realityshifted | (no subject)

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tales of the abyss (d1) peony

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What's all this then? It's pretty unexpected, I have to say. If this is what I've been missing out on, I'll have to start sneaking out of the Palace again.

[he looks around idly, seeming pretty calm and unmoved by it all. He's just chill and almost pleasantly so]

Still, as nice as the scenery is, pulling people into Machines isn't something to be taken lightly. Grand experiments like this without the consent of the test subjects aren't something I can condone. I might have to talk to some people. Hopefully there aren’t any idiots I know getting themselves mixed up in anything they shouldn't be. It would be a hassle to have to clean up someone else's mess again.

[a sigh that's somewhere between annoyed and unamused. He crosses his arms over his chest, and if there was a throne somewhere he'd take a seat. Oh well, he'll just look around expectantly]

So how about someone come out and tell me how to get out of this place? While the look of the place and the new surroundings are great, being trapped too long in one place would be annoying.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Jade making that statement is enough for now, and he's going to trust Jade's motives for the time being.]

[he sighs though, because idiots are exhausting] What's that Asch guy up to?

Asch would prefer not to see Akzeriuth fall. If he gives Luke or Tear the right kind of information, he may succeed in saving those lives. I'm not sure if telling him that we've been freed of the Score would be enough to convince him that he can't make another path to that freedom.

Or he might be the kind of guy that has to screw up enough before he realizes what he's doing is wrong. You know him better than I do, do you think he's smart enough to get the right idea without making a mess first?

[a pause, and he puts his glasses back on]

He and Luke had more in common than Asch might want to admit.

[Fomicry: it works better than you'd think]

So he's like that.

[Peony starts looking through Broderick's brochure]

If he changed their past, would that change our present or does it all splinter off after that into different histories?

Different universes obey different rules. I've asked Asch and Tear to do a simple experiment to test how the universes might affect each other.

Oh yeah. How did that turn out? [he's acting non-chalant, but a simple experiment never feels like a simple one with Jade]

I haven't had a chance to look at the results yet. The hosts of this experiment trapped us on the Plane for a month.

[a slightly worrying smile touches his face] But don't worry, Your Majesty. I stayed quiet and hid myself from the monsters.

[he only seems amused by that worrying smile] More like the monsters stayed quiet and hid themselves from you.

[more seriously] So what kind of experiment did you ask Tear and Asch to do for you?

[crouching is tiring, so Jade's going to just sit properly]

I've asked each of them to leave a message somewhere. If Asch can find Tear's message, her actions affect his present. If I can find Asch's and Tear's, their actions affect our present. Asch left his in Daath, so I'll have to take a trip to find it.

[If you can trust Jade with one thing, it's his faith in the scientific method.]

Let's hope you don't find anything.

[he hugs his one knee as he props his chin up on top of it]

Why not just ask our Tear if she ever remembers meeting you in space?

I made an inquiry, but I don't believe she remembers it. [seriously] It's possible that our worlds will affect each other even if this doesn't come through. Some of the texts noted that if a change didn't have enough weight, history could return to its former form, as it is with the planet's memory. Even if I don't find the messages, a large change like altering the fate of Akzeriuth might come through.

Is there a way to prevent Asch from making that kind of change without effecting his place in the future?

None that I'm aware of, short of separating him from Luke and Tear permanently.

I've compiled a report on all the possible repercussions that may come from changing history. If Asch won't change his mind, I intend on having Tear and Luke read the report as well.

Give me a summary of the report with all the important information. You can get me a copy of it to look over again when we get home.

In brief, the best that could happen is that Akzeriuth is saved without significant damage to other events. The most neutral possibility is that, despite Asch's efforts, history takes its course. The worst that could happen is for the temporal paradoxes to cause all our universes to collapse completely.

Have you told Asch any of that yet?

I have, and he's been researching it himself. I'm more than happy to give him another reminder. There remains the possibility that Luke and Tear will themselves reject knowledge of the future.

[Jade puts his gloved hands together.]

If it is impossible to stop Asch, Your Majesty, I believe the safest course of action would be to reveal all information to them. The less they know, the more likely they are to make a disaster of it.

[he unwraps his arms from his knee and leans his back against the kiosk so he can at least lounge]

You're that sure Asch is unstoppable? If you say so. It's not like you have anything you'd want to change about the past, right Jade?

[Jade doesn't] If Your Majesty desires it, I can always perform a lobotomy on Asch. I'd offer to kill him, but I'm afraid the people who run this experiment refuse to let their subjects stay dead.

Let's not go too far. You can find other ways to entertain yourself in our own time.

How much time do we have before Luke and Tear get to Akzeriuth?

Given the delays [including the slaughtering of the Tartarus's crew] it will take slightly less than two weeks. Time doesn't always match up properly, so it may be longer or shorter for us.

So we'll just stall Asch until that happens. The guy doesn't seem like he's in a rush to talk to Luke or anything. It can't be that hard.

What an encouraging optimism you display, Your Majesty.

Ugh, don't sound so pure and supportive. If you keep it up, you're going to make me sick.

[sigh] So, do you think it could work or what?