RP Anchor, Cornerstone, Foundation

illirica

illirica

Failed Sanity Check
Staff member
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[font color="a0522d"]"I have a rock."[/font]

This might have been a strange statement. Those who were used to dealing with Laine Cantrille were somewhat used to strange statements. There was a certain tone to it though, something that wasn't audibly quantifiable and yet somehow implied meaning. Perhaps some would have thought nothing of that, either, but for anyone who had enough experience with Laine, this was understood to be a statement of something anomalous happening, even if she didn't phrase it exactly that way.

It was also somewhat unusual for her to show up at Agent Cotta's office unannounced, because Laine was generally very strict about scheduling things, but some things took precedence over schedules, and unexpected rocks seemed to be one of them. It fit on the palm of her hand like it might have belonged there, although she was being very careful about that as she held it up.

[font color="a0522d"]"It was not on my desk and it had not always been on my desk but it became on my desk."[/font]

This was another one of those statements that people tended to find incomprehensible, but it made perfect sense as far as Laine was concerned. Whether or not it made sense to anyone else or required additional explanation was one of those situations that had a pattern of going either way.

[font color="a0522d"]"What do I do about it?"[/font]

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[div][attr="style","position:relative;left:-181px;top:11px;width:150px;text-align:center;background-color:white;border:3px crimson inset;padding:5px;font-family:courier new;color:#568156;"]AGENT I. COTTA

[img style="width:150px;" src="[URL]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/426247770299432962/1112979000063688704/shirley_gillespie_and_ralph_roget_by_sunnyclockwork_d8m6ie4-pre.jpg[/URL]"]

[font color="#568156"]Code by Illirica[/font][/div][/div][div style="background-color:crimson;border-top:crimson 4px outset;border-left:crimson 4px inset;border-right:crimson 4px outset;border-bottom:crimson 4px inset;"][div style="border-top:crimson 4px inset;border-left:crimson 4px outset;border-right:crimson 4px inset;border-bottom:crimson 4px outset;"][div style="background-color:white;color:black;padding:15px;font-family:courier new;"][font color="crimson"]DATE: 7.**.23
LOCATION: Office of I. Cotta, L-14
ASSETS: Isaac Cotta, A-Class-D [L-14 Site Management; Security Callsign BEHEMOTH]; Laine Cantrille, A-Class-C [ACF-833; Security Callsign/Anomalous Designation ANCHOR]
EQUIPMENT: Security-staff office supplies.
PURPOSE: Security monitoring[/font]


Agent Cantrille had ACF-3473.

[font color="#568156"]“I see.”[/font] That was a good catch-all Security statement to indicate he understood. Sometimes he said it when he needed a second to understand, but it was a good acknowledgement. Isaac didn't need to ask how or why ACF-3473 had decided to wind up with Agent Cantrille, but it had.

Research might've answered, “What do you think you should do about it?” or immediately given her the right answer - without explaining what it did. There was a reason why Agent Cantrille hadn't brought it directly to research, however. It wasn't her rock, and he wasn't completely sure what would happen if she'd decided it should be her rock, but then determined it was best not to let her decide that.

Instead, Isaac turned to his computer, clicked around for a few seconds, and printed off a file to give to Agent Cantrille. He didn't fill the intermediate silence, except by gesturing to the empty chair, because this was going to turn into a conversation. Agent Cantrille liked the quiet, and so did Isaac, and they could both accept a pause as long as it was secure, which, for now, it was.

The papers printed, and he set them into a folder before giving her the whole packet. [font color="#568156"]“Here. [a href="[URL]https://rp-forum.net/post/18336[/URL]"][font color="#58156"][font face="courier new"]You can have this.[/font][/font][/a]”[/font] It included the addenda available at her classification level, but if the stone decided it belonged with ACF-833 today it was better to let her have its file as well. He wasn't sure if she'd need to read the file before it was hers or if because it was hers she wouldn't need to read it, but he'd give her the space to do so if desired, as well as a moment's silence to respond in turn.
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A stone, it was simple really. Stones simply sat where they belonged, resting and gathering potential until something came along and released that potential and moved them to new places. This stone was not as simple, nor was it prone to simply sitting and waiting for its ootential to be unlocked. Something wasn’t always going to come around, and sometimes it would go to the something instead.

Whether it was the interest of its tethered counterpart or mere coincidence, the stone had chosen this particular something to hold it, to ask the question and receive its blessing. It had a very tidy desk, a comfortable spot that almost seemed to have been made for the stone to rest; to be seen and used. The Anchor had not disappointed, not at first as it picked the stone from the desk and hurried it along corridors unseen. It was only a stone, and had no senses to speak of to analyze its surroundings. Yet still it knew.

The words weren’t spoken, though. Not the right ones. The Anchor simply held it up, gingerly as if it might have made her uncomfortable. Its surface warmed slightly in response, hoping it would then be more comfortable in her hand so it might be cradled. It was very secure in that grip. Maybe even twice as secure as it was alone. The other something did not take it away, not that the stone would have parted willingly. It handed some paper to the Anchor, and the stone waited patiently for the words to be uttered. It was only a question of when the Anchor would need them.
 
[googlefont="Fira Sans"][div style="border-top: 4px #CCCCCC solid; border-bottom: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 2px #A0522D solid; border-right: 2px #A0522D solid;"][div style="border-right: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 4px #cccccc solid; border-bottom: 2px #A0522D solid; border-top: 2px #A0522D solid;padding:8px; background-color:white;color:black;font-family:'Fira Sans';font-size:12px;"]Agent Cotta gestured towards a seat, which Laine did not need, but she understood that this was an indication that she belonged there whether she required it or not. This was acceptable, and so she also accepted a place in the chair and waited patiently without interrupting. The rock had increased its temperature by 2.71 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale. This was also something to be noted, but it was not an emergency situation, and so Laine continued to be patient.

The printer made sounds. Printers did not tend to be quiet, but the sounds were the sort that could be anticipated and expected, and were less obtrusive that way. Agent Cotta handed her a stack of paperwork, which Laine appreciated. Paperwork was very important. She read through it carefully, because it was important to be thorough.

Some things became understood.

[font color="a0522d"]"ACF-3473 has increased its outer temperature by 2.71 degrees,"[/font] Laine reported. It was still a rock, but it was a named rock, and Names were important. Designations were very tidy.

[font color="a0522d"]"I could activate the anomaly."[/font] This was a statement of possibility rather than intent. [font color="a0522d"]"But I do not require assistance, except with one thing, and that would be very untidy and I would like to officially recommend that we do not do that."[/font] This was not a good time to breach that subject. Things would go very poorly indeed, especially bringing ACF-3473 into the mix.

[font color="a0522d"]"So it would have to be something else. Which is possible. However - Agent Cotta, this anomaly-"[/font] She had definitely stopped herself there, very deliberately, correcting the word that had almost been there. [font color="a0522d"]"There is a place where this anomaly could be. I am understanding that it is likely there will be anomalous interactions. ACF-3473 may become difficult to relocate. Is that advised?"[/font]
 
[div style="background-color:crimson;border-top:crimson 4px outset;border-left:crimson 4px inset;border-right:crimson 4px outset;border-bottom:crimson 4px inset;"][div style="border-top:crimson 4px inset;border-left:crimson 4px outset;border-right:crimson 4px inset;border-bottom:crimson 4px outset;"][div style="background-color:white;color:black;padding:15px;font-family:courier new;"]Agent Cantrille did have to read the paperwork, which would be good to know if something like this ever occurred again. It wasn’t an experiment, just an observation. The difference was marginal, and was secondary to the difference in surface temperature of the stone, which had not been properly recorded before. Isaac clicked a pen open, and made a note on a nearby legal pad. It wasn’t as organized as a maintenance notebook, but he had a key in his head to make sense enough of those notes. 3473, 2.71°– [font color="#568156"]“Farenheit?”[/font] he checked, because accuracy was important.

He also noted some information for contact. SV-2, Dr. Hobbes. Dr. Hobbes would want to know about this partly because of ACF-833, and partly because of a recent incident involving the Traveler at L-[REDACTED]; Butterfly, because he’d be interested in anything involving L-14 and ACF-3473. He let the pen hover while he considered adding SV-5, but he was currently unraveled, according to Dr. Hobbes. He’d refrained from noting the man was always either unraveled or tangled up somehow. But that wasn’t relevant, and he set the pen aside before he could make it relevant.

He did listen, though, even if he took unrelated notes while she did so. She corrected herself twice, which was good, because he did not want to have to be the one to officially advise against the first plan, and she made sure to get approval for…

[font color="#568156"]“Hm.”[/font] The sound was non-committal, but again, an acknowledgement. He leaned back in his chair, and clicked the pen again, and then settled. [font color="#568156"]“On the one hand, ACF-833 may not be able to properly anchor the anomaly, based on past interactions between ACF-three-four-seven-three and L-14 anomalies.”[/font]

He didn’t say 707 specifically, because 833 was innately different. He said L-14 because that was his department, in a very physical sense. The pen clicked again. [font color="#568156"]“On the other hand, it might be good for security to see if it works. Even if the Traveler won’t stay, having a place for the Stone to belong would make it easier to keep track of.”[/font] It hadn’t had a permanent location since they’d tried to put it at L-5, just advisement to keep track of where it currently was.

Advisement. That was his department. He sighed. It would be best to have a researcher, any researcher, but then again, it would be best to have as few people involved with the Traveler as possible. Also, involving Cody with ACF-833 was… not advised, at the moment.

[font color="#568156"]“My advice,”[/font] he said, slowly, [font color="#568156"]“would be to activate the anomalies jointly under security observation. Research observation would be ill advised if the Traveler is involved. I can have Codes clear a laboratory for the situation within the hour, although that would merely be for recording purposes, and I could observe personally.”[/font]

He had a clear schedule, after all. Or could. Today would be for the best, because the stone had appeared today, now. And the hour would give him time to send the necessary messages and suit up. He highly doubted he could take the Traveler in a fight if it came to it, but there were protocols for these things.

[font color="#568156"]“That is my advisement, Agent Cantrille. Whether we go through with that would be your choice.”[/font]
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[googlefont="Fira Sans"][div style="border-top: 4px #CCCCCC solid; border-bottom: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 2px #A0522D solid; border-right: 2px #A0522D solid;"][div style="border-right: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 4px #cccccc solid; border-bottom: 2px #A0522D solid; border-top: 2px #A0522D solid;padding:8px; background-color:white;color:black;font-family:'Fira Sans';font-size:12px;"]Agent Cotta thought through most of what he was considering out loud. This was not standard for Agent Cotta. Laine had the feeling he was taking this action for her benefit, so that she would understand why he was advising her the way that he was. She did not mind. More information was generally a good thing, except in the case of certain memetic hazards, which did not apply here.

She listened carefully to his advice, considering it equally. She did not find any major issues of untidiness that she had not already raised, and perhaps if she was going to have a rock it would be better to determine what that meant sooner rather than later, in case it decided it was with her later when she was interacting with additional anomalies. That would add more complications.

[font color="a0522d"]"I will need to clear my schedule as well."[/font] This was not impossible, especially because Laine almost never did anything of the sort and since Agent Cotta could authorize any changes that were needed. [font color="a0522d"]"But I agree with your assessment. I believe that it is better to find out what this will entail sooner and more deliberately than later and more accidentally."[/font] Laine was not generally prone to accidents, but this would not stop someone in her vicinity from using the key phrase, and that would disrupt the parameters.


====


That was how it was an hour later, in one of the labs. Laine still had the rock, but she also had notebooks and [font color="acacac"]a pen[/font], because paperwork was very important. The rock was on the table in front of her, and she was sitting down and had written down a number of measurements as well as several cross-cut diagrams. Her notes already contained cross-references to the files that Agent Cotta had provided. Laine liked cross-referencing. It was one of the most enjoyable aspects of paperwork. Cross-referencing made many things into part of one thing, and that was very tidy.

She had not tried to keep the rock there, but it had remained nonetheless.
 
[div style="background-color:crimson;border-top:crimson 4px outset;border-left:crimson 4px inset;border-right:crimson 4px outset;border-bottom:crimson 4px inset;"][div style="border-top:crimson 4px inset;border-left:crimson 4px outset;border-right:crimson 4px inset;border-bottom:crimson 4px outset;"][div style="background-color:white;color:black;padding:15px;font-family:courier new;"]Isaac had kept track of time, because it was vitally important to ACF-833 that people be punctual. He had authorized for the maintenance schedule to be altered, and then had sent emails to the necessary supervisors and overseers, with a specific request that no specimen of ACF-707 be present. If he’d felt that would be necessary, he could ask for a Lepidopterist to be present, because at least they all behaved within some form of parameters.

He had informed Agent Richards, just in case, but Richards was on standby in his personal quarters. He was not to be involved unless ACF-707 began to react oddly to Catian Valor, which was in its own right an order to the bay checkerspot to react oddly in the case Catian Valor began to behave outside secure parameters.

Armoring hadn’t taken long. Isaac’s model was black with the added personality of collected scars and white highlights along the ribs and a white helmet and red visor – reminiscent of ACF-666. Nobody at L-14 really knew the relationship between Agent Cotta and Behemoth, not because it was classified, which it wasn’t, but because that’s not exactly the kind of thing you ask the location head of security over lunch. Or, he suspected as the unofficial heart of the betting pool, it was much more fun to keep guessing. Not very many people were close to the jackpot, but that wasn’t relevant right now.

What was relevant was that Agent Cantrille was already in the lab, filing preemptive paperwork. Isaac entered the lab fully armed, then signaled to the camera for proper sealant measures to be initiated. It wouldn’t work, but it was important to follow security protocols, because that would be on the paperwork for review. The lab locked itself. Agent Cotta did not draw any of his weapons. Instead, he pulled a chair into the corner, and settled in for observation. Once settled, he tapped the body cam on the shoulder of his armor, activating it. His eyes fixed on Laine, and then he gave a tight security nod.

[font color="#568156"]“Observation underway. Observing agent Isaac Cotta, enacting agent Laine Cantrille, involved anomalies Anchor and the Stone and the Traveler. Whenever you’re ready, Agent.”[/font]
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[googlefont="Fira Sans"][div style="border-top: 4px #CCCCCC solid; border-bottom: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 2px #A0522D solid; border-right: 2px #A0522D solid;"][div style="border-right: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 4px #cccccc solid; border-bottom: 2px #A0522D solid; border-top: 2px #A0522D solid;padding:8px; background-color:white;color:black;font-family:'Fira Sans';font-size:12px;"]Agent Cotta was very punctual. Laine appreciated that. She recorded his time of arrival in her notebook, even though it would also be recorded by the observation systems and also Agent Cotta. He was in his security armor. Laine was not, unless she needed to be, in which case she certainly would have been. This was not an unknown factor, as it had been documented that Agent Cantrille's armor was wherever it belonged at the time. Right now, she was acting more in capacity as ACF-833, which meant she looked how she always looked, which was a gray skirt and a white blouse. In general there would be a gray vest or a gray jacket, but she was trying something new today and it was important to reflect that.

The room secured itself on command as Agent Cotta took up his observation position. If anything became particularly untidy, it would be handled. Laine appreciated the security. Security was safety - or, more than that. Security was care.

That was not the topic of today's situation. Today's situation was about ACF-3473, which was trying very hard to be patient. Laine would have expected a rock to be more patient, but this was not the case. Perhaps it was merely comparative: Laine was very patient. Agent Cotta cleared the situation, making the official statement for the record. Laine did not add her own official statement, because she was not the observer. Instead, it was simply: [font color="a0522d"]"Yes, Agent Cotta."[/font]

She picked up the rock again, because it could have certainly fit in the space her hand if that were something that were going to happen. She had a feeling ACF-3473 appreciated that, but this was not confirmed by research.

Patience was not the same as wasting time, and it was important to be prompt. [font color="a0522d"]"Help me."[/font] A pause, very short, and then, additionally: [font color="a0522d"]"Please."[/font]

It was important to be polite.
 
”-and if you listen closely it is said you can still hear the cries of…” The man that appeared with his back to Agent Cotta and Agent Cantrille was short, dressed in khaki pants and a teal collared shirt that read -Tour- in big bold type on the back. Short, salt and pepper hair peeked from under a wide brimmed hat, and his arms were held up to the ceiling as he trailed off from his exposition at the sudden change of scenery. The lanyard around his neck swung in a wide arc as he spun, wide brown eyes displaying his surprise and fear on gaunt face turned leather from the sun.

For a moment it seemed that all had gone wrong, though the stone might have corrected that appearance had it been able to speak. Instead it seemed to pulse, a soft heartbeat that echoed around the lab though the stone didn’t shift in Laine’s grasp. The man’s brown eyes narrowed, lighting upon the stone and shifting hue, even as the man’s body began to change in tandem. Squelching and cracking filled the room for the instant his shifting took place, and though the clothes and accouterment did not change the man standing before the Foundation agents had become the Traveler; clothing comically short in his documented appearance.

”Well,” those shifting eyes held no small spark of amusement as he spoke, the clothing following the lead his body had set and becoming more formal business attire, a plain black suit and a white button down over black slacks and impossibly well shined dress shoes. ”At least you said please. This wasn’t exactly how I had hoped to meet you, Agent Cantrille. Or would you prefer I call you Anchor?” His gaze only hovered over the armored man in the corner before offering a small nod and returning to Laine. ”You seem the last person who need my help. What is it I can do for you?”
 
[googlefont="Fira Sans"][div style="border-top: 4px #CCCCCC solid; border-bottom: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 2px #A0522D solid; border-right: 2px #A0522D solid;"][div style="border-right: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 4px #cccccc solid; border-bottom: 2px #A0522D solid; border-top: 2px #A0522D solid;padding:8px; background-color:white;color:black;font-family:'Fira Sans';font-size:12px;"][font color="a0522d"]"Laine. Just Laine."[/font] This was not standard security performance, and therefore Agent Cantrille didn't quite fit. Anchor could have fit very well, but Laine was still not certain whether or not that was advisable. She watched with some interest as his clothing became something different. It had not always been different, fortunately, because that would have been uncomfortable.

There was something wrong about what he had said. Something that didn't belong. Laine considered the words for a moment, and which ones were not supposed to be there, and what that must imply.

[font color="a0522d"]"We have met before."[/font] Laine was not sure why that satisfied her desire for accuracy, because it was a very untidy sort of thing. Still, it belonged there, and so she left it, even if she did not yet have an explanation. Perhaps ACF-3473 had an explanation. Perhaps this explanation would even be provided.

[font color="a0522d"]"I do not need help. However, there was a rock, and so here we are. What would you like to help someone with?"[/font]
 
Catian’s frown was fleeting, almost faster than perception before a smile replaced it, masking the moment that worried him. It was to be expected with Anchor that something like that would happen. He had hoped their first official interaction would be more private, however, so he could address the matter frankly and offer Laine some kind of explanation. With their audience he was forced to let it slide, and make a mental note to check and possibly alter the records of this encounter should the issue be pursued.

In the meantime he answered Laine as truthfully as he could in the moment. ”I don’t really have much say in the hows of helping those who use the stone to summon me, Laine. I do prefer helping people to become their better selves, but that isn’t to say that I wouldn’t help them with their darkest desires if that wish drove them to say the words.” Catain sat in a chair opposite Laine, one that might not have been there before or might have always been there. Anchor always made those things temporarily cloudy before she set them firmly where they belonged. Catian merely took the seat before she could address it, perfectly content with the ambiguity of his movement and its position.

”That being said, the stone wouldn’t have brought me here if you didn’t have something I could assist with. Tell me, what do you know of the heart?”
 
[googlefont="Fira Sans"][div style="border-top: 4px #CCCCCC solid; border-bottom: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 2px #A0522D solid; border-right: 2px #A0522D solid;"][div style="border-right: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 4px #cccccc solid; border-bottom: 2px #A0522D solid; border-top: 2px #A0522D solid;padding:8px; background-color:white;color:black;font-family:'Fira Sans';font-size:12px;"]The chair was[font color="acacac"]n't[/font] there and always had [font color="acacac"]not[/font] been. Laine was silent for a second or two, reconciling the chair situation to what it must be and must have been even if there had been a moment when it couldn't.

[font color="a0522d"]"Please leave reality alone. It's much better when it's by itself."[/font] Reality was something that there should only be one of, not two or many. Reality was that there was a chair, but there really hadn't been, except that there always had.

Laine did not like that.

[font color="a0522d"]"And I did not say that there weren't something you could assist with. Only that I did not need it."[/font] The difference was important to mark. This was not a required interaction, and thus there was space for additional flexibility parameters. Need was a variable. ACF-3473 had asked her a question, and Laine was not sure what it had to do with anything, but she answered anyway.

[font color="a0522d"]"The heart is a muscular organ in most animals and some anomalies. It generally pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system, though anomalous cases may differ. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to the lungs. In humans, the heart is approximately the size of a closed fist and is located between the lungs, in the middle compartment of the chest, called the mediastinum. Is this relevant, ACF-3473? Would you like me to continue?"[/font] Laine did not see how it was relevant, but perhaps he was attempting to guide the conversation to a place where this information would fit.
 
[div style="background-color:crimson;border-top:crimson 4px outset;border-left:crimson 4px inset;border-right:crimson 4px outset;border-bottom:crimson 4px inset;"][div style="border-top:crimson 4px inset;border-left:crimson 4px outset;border-right:crimson 4px inset;border-bottom:crimson 4px outset;"][div style="background-color:white;color:black;padding:15px;font-family:courier new;"]Isaac was best at observation security.

He tended to draw a lot of attention in combat security, but he was also very good at fading into the background. Especially when there was a main object of focus, which was why he and Cody had ended up paired together so often earlier in their careers. Surveillance was one thing, watching while finding other ways to fill time. Being present for laboratory observation was another. To remain still and not interject was not something many combat personnel were capable of, and forget researchers. They always had a question.

No offense to them for it, of course. That was the part they played, and the answers to those questions were important for the protection of both anomalies and personnel.

But they would have interjected with something like, “No, please, continue, hear the screams of what?” when the man who didn’t look like Catian Valor appeared in the lab. Or, “Why did you decide to be dressed like you’re going to a dinner party? This is a lab experiment.”

Or made a stupid but funny joke. That’s what would have happened if Cody was here. It was way better that he wasn’t.

He remembered the face, though. He had a good memory, and while he wasn’t gifted with technology or art, he could give a thorough description. He wished he’d gotten a better view of the ID badge, but there was a good chance Catian wouldn’t use the alias again. He couldn’t control what he saw, so he let it go with no regret.

Because he was watching, and not interjecting, and not making up questions, and also not regretting, Isaac saw the frown. There was the slightest twitch of muscle around his eyes, before they relaxed again, not with anomalous speed but practiced force. Laine had caught on to something. We have met before. Laine rarely left L-14, but the noticed familiarity pointed to the fact that Catian had been here before. Had learned somewhat about Agent Cantrille, or Anchor, likely by non-anomalous means.

When it came to observers, it might just take one to know one. Or maybe it was just his faith in Laine’s anomalous ability to never lead the wrong way, combined with that slight frown. But Catian had moved forward, as had Laine, who did not like reality-bending, even when it wasn’t 707 doing it. It wasn’t very secure, Isaac knew that. He did take note when Laine pointed those things out – mentally, not with pen or paper. He’d remember enough of it upon review of the film, as long as Mr. Valor didn’t attempt to anomalously doctor it, which he might, because he was a reality-altering entity even if he wasn’t just a standard ontokinetic.

Catian had shifted the conversation non-anomalously to the heart, however. Isaac did not let his face twitch with concern at that possibility. He was not going to interfere with the interaction. He was observing, however. Collecting information without fully analyzing it. It was for the best, right now, that he remain detached from it, and so for now he would. He was just the body with the camera.
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It was all so fascinating, her perception just as he had predicted and seen. He smiled at her request once the issue of his seating had been settled, but left well enough alone, if not only to placate her for the time being. Laine might have been the one to initiate this experiment, but that didn’t make her any less of a subject than he was. The only one free from scrutiny…

As Anchor began detailing the physiology of the heart Catian gave another glance toward Cotta. The irony of the one observing being free from scrutiny themselves twisted the smile he had worn for Laine wryly. For a moment he wondered how the Agent would react if he found the perspective of his footage shifted to include himself. Given how well he was doing imitating furniture Catian doubted such a prank would elicit any rise from the man. He was quite fascinating in his own right.

Catian returned his attention to Laine with a hand raised to her question. ”No, Ms. Laine, I think you have demonstrated exactly what I needed.” Catian steepled his fingers and lowered his head to peer at her between them. ”Let me ask you another question. Are you human?” His eyes were shifting wildly, their colors too fast to properly named before they were replaced, his smile returned to something more amused, more invested. She had been with the Foundation for so long, how had that affected her view of herself?
 
[googlefont="Fira Sans"][div style="border-top: 4px #CCCCCC solid; border-bottom: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 2px #A0522D solid; border-right: 2px #A0522D solid;"][div style="border-right: 4px #cccccc solid; border-left: 4px #cccccc solid; border-bottom: 2px #A0522D solid; border-top: 2px #A0522D solid;padding:8px; background-color:white;color:black;font-family:'Fira Sans';font-size:12px;"][font color="a0522d"]"I was raised as one."[/font]

Laine had followed the other conversations that weren't happening. Agent Cotta was having one with himself, which probability suggested was about security. ACF-3473 was having several, attempting to engage Agent Cotta without precisely doing so. He was poking at things, seeing where the lines were and whether they could be tangled up. It reminded her of someone else. The pen definitely belonged here.

And, of course, there was the conversation he was having with her and the conversations he wasn't having with her. The threads that he set down were just as important as the ones that he picked up. Some questions were about answers, other questions were about how the answer was said or what answer was given. There were questions with many right answers, and sometimes the real question was about which right answer was the one that was taken and which ones were left alone.

And some things were not left alone, even if they would like to be.

[font color="a0522d"]"I am not a demonstration."[/font] This was a much more definitive statement than her first, which could have meant many things - or it could have meant one very specific thing. With Laine, it could have easily been either. Sometimes she chose words for their meaning, and sometimes she chose words for their meanings. Many things could belong just as easily as one, after all.
 
A soft click of the tongue accompanied her answer, a definitive fact that masked the intent. She didn’t do it purposefully, that much he could see. It was as if she deemed her humanity a non-issue, so of course it wasn’t one. No one in the universe saw Laine as anything but Agent Laine Cantrille, perhaps, save those who were less susceptible to her reality. Catian could think of a few that might have similar questions about her, but he had avoided the intricacies of her long stay with the Foundation and the tests that had taken place. He preferred to make his own determinations without the color of this world’s lens.

”Not a demonstration, raised as human?” Catian raised an eyebrow at the young woman as he settled back into the chair. ”It doesn’t sound like you think of yourself as a human being, Laine.” He let the words settled, paused to examine his fingernails. In the infinite of his choices he could have played theatrics, as he had done so many countless times before. He could have manifested a sweater vest and glasses, filtered the ambient light to something warmer and more inviting. Laine wanted things as they were, however, and he had no intention of antagonizing her with what amounted to a prank.

”Well? Do you consider yourself to be a human being?”

He needed her open opinion for his own data collection.
 
[googlefont="Fira Sans"][div style="border-top:4px #CCCCCC solid;border-bottom:4px #cccccc solid;border-left:2px #A0522D solid;border-right:2px #A0522D solid;"][div style="border-right:4px #cccccc solid;border-left:4px #cccccc solid;border-bottom:2px #A0522D solid;border-top:2px #A0522D solid;padding:8px;background-color:white;color:black;font-family:'Fira Sans';font-size:12px;"]Laine folded her hands together, peacefully. [font color="a0522d"]"That is an interesting question. Another interesting question is whether I consider anyone a human being. Would you like to ask that one? I would like to ask what you prefer to be called, since you have not introduced yourself and I have been informed that most people do not like being referred to by number."[/font]

Was he a person? Was he a human? Was a person different from a human, and if so, in what way? These were all interesting questions for research, but Laine was not a researcher. She was a security agent, and she was currently securing the situation. That meant establishing boundaries and control. Answering questions about humanity was [font color="acacac"]not her department[/font], unless Laine wanted it to be.

She had not yet decided how she felt about that. For the time being, it was best to establish the situation and figure out whether or not answering questions was likely to be a good idea or not. Agent Cotta wouldn't have allowed this if it were a terrible idea, but that did not mean that Laine wasn't going to be cautious. It was best to be careful, especially when she was not quite sure yet what she was dealing with.
 
His smile in return was full of amusement, a joke he saw coming but appreciated nonetheless. Despite the sharpness of those teeth it was a friendly gesture, one he couldn’t be sure would impart on the girl, at least in her current operation. If compartmentalization were given human form he fancied it might call itself Laine. It was charming, if not particularly endearing.

”I have been called many things, blasphemous things, poisonous things. A demon, a god, a man, a myth, an alien, and even a destroyer.” Catian mulled over each word, letting slip his regimented Chaos to back his words with a soft impression of memory. Blind adulation of crowds that turned to bloodthirsty mobs, a blade covered in blood as tears washed the blade clean; a land of peaceful meadows, and an entire planet collapsing into rubble.

”My heart, the metaphorical one to be clear, is human, I would say. Its likely the one word complex enough enough to cover such a complex topic.” Catian leveled a gaze that lingered golden for several seconds. ”If you don’t recognize the human heart it will sneak up on you at the worst times.” He tightened the reins, pulled back the leaking of his presence and the impressions that came with it, but not without a fleeting glimpse of a snow haired youth kneeling amongst scorched rubble.

”It seems we have gotten off topic, Ms. Laine. You called me here to help with a matter. Is it one you can speak or would you like to test my powers of divination in this experiment?”
 
[googlefont="Fira Sans"][div style="border-top:4px #CCCCCC solid;border-bottom:4px #cccccc solid;border-left:2px #A0522D solid;border-right:2px #A0522D solid;"][div style="border-right:4px #cccccc solid;border-left:4px #cccccc solid;border-bottom:2px #A0522D solid;border-top:2px #A0522D solid;padding:8px;background-color:white;color:black;font-family:'Fira Sans';font-size:12px;"][font color="a0522d"]"No, you have gotten off topic."[/font] This was a correction. Laine thought she had stayed on the topic very well. Laine was good at staying.

[font color="a0522d"]"You did not, incidentally, say what you would like to be called. You said many things you have been called, but that is not the same thing."[/font] It was entirely possible, of course, that he was evading the question, and if that was the case, Laine was curious to see if he would do so again. She had been very polite about it. She had not asked for a Name. Sometimes those sorts of things went poorly.

[font color="a0522d"]"Do you have powers of divination?"[/font] That, too, was something to be curious about. She had learned that sometimes when people said these things, they were being facetious, and so it was good to check and make sure before assuming it to be the case. It was very confusing and untidy. Laine was of the opinion that people should say exactly what they meant to, but it turned out that often people were not very good at knowing what they meant.
 
”Did you ever meet Maya? Uhm, Dr. Maya Delano? I think she would have liked you a lot.” Catian trailed off for a moment. It had been a while since that first step onto this plane. ”I’m sorry, yes you may call me Catian if that is your wish. Names are flippant currency with lifetimes at your fingertips.” He let free an impish grin that was far more fang than before. ”It might be as binding as any other name, if you wish to test it.” The Stone bound him well enough for the time being, he doubted that was reasoning for this visit.

”Divination, observation. The difference is perspective, as it is so many things of your world, Ms. Laine. Any prophecy by my tongue would be as likely true as any from yours, though you are more rooted in this home of yours than I am.” She deserved credit for the power of her Anomaly. The solidity of her perspective was nearly stifling to the chaos of the world around her. ”I would think you might be attracted to the Stone as it seems to be to you, given your similarities. I might be able to find a suitable distraction for it, if that is what your aim is.”

He leaned forward again, eyes once again kaleidoscopic as his hands folded in front of him. ”Of course it is probably inevitable that you be the one to administer that particular Anomaly.” A sly wink as he settled back again.
 
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