciel, but I'd expect there to be others.
[ It'd be more unlikely and strange if her friend were a unique one-off. ]
no subject
[ Because (at the time) that explanation had felt more merciful than some of the more concrete examples Jasnah could describe. ]
no subject
[ Jasnah doesn't have the set of datapoints from her home world to compare like this, and so Lune is quick to supply them. The nitpicky, finicky details which she's been chewing over, like something caught in her teeth. ]
I woke up here after playing games on a beach. Our fellow expeditioner, Maelle, is from later on: she remembers reaching a landmark that Sciel and I hadn't reached yet in our journey. And yet to Maelle, we were still present and accompanying her; we didn't suddenly vanish.
Thus: it can't all be one single uninterrupted timeline. It seems to splinter. And as far as we've been able to tell, we do share the same memories and experiences until the points of divergence.
no subject
As hypotheses go, it's got legs. However — there's another possibility. One I didn't mention when she first asked for my help.
[ Sciel had latched too quickly, too obviously onto the concept of a splintered timeline. On finding a way to control it. On — rewinding herself, it seemed like. And Jasnah realized in an instant that any further theories might require vetting. The one she's thinking of could wholly miss the mark. Best not agitate the other woman with mere conjecture. ]
Will you tell me more about the death in question?
no subject
Do you mean the one from the deceased person we met?
[ As soon as Jasnah confirms, Lune forces herself to answer the initial question. Crisp, factual, no matter how much it aches. She talks like the healer she's become. ]
Initial stab wounds and lacerations, then fully impaled on a sword. Deceased almost immediately after.
no subject
[ Maybe she ought to proceed more gently. Maybe she ought to pause and say I'm sorry for your loss — but Jasnah matches Lune's crisp and factual approach.
She does, at least, explain: ] That is, was it an ordinary death? There are stories of individuals returning from the dead if, at the moment of their passing, they were heavily imbued with magic.
[ Investiture, not magic. But she's not ready to get into the Proper Noun just yet . ]
no subject
So. It's appreciated. This approach is easier. ]
Hm. That, I'm not sure. I didn't witness it directly; it sounded ordinary as far as such things go, but technically nothing on the Continent is ordinary.
[ The blur of red petals left behind, so the only thing they had to bury was the prosthetic arm. Gustave hadn't crystallised into chroma, but that just meant he hadn't been killed by nevrons; he'd died like anyone in Lumière instead. ]
no subject
Most likely a quirk of timelines and timing, then. One that remains to be seen whether it's mere coincidence or intentional on someone's part.
no subject
[ Lune asks that question; and then almost immediately starts to justify the theory, pondering it. ]
Despite all the diversity here, there does seem to be more overlap than you'd expect, if it were truly random across every conceivable world and every possible outcome to the ∞th degree.
(no subject)