[17:45] Zoivox emits a strange scratching sound. “Ooh, hang on… I can almost see you…
[17:46] Zoivox: “Um… one of you do me a great big favor and just… just kick the holo-emitter, would you?” A distorted laugh comes from the sparkling motes.
[17:47] Zoivox: “There we go! I can’t believe it worked! Okay, I’m not sure how long I can keep tramsitting through this thing, so I’ll try to make the best of it! First of all — thank you! How are you all?”
[17:48] Abi Okelly (abigail.ferryhill): great
[17:48] Bat (fruitbat.oh): good
[17:48] Nola Hellershanks: awesome
[17:48] Zoivox grins. Probably. The distortion makes it a little hard to tell. “Good to hear. And your Mystics? How are they?”
[17:49] Bat (fruitbat.oh): doing fine 🙂
[17:49] Abi Okelly (abigail.ferryhill): multiplying
[17:49] Nola Hellershanks: lol yes
[17:50] Zoivox smiles. “Thank the thankable. I’ve been… worried…”
[17:50] Bat (fruitbat.oh): why ?
[17:50] Nola Hellershanks: why?
[17:50] Meeroos RooU StatisFaction V1.0 (WEAR ME) whispers: Bat leans over and gently pets Luri on the head.
[17:50] Meeroos RooU StatisFaction V1.0 (WEAR ME) whispers: Luri leans over and gently pets Bat on the head.
[17:51] Zoivox glances side to side. “How long has it been since you’ve heard from Flipsy the fairy?”
[17:51] Abi Okelly (abigail.ferryhill): i havent
[17:51] Nola Hellershanks: the other day I think it was
[17:51] Luri (luriel.lykin): Neither have I
[17:52] Nola Hellershanks: when the server was down
[17:52] Zoivox frowns. “I was worried about that. She was selected to be your ‘Tour Guide’ – someone who’d help you learn about the Mystics, about Elarra, about… well, everything about the world.”
[17:53] Luri (luriel.lykin): I admit to getting confused a few times
[17:54] Luri (luriel.lykin): Just made sure everyone had mystica and kept on
[17:54] Zoivox nods solemnly. “I think something has happened to her. But I don’t know what…”
[17:55] Nola Hellershanks: Bob Ross took her
[17:55] Luri (luriel.lykin) chokes
[17:55] Abi Okelly (abigail.ferryhill): lol
[17:56] Luri (luriel.lykin): Then she’s Happy somewhere… with a Lot of happy triees
[17:56] Luri (luriel.lykin): trees
[17:56] Zoivox perks up. “Ooh, tell me of The Babrass! Is it some sort of fearsome predatory bird, like the Karava? Only probably with fewer eyes?”
[17:56] Luri (luriel.lykin): er…. predatory birds?
[17:57] Luri (luriel.lykin): Think she’s been flying around somewhere dangerous?
[17:57] Nola Hellershanks: Flispy was waiting for the server to finish and played this Bob Ross for us, then she was gone 🙁
[17:57] Luri (luriel.lykin): Everything has been peaceful with us
[17:57] Bat (fruitbat.oh): we dont have that problem on earth
[17:58] Meeroos RooU StatisFaction V1.0 (WEAR ME) whispers: Luri leans over and gently pets Bat on the head.
[17:58] Luri (luriel.lykin): Bat just got back from a journey
[17:58] Luri (luriel.lykin): He didn’t say anything about meeting fairies though
[17:58] Zoivox looks a little sheepish. “Ah. I know little of the Earthite creatures. My people tell a legend about the Karava – a many-eyed bird that will snatch people up if they’re not careful!” She chuckles.
[17:59] Luri (luriel.lykin) looks around nervously
[17:59] Meeroos RooU StatisFaction V1.0 (WEAR ME) whispers: Luri leans over and gently pets Bat on the head.
[17:59] Luri (luriel.lykin): and all I usually worry about is getting stepped on
[17:59] Luri (luriel.lykin): No one stepped on her did they?
[18:00] Nola Hellershanks: 0-o
[18:00] Luri (luriel.lykin) pulls her tail close and fluffs it
[18:00] Zoivox: “If not this terrifying Babrass.. then hm. I wonder what could be keeping her. You see… we’ve been receiving some messages from Flipsy, back at the Academy. But certain things about them seem… wrong.”
[18:00] Luri (luriel.lykin): Constant danger…
[18:00] Luri (luriel.lykin) tilts head
[18:01] Luri (luriel.lykin): What did she say? I mean… Wrong how?
[18:01] Luri (luriel.lykin): I don’t know enough about you to know what would be wrong myself
[18:02] Zoivox: “I feel the same way. I know so little about you Earthites or Earth itself, but something just seems… what is your word for it. Piscine? No. Fishy! Yes. Fishy.”
[18:02] Luri (luriel.lykin) pulls out a package of dried berries and offers Bat some
[18:02] Bat (fruitbat.oh): ta
[18:02] Luri (luriel.lykin) wrinkles her nose
[18:02] Luri (luriel.lykin): Smells bad then
[18:03] Luri (luriel.lykin) sneezes delicately
[18:03] Luri (luriel.lykin) nibbles a few berries
[18:04] Luri (luriel.lykin): Sorry… I missed dinner
[18:04] Zoivox: “I tried to talk to my superiors about it, but… they told me not to worry. They said everything was fine. But… I wanted to try to find out for myself. What it’s like on Earth for you and your Mystics… what you know about Elarra and the Gray…”
[18:05] Luri (luriel.lykin) looks at Bat with a slightly confused expression
[18:05] Luri (luriel.lykin): Er…. uh…. things are turning Gray on Elarra?
[18:05] Luri (luriel.lykin) rubs her ears trying to remember
[18:06] Luri (luriel.lykin): Running out of food. Mystica.
[18:06] Zoivox’s dropped jaw is obvious, even despite the poor fidelity of the hologram. “Oh… oh dear.”
[18:06] Luri (luriel.lykin) frowns thoughtfully
[18:06] Luri (luriel.lykin) looks sheepish
[18:06] Luri (luriel.lykin): Its… been a while
[18:07] Bat (fruitbat.oh): tell us about the Gray ?
[18:07] Luri (luriel.lykin): Is there any danger to our Mystics here?
[18:07] Zoivox: “Oh, no, please don’t be embarrassed! It has been. And it’s not your fault at all if you forgot – or if, perhaps, you never even knew…”
[18:07] Luri (luriel.lykin) moves closer to Bat
[18:08] Zoivox: “The Gray is…” she begins, then ends just as quickly. She sighs. “We still don’t know exactly what it is. But it is destroying Magika from the world of Elarra. It moves slowly, but it keeps growing, day by day, hour by hour…”
[18:09] Luri (luriel.lykin): Magika
[18:09] Luri (luriel.lykin) sighs
[18:09] Luri (luriel.lykin): I even for got the right word
[18:09] Luri (luriel.lykin): But… how can we feed the Mystics then?
[18:09] Luri (luriel.lykin) brows furrow
[18:09] Zoivox: “Where it passes… Magika disappears. Magic becomes impossible. Magical creatures…” She waves a hand. “They dissolve, their essence returning to the world.”
[18:10] Bat (fruitbat.oh): then with food supply dwindling , extinction is inevitable unless the Gray can be controlled .
[18:10] Luri (luriel.lykin) clutches at Bat’s sleeve
[18:11] Zoivox: “Earth is safe from the Gray. That’s why we’ve been sending the Mystics here, as well as supplies of Magika. We at the Academy… well, we of Elarra in general… hope that Earth can become a safe haven for not just the Mystics, but – in due time – all Magical creatures, until the Gray can be conquered.”
[18:11] Luri (luriel.lykin): So what has Flipsy been saying about all this?
[18:11] Bat (fruitbat.oh): except the predatory birds i hope ?
[18:12] Luri (luriel.lykin): And more like the Mystics?
[18:12] Luri (luriel.lykin) looks alarmed
[18:12] Luri (luriel.lykin): er… nothing too… aggressive please?
[18:12] Zoivox scratches her head. “That’s the curious thing. I read a memo when I was filing once… and she’d mentioned something about hungry Mystics ‘running home to Elarra.'”
[18:13] Luri (luriel.lykin) blinks
[18:13] Luri (luriel.lykin): Not the ones staying with us
[18:13] Luri (luriel.lykin): I don’t know about others
[18:14] Nola Hellershanks: Sorry I have to run have a radio show to do, grrrrr
[18:14] Zoivox shrugs. “Those were her notes. It’s confusing for me, too…”
[18:14] Zoivox: “Thank you for coming, Miss… what was your name?”
[18:14] Abi Okelly (abigail.ferryhill): laters Nola
[18:14] Nola Hellershanks: take care all
[18:14] Zoivox: “Ah! Nola, then. I’m glad to have met you. Thank you for your help!”
[18:17] Abi Okelly (abigail.ferryhill): is there anything we can do to help?
[18:17] Bat (fruitbat.oh): tell us what you know about the Gray .
[18:17] Bat (fruitbat.oh): origin ?
[18:17] Luri (luriel.lykin): What has Flipsy said that’s made you so worried when other’s aren’t?
[18:17] Bat (fruitbat.oh): propagation characteristics?
[18:18] Zoivox flickers a minute. “Sorry, thought someone was coming. Its origin: unknown. It’s nothing like anything we’ve known. It doesn’t seem to be a creature, or a machine. It’s… almost like a force.” She shakes her head.
[18:19] Zoivox: “We know that the Academy is trying its best to research it. That’s… not my department, though. I only know so much.”
[18:20] Luri (luriel.lykin): how is it they can send us Magica then?
[18:21] Bat (fruitbat.oh): can you keep the magica supply to earth going ?
[18:22] Luri (luriel.lykin): Yeah… *looks down at the little pouch of dried berries in her paws*
[18:22] Luri (luriel.lykin): I don’t think the Mystics are going to eat these
[18:22] Zoivox: “It spreads slowly, fortunately for us all. And the Academy has long stored up Magika in case of emergencies. It’s very abundant on Elarra, like your water or your oxygen. Bountiful – but still limited.”
[18:23] Luri (luriel.lykin) relaxes a little
[18:23] Luri (luriel.lykin): So… you’ve contacted us about Flipsy?
[18:23] Bat (fruitbat.oh): then we have time to solve the problem
[18:23] Luri (luriel.lykin): Or to make sure we understand what’s going on as much as possible?
[18:23] Luri (luriel.lykin): Sadly we really haven’t seen her
[18:25] Zoivox nods. “Both, really. I was worried that Flipsy had told you the wrong things in the past. Why would that have happened? I’m just not sure. But I want to find out.”
[18:27] Zoivox: “But… I do want to help you, if I can. Elarra is an amazing and wonderful world, and it’s in trouble. If the worst happens… if the Gray takes hold… well, it would be nice to be remembered by someone, somewhere out there in the cosmos…”
[18:28] Luri (luriel.lykin) nods
[18:28] Luri (luriel.lykin): We’ll never forget
[18:28] Luri (luriel.lykin): What can we do for you now?
[18:30] Zoivox: “I appreciate that. So very much. I… can’t really speak for all of Elarra, but what you’re doing here on Earth to help take care of our Mystics, to help protect our Magika… we could just never thank you enough.” She smiles.
[18:30] Meeroos RooU StatisFaction V1.0 (WEAR ME) whispers: Luri leans over and gently pets Bat on the head.
[18:30] Luri (luriel.lykin) smiles
[18:30] Luri (luriel.lykin): Good
[18:31] Luri (luriel.lykin): That makes me feel a bit better
[18:31] Luri (luriel.lykin): If there are other … uhm… refugees I guess you could say… we might have some room
[18:31] Zoivox: “As for what you can do now… I suppose it would make sense to try to learn what you know about Elarra and the Academy. I did what research I could – which isn’t too much – but I did learn that you were all given a story about some of our people at the Academy.”
[18:32] Luri (luriel.lykin) nods
[18:32] Meeroos RooU StatisFaction V1.0 (WEAR ME) whispers: Luri leans over and gently pets Bat on the head.
[18:33] Abi Okelly (abigail.ferryhill): yes i love learning new things
[18:33] Zoivox shakes her head. “It’s just the Mystics for now. They’re in the path of the Gray, and we’ve had some very successful relocation efforts for many of the other threatened species. It will be a very long time before any other type of animal needs to be rescued.”
[18:33] Luri (luriel.lykin): Okay
[18:33] Luri (luriel.lykin): Probably for the best at the moment
[18:34] Luri (luriel.lykin): Our home isn’t very large
[18:34] Luri (luriel.lykin): So what about Flipsy?
[18:34] Luri (luriel.lykin): You can’t message her somehow? Or … I guess if she’s in trouble someone could find out
[18:34] Luri (luriel.lykin): And that would be both of you in trouble
[18:35] Luri (luriel.lykin) sighs
[18:35] Zoivox nods. “I shouldn’t be talking to you at all right now. If they found out…” A shiver runs through her glitching, holographic form.
[18:36] Luri (luriel.lykin) gives a little sympathetic whimper
[18:37] Luri (luriel.lykin): Anything in particular you feel we need to know now?
[18:37] Zoivox: “And I know that the Academy is trying to keep in contact with her. We get messages. I just think they’re… they’re… oh, what is the word you have. Cellulared on? No, wait… Phoned in! Yes!”
[18:37] Luri (luriel.lykin): Is there some time to talk that would be safer?
[18:37] Luri (luriel.lykin) nods
[18:38] Luri (luriel.lykin): What does she say?
[18:39] Abi Okelly (abigail.ferryhill): contact us when you can and we will help
[18:39] Zoivox: “There were things in her past transmissions… Oh, where was it now…” Her image flickers a bit and you can hear a rustling of papers.
[18:40] Zoivox: “Oh yes. Her very first one. She was so excited…”
[18:40] Zoivox: (( https://mysticasl.com/chronicles-of-mystica/hello-world/ ))
[18:40] Luri (luriel.lykin) searches in her pouch for a last berry
[18:41] Zoivox: “But, at its end… yes, here: ‘Please take a survey on your way out and tell the Academy how wonderflupus I am because I get more rubies. Have a Sparkle day!’ Have… have you ever taken such a survey?”
[18:42] Luri (luriel.lykin) exchanges a look with Bat
[18:42] Luri (luriel.lykin): Have you?
[18:42] Bat (fruitbat.oh): no
[18:42] Luri (luriel.lykin) brow furrows in thought
[18:42] Luri (luriel.lykin): I… don’t think… I have…
[18:43] Luri (luriel.lykin) winces
[18:43] Luri (luriel.lykin): My memory isn’t the best and its been a while
[18:44] Zoivox whispers, “I’m not sure that *anyone* has… But we’ve got them. Now, Flipsy passed many rigorous screening tests to get the Tour Guide position. She was the ambassador of all Elarra!”
[18:45] Luri (luriel.lykin): You don’t think she’s … uh… dishonest?
[18:45] Luri (luriel.lykin) looks troubled
[18:45] Luri (luriel.lykin): Not sure what I’d call it
[18:45] Luri (luriel.lykin): Doesn’t seem like she’s lied
[18:45] Luri (luriel.lykin): At least not to us
[18:47] Zoivox shakes her head. “Not on purpose. Fairies are fickle, playful creatures, this is true – it’s been delightful to learn how your Earthite legends of fairies describe some of their actual peoples on Elarra! And yet…they’re usually kind, friendly, open. Silly, at the worst.”
[18:47] Luri (luriel.lykin) relaxes a little
[18:47] Luri (luriel.lykin) stiffens up again
[18:47] Luri (luriel.lykin): Someone forcing her?
[18:48] Luri (luriel.lykin): If you haven’t seen her….
[18:48] Luri (luriel.lykin): Hope she’s okay
[18:49] Zoivox looks all around, facing away from the transmitter for a moment. “So I think…” She turns back and nods. “That’s my thought. But why? Why threaten her? Why try to get her to give wrong information to the Academy? And possibly to you, before?”
[18:50] Luri (luriel.lykin) rubs her face with both paws
[18:50] Zoivox whispers. “I think someone’s trying to sabotage the Mystics Program….”
[18:50] Luri (luriel.lykin): The… Grey… possibly someone is causing it?
[18:50] Luri (luriel.lykin): But why?
[18:50] Luri (luriel.lykin): They’d be destroying themselves too
[18:51] Luri (luriel.lykin) shakes head
[18:51] Luri (luriel.lykin): Crazy idea
[18:51] Luri (luriel.lykin) frowns
[18:51] Luri (luriel.lykin): They better not try to do anything to My Mystics
[18:51] Luri (luriel.lykin) bares surprisingly sharp teeth
[18:52] Luri (luriel.lykin): I’ll give them such a nip!
[18:52] Luri (luriel.lykin): Humph! *nods her head and crosses her arms*
[18:52] Zoivox throws up her hands. Her wings droop sadly. “I just don’t know. But the best I can do is… just try to learn all I can. Maybe we can learn some things together, and I’ll figure out what to research next…”
[18:53] Luri (luriel.lykin): Anything we can do to help!
[18:53] Luri (luriel.lykin): Besides caring for the Mystics of course
[18:53] Luri (luriel.lykin): That’s a given
[18:54] Zoivox smiles. “In that case… could you brush up on some of the legends you’ve been told so far? About the Academy, about the stories of the beginning? I know there’s so very very much. But… I have heard of an Earthite thing called a… a… what is the word. A novel bat? A story bludgeon? A book club! Yes!”
[18:55] Luri (luriel.lykin) giggles
[18:55] Luri (luriel.lykin) covers it with a cough
[18:55] Luri (luriel.lykin) nods
[18:55] Luri (luriel.lykin): We can do that
[18:56] Zoivox: “Perhaps, the next time we meet, we can talk about some of these things. A little at a time. The translations are never perfect, I’m sure. But perhaps… if we can’t learn what’s happening… we can learn what somebody wants us to think…”
[18:56] Luri (luriel.lykin): We have a pact then
[18:57] Luri (luriel.lykin): Its a late hour on Earth for most of us
[18:57] Zoivox bows her head, then touches her right temple, then her left. “Agreed. And thank you, again. For listening. For coming. For helping.”
[18:57] Luri (luriel.lykin): An earlier hour might bring us more people to help
[18:57] Luri (luriel.lykin) looks conserned
[18:58] Luri (luriel.lykin): Take care of yourself too
[18:58] Luri (luriel.lykin) smiles
[18:58] Luri (luriel.lykin): We’ll do what we can
[18:58] Zoivox nods. “I’ll do what I can. I can’t say when I’ll next be able to project myself to you like this… but I’ll be sure to let you know. Take care of yourselves. And take care of those wonderful Mystics.”
[18:59] Zoivox’s image becomes blurrier and more and more intermittent, until there’s nothing but glimmering specks — and then nothing at all.