Private Conversations with the Lady

[soulspice]

[Welcome to the Lady's...not home far from home, but it's a place she tolerates. The moment you enter it's clear she did her best to make this office in the bookstore a place she approves.

Outfitted with an overly plush chair on a rather elaborate rug, the desk is overflowing with countless books stacked everywhere, with everything serving as a makeshift bookshelf including an errant fax machine. The Lady seems to have tried her best to make the amenities up to her standards: there’s a tray with a teapot, notes everywhere written with confusing ciphers, and what seems to be an attempt to make a generator, but wasn’t completed.

Where the Lady sits it’s far more orderly, facing the door and giving her the high ground against anyone who enters. On the far wall hangs a large portrait of the Lady, adding character and additional charm. Truly, this is the office of someone who wants you to feel small before her presence.

And, there on her chair, there she is. When the door opened she turned her head towards you, seeing who it was. Invariably of who it is, she sighs like this is a big interruption of her work, and keeps writing and drawing]

Don't touch anything and make sure you don't track mud in. If you have any complaints go see Rembrandt.

[She didn't even look up while saying that. So, what brings you to her office today?]

Comments

[ortion]

[He's shocked by her lack of generosity, truly.

But an answer's an answer, even if it doesn't help him right now. He lets out an irritated huff before moving onto the next subject.]

I came because I want to know why you've decided to cut power to the entire town except for when it is convenient for you. It is incredibly obnoxious to survive on candles alone.

[soulspice]

[She groans]

Ugh, I know! I'm not any happier having only the bare minimum electricity around!

[Apparently she has just as many electric problems as them. The Lady waves at her attempt to make a generator -- attempt being the keyword, it's clearly incomplete]

Not even I, with my incredible level of skill, was able to make a reliable generator. It's maddening!

[ortion]

[Huh. Internally, Dist wonders if the opera house just has its own generator, then.]

Ah, so that's what that is. I was going to ask...

[As he studies it, he finds himself grappling with a decision. He could probably get this in working order even without fonons, but...that would mean he'd be assisting the Lady by proxy. Does he prioritize pettiness over self-gain?

He puts that thought on the backburner for a moment.]

If it wasn't intentional, have you at least determined the cause? There has to be a power plant or some sort of source for powering the entire town to look into.

[soulspice]

Oh, I'm well aware of the cause.

[Yet she doesn't explain what it is. She takes out a screwdriver, playing with it between her fingers. That's a lot of dexterity]

That's what makes it so maddening. I spent an entire week improving Krakow's electrical network, yet it made no difference, and I just can't risk breaking things apart here by playing with fire. If the city explodes, I'm screwed.

[She's just being hyperbolic about the city exploding, thankfully. Things wouldn't be that dire]

[ortion]

[Okay, he's an engineer himself so that's entirely fair and all, but:]

Why in the world did you settle on this location for your grand scheme if it was flawed from the beginning? From this side of things, it's as if you purposefully shot yourself in the foot.

[soulspice]

Do you really think I'd make myself go through all this trouble if the location wasn't worth it?

[Have some respect for a fellow engineer, Dist!]

[ortion]

[Listen, dealing with working in a dank cavern and dealing with working in a town with a shitty power grid are two different things...

But no, he does get it. And he has to do his best to not smirk a little because that's a juicy tidbit. So the town is special, is it?]

Fair enough, fair enough. What about the generator has you baffled, then? That is far less complicated and involved than an entire town's electrical system.

[Does he sound a little condescending there? Maybe.]

[soulspice]

The generator works. Anything connected with it works. The electrical current reaches the right spots, so in theory it should work smoothly, but everything just refuses to function.

It's like what's wrong is the electricity itself.

[And correcting a force like electricity itself is...a tall ordeal. One she can't work on without electricity. Figures]

[ortion]

[That...wasn't the answer he was expecting at all, and his expression says as much. Needless to say he's just as baffled now.

He brings a hand to his chin as he steps closer and leans forward to examine it. He wants to tinker with it, but he has no idea if that would go over well.]

Is this world and timeframe your own? I have a good reason for asking this, mind. I am considering possible troubleshooting methods.

[He doesn't really want to assist the Lady since that's what she seems to want from him, but if he has to exist in this hellhole for now he'd at least like some basic amenities.]

[soulspice]

No, it isn't. It's no secret I'm as much of an outsider as you all are. We're all together in the same fish-out-of-water problem here.

[Which would be nice and dandy if she at least could get amenities for herself. Thanks a lot, world, why are you like this]

[ortion]

[Hm. This place really must be worth it if the Lady doesn't even have actual home field advantage.]

Then it is possible that you are dealing with a difference in world concepts. For example, if this were my world, I would typically construct a generator to take in wind fonons in order to create electricity. Light and fire fonons are used to provide our general lighting.

[soulspice]

[Fonons...ah, that rather interesting base for everything in Dist's world's technology. Note to herself: study fonons when this ordeal is over]

Doubtful. The principles behind electricity in my world should be universal, we don't use any particular energies other than the usual water, wind, and other similar options. Sometimes lightning rods, but that's when there's nothing better.

[...hm...]

...at this rate I'm going to have to rely on thunderstorms and that's not going to be fun for anyone.

[Because it's unlikely anything in Krakow is prepared for that much sheer electricity. Lightbulbs would explode everywhere, let me tell you]

[ortion]

Well it's clear that something at play here conflicts with your understanding.

[...

He hates so badly that he wants to offer this, but fuck it.]

I am still angry at you for what you did to me yesterday, I want to make that clear. But I am not unwilling to assist you with the generator, should you want to test my genius. This isn't my world and physics might not work as I am accustomed to, but I certainly wouldn't let that stop me.

[soulspice]

[She gives a dismissive wave at her incomplete generator]

Take it. I have no further use for that failed project -- and if you do manage to overcome all odds and make it work, it'll make you extraordinary. Steps ahead of everyone worthwhile in my world except myself. There's no way you're that good...

[She manages to say that in a blasé manner, but she does think Dist is leaps ahead of every genius in her world. That's why she's so interested in recruiting him. Not that she'll ever say that to his face, because she won't give a word of praise to anyone except herself]

[ortion]

[Grinning, Dist straightens himself out and turns to the Lady.]

Oh, the illustrious genius Dist the Rose accepts that challenge.

[She's ignited a competitive fire in him, just like that. If nothing else, he is absolutely going to prove her wrong that he can't figure this out.]

I don't suppose you've got a workshop in that castle of yours...?

[soulspice]

[She narrows her visible eye]

Of course I do. But you're not getting anywhere close to it.

[ortion]

[Ah, well! It was worth a shot.

He crosses his arms, looking down at her from the other side of the desk.]

Then what, shall I work on it in here with you?

[Knowing her, she'd probably want to breathe down his neck the entire time anyway...]

[soulspice]

[The Lady is in silence for a moment, tapping her fingers against the desk, until she takes a decision. Taking out a bag of tools obtained from who knows where in Krakow, she tosses it across the desk. It's rather heavy, but it has all kind of tools. All of them seem rather normal]

If you're in so much need of a place to work at alone, then stay here. I have to perform some duties somewhere else, anyway. If you need anything specific for this leave me a list somewhere and I'll decide if I grant those pieces or not some other day.

[She takes all of the papers she judges important, and walks to the door]

Don't take the tools out of this room and don't spill anything on the carpet, darling, that'd be such a hassle to deal with.

[Without another word, she slams the door closed, her steps indicating she was leaving the bookstore. Well then!]

[ortion]

[He's actually a little shocked by the decision. His eyes drift further down to the tools, then he follows the Lady's movements as she makes for her exit.]

What do you take me for, some kind of barbarian? I am hardly that messy. [Retorts aside, he gives her a slight bow. It's not entirely sincere of course, but he is pretty impressed by how this is all turning out.] Best of luck with your duties.

[With the Lady gone, he turns around to his new makeshift workshop. He sure didn't think he'd be doing something like working on a generator today, but here he is. Time to get to work!

While Dist knows what the hell he's looking at, his player definitely doesn't. Might this be something he can even hope to salvage?]

[soulspice]

[Someone with an excellent knowledge of machines and technology would indeed be able to solve it if they were anywhere else other than Krakow. It'd be a challenge to assemble the generator and make it work but it's certainly doable, and if he wanted to test it, there'd be plenty of electronic devices in Krakow. In that bookstore there was what seemed to be an old radio, perfect for testing.

But it's just like the Lady said: even though everything is well made, even though it should work, it simply refuses to. The electricity is just completely ineffective, and it doesn't seem like it's the generator or the electrical device's fault.

Stupid Krakow and its stupid lack of electricity, why is it such a problem]

[ortion]

[Fuck!!!

He talked himself up and was entirely prepared to gloat about his accomplishments to the Lady, but in the end even he, the genius Dist, can't get this damned thing to work! He's going to look like a complete buffoon now. Damn iiiit.

He's hardly going to give up, but he knows he's not going to get anywhere at this time. Something is going on with the electricity in this town, and he fully intends to get to the bottom of it.]

[soulspice]

[An undetermined but long enough time later, the Lady returns. When she enters the first thing she does is glance at the generator. Since she sees nothing working, she immediately realizes Dist wasn't any more successful than her. 'How disappointing'. Part of her was hoping Dist would succeed. But nope!

She sighs]

How hopeless.

[She leans against the open door]

Good effort. I barely need to glance at it to know that was a serious attempt.

[She doesn't seem to be mocking him. If there's one thing she takes real seriously, it is mechanical or scientific work]

[ortion]

[Dist is, unsurprisingly, in a bad mood about this. He's sitting across from the Lady's seat in absolute befuddlement. It's only the Lady's words of consolation that prevent him from going off on another rant.]

This is some town you've chosen. I've worked with machines for decades and this is the first time I've seen anything like this.

[He taps a small wrench against her desk.]

I will keep at this, for as long as I am able. I haven't forgotten what else is going on outside of this room.

[Her little game.]