With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

[BrotherofaStudio]

Ah. Thank you.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Ah. Thank you.

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Here you go:

15th October 1992
Meanwhile, in Universe 534834 (part 1)

 

[m_d]

Supnautica, part 2

4th December 1993
11:03 GMT -5

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Is this meant to have a different title? By which I mean, the others in this setting tended to use "Meanwhile on Earth 534834".

 

[Dur'id the Druid]

Huh, haven't seen the xmen version in awhile. And this and DC and W40K getting so similar titles for these arcs... it's confusing. And maybe connected somehow....?

 

[Lord Ernest]

I'm not sure if there's a connection between the WH40K segments and the regular episode, but this episode is called Supnautica 2 while the X-Men interlude is actually called Birthright. Also, this is how it's usually presented, the first segment of the episode always shows the episode title even if it's actually an interlude of another universe, while the Trademark has the name for the segment itself.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Is this meant to have a different title? By which I mean, the others in this setting tended to use "Meanwhile on Earth 534834".

Click to shrink...

I'd forgotten that they were all called that. I'll change it.

 

[Mr Zoat]

7th May 2013
08:02 GMT -2

Ahri'ahn smiles as he looks me over as I in turn look around his laboratory. I recognise quite a few of the arcane machines -they're variants of things I've seen Professor Sephtian building- but the others I understand only in approximate terms and several don't seem to take advantage of his resonance techniques.

"This is truly fascinating. I can see you perfectly well with my eyes, but when I try and use any sort of magic to locate you, I can't."

I shrug. It's nice to be back in human shape, and I think that plausible deniability is the name of the game here. "You seemed to manage well enough when I initially arrived above Poseidonis."

He nods. "I am quite good at magic, and you're not the first person I've met who is hard to find through mystical means. It seems that simply ensorcing an area to relay any light that passes through it allows an image of you to form, though attempting anything else met with failure."

I nod. "Their being unable to tether the targetting element of a spell to me has confused several people. I'd have laughed at Klarion's inability to hit me if I hadn't been so busy dodging."

"Klarion… The Lord of Chaos?"

I allow myself a moment of self-satisfaction. "Not. Any. More."

He regards me incredulously for a moment, his mouth opening and closing. "How?"

"Ah, well, shortish version, I subverted his bond to his familiar and he decided that he'd risk staying on Earth rather than returning to the Realm of Chaos and creating a new familiar."

"I suppose that he wanted revenge before you died of old age."

I roll my eyes contemptuously. "Old age. I abhor decay. Why would I age?"

"You.. are a curious one. Avoiding death through ageing is usually a little more involved than that."

"Orange power rings respond automatically to our strongest desires. It takes effort for me to decay…" I remember that one time in Gotham. "Or to fail to repair things around me that are broken. Like telomeres, free radicals… Any of the physical components of aging."

He nods curiously. "What about the magical components?"

"I don't bother magic, magic doesn't bother me."

He does a sort of gasp-laugh. "Yes, but… The passage of years should extract a toll, simply as a result of you existing in a thaumosphere where such things form the pattern."

"Vandal Savage doesn't have that problem."

He nods. "I know, and I wish I knew how he managed it. My own form of immortality requires me to spend long periods dormant to get around the restriction."

"Ah… I haven't looked into it myself; I don't need it and next time I see Savage I'm throwing him into the sun… But I understand that he became immortal after getting exposed to a meteorite."

"If you have the meteorite in question then I'll clear my schedule to study it."

"No, but there might be other fragments of it around the place, buried after the impact or still in space. Or other members of his tribe who were exposed at the same time that he was. As I said, I haven't needed to look into it, but if it's a problem for you..?"

"Surely it's a problem for you as well? If you lost you ring, or your masters recalled it…"

"It's possible to use the orange light without a ring. It would be harder and I'd probably have to retire from superheroism and get an actual job, but keeping myself youthful should be well within my abilities."

"Then I suppose that I will have to refresh my knowledge of geomancy. So, you stripped Klarion of his means of replenishing his power, and… You said that he couldn't hit you?"

"He probably could have, but he lost his temper and was used to using spells that guided themselves. Then…" I wave my right hand horizontally. "Months later some magicians in my employ were able to create a ritual which -if successful- would move the residual connection between physical-Klarion and his mindless metaphysique to someone else. It required a highly chaotic individual and his enslaved familiar as ritual components, but I had a volunteer."

"And the new Lord of Chaos would owe you for your aid. I take it that they are less malevolent than Klarion?"

"By far. Any destruction they unleash is either necessary to prevent greater harm, or accidental."

"And the backlash against Klarion's physical body?"

"Left him brain dead. I handed him over to the authorities for execution." Hm. "Given that he could still use magic up to that point, I suspect that his earthly form had a soul, so that might survive in whatever afterlife would have him. Since his people were monotheists I suspect that he's in Hell, but I haven't checked."

"This is fascinating. And how long have you been in this reality?"

"Coming up three years. The most eventful three years of my life." I look around. "So, um… Where do you want me to stand?"

"Oh, just…" He points to a silver circle… It looks like a groove was cut into the stone and molten metal poured into the channel. "There. The circle is to exclude external influences rather than to contain you, so I can attach you to the analytical machines and my own magics without it being disrupted."

"You know, I-" I walk over to the circle indicated. "-watched a play once where a magician created his circle using lights mounted on the ceiling rather than any-" He's pulling a disgruntled expression. "-thing physical. Not workable?"

"Aside from the obvious problem that a malevolent magician or elemental could easily destroy a light bulb, a fixed object functions far better against ev-. Nearly everything. If the elemental or spell was directly tied to conceptual darkness then a light might be useable, but that's such a fringe situation that it isn't worth considering."

He turns his head aside and gestures, a mana flow meter floating over.

"Please remove your clothes so I can see where to attach this. And your rings, so that I can get clear readings."

I send my clothes to subspace. "You don't need me to lie down?"

"Not unless an important part of the spell is inscribed on the soles of your feet." He walks around me, staring at the runic network. "Do you want to lie down?"

"No, not particularly."

"Is the room temperature adequate? I realise that Atlanteans are more resistant to low temperatures than most foreigners."

"I'll live, thank you."

He gently takes hold of my right arm and traces the design with his right hand while slowly rotating it with his left.

"Do the wizards who made this perform checkups?"

"No, but since I can drain off excess power with my rings I don't worry about it."

"That's probably not a good idea. Atlanteans don't need to check our tattoos because we can feel it when something starts to go wrong. You can't. But don't worry, I'll check you over myself while I'm studying you."

 

[Ngamer11]

I'm really hoping Paul has some insurance in case Ahri'ahn tries to subvert him.

 

[Lord Ernest]

This seems like a really bad idea, leaving oneself in the hands of a suspected Arch-Wizard, in the middle of his lab and letting him study your main form of defence against magic. At least tell me there's someone as back up or just watching the proceedings, Dr. Mist or Wonder Woman or someone.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

7th May 2013
08:02 GMT -2

Ahri'ahn smiles as he looks me over as I in turn look around his laboratory. I recognise quite a few of the arcane machines -they're variants of things I've seen Professor Sephtian building- but the others I understand only in approximate terms and several don't seem to take advantage of his resonance techniques.

Click to shrink...

The curious thing is whether they're things Ahri'ahn made that Sephtian rediscovered, or if he took Sephtian's designs and worked on them... I wouldn't put it above him to claim the former anyway.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"This is truly fascinating. I can see you perfectly well with my eyes, but when I try and use any sort of magic to locate you, I can't."

I shrug. It's nice to be back in human shape, and I think that plausible deniability is the name of the game here. "You seemed to manage well enough when I initially arrived above Poseidonis."

Click to shrink...

To be fair, OL, then you weren't trying to be stealthy, and flying swimming along glowing. That probably didn't need much in the way of detection.

He nods. "I am quite good at magic, and you're not the first person I've met who is hard to find through mystical means. It seems that simply ensorcing an area to relay any light that passes through it allows an image of you to form, though attempting anything else met with failure."

Click to shrink...

So if he has to, he can bypass OL's defences. At least, the first line of it.

I nod. "Their being unable to tether the targetting element of a spell to me has confused several people. I'd have laughed at Klarion's inability to hit me if I hadn't been so busy dodging."

"Klarion… The Lord of Chaos?"

Click to shrink...

Oh, yes. that was a fun fight. No Ring, no auto-aimed magic... It's not quite Raiden versus Jetstream Sam, but it was a good one.

I allow myself a moment of self-satisfaction. "Not. Any. More."

He regards me incredulously for a moment, his mouth opening and closing. "How?"

Click to shrink...

I love the implied result of that fight. To anyone who wasn't aware of it, it probably sounds like a mad boast. A mere mortal defeating a Lord of Chaos one-on-one? Nigh-impossible.

"Ah, well, shortish version, I subverted his bond to his familiar and he decided that he'd risk staying on Earth rather than returning to the Realm of Chaos and creating a new familiar."

"I suppose that he wanted revenge before you died of old age."

Click to shrink...

Interesting that it implies that a Lord would take decades to rebuild their familiar link. Meanwhile, some other Lord might horn in on their turf.

I roll my eyes contemptuously. "Old age. I abhor decay. Why would I age?"

"You.. are a curious one. Avoiding death through ageing is usually a little more involved than that."

Click to shrink...

Skill issue. Guess they didn't want it hard enough.

"Orange power rings respond automatically to our strongest desires. It takes effort for me to decay…" I remember that one time in Gotham. "Or to fail to repair things around me that are broken. Like telomeres, free radicals… Any of the physical components of aging."

Click to shrink...

...Right, the aftermath of the Split. When he struggled to keep healing injured children...

He nods curiously. "What about the magical components?"

"I don't bother magic, magic doesn't bother me."

Click to shrink...

And for everything else, there's Orange Light shenanigans.

He does a sort of gasp-laugh. "Yes, but… The passage of years should extract a toll, simply as a result of you existing in a thaumosphere where such things form the pattern."

"Vandal Savage doesn't have that problem."

Click to shrink...

He hasn't noticed the abomination that is OL's patchwork soul, has he?

He nods. "I know, and I wish I knew how he managed it. My own form of immortality requires me to spend long period dormant to get around the restriction."

"Ah… I haven't looked into it myself; I don't need it and next time I see Savage I'm throwing him into the sun… But I understand that he became immortal after getting exposed to a meteorite."

Click to shrink...

What's the point of living forever if you aren't actually living, then? Unless he's so patriotically invested in Atlantis that he

"If you have the meteorite in question then I'll clear my schedule to study it."

"No, but there might be other fragments of it around the place, buried after the impact or still in space. Or other members of his tribe who were exposed at the same time that he was. As I said, I haven't needed to look into it, but if it's a problem for you..?"

Click to shrink...

And with any luck, attempting to mess with it would kill him. We can but hope he's that foolish.

"Surely it's a problem for you as well? If you lost you ring, or your masters recalled it…"

"It's possible to use the orange light without a ring. It would be harder and I'd probably have to retire from superheroism and get an actual job, but keeping myself youthful should be well within my abilities."

"Then I suppose that I will have to refresh my knowledge of geomancy. So, you stripped Klarion of his means of replenishing his power, and… You said that he couldn't hit you?"

Click to shrink...

After all, the Heart of the Ophidian does a lot of heavy lifting...

"He probably could have, but he lost his temper and was used to using spells that guided themselves. Then…" I wave my right hand horizontally. "Months later some magicians in my employ were able to create a ritual which -if successful- would move the residual connection between physical-Klarion and his mindless metaphysique to someone else. It required a highly chaotic individual and his enslaved familiar as ritual components, but I had a volunteer."

Click to shrink...

And not one Ahri'ahn could easily replicate without months, if not years, of study and preparation. Assuming he was in the mood to try.

"And the new Lord of Chaos would owe you for your aid. I take it that they are less malevolent than Klarion?"

"By far. Any destruction they unleash is either necessary for prevent greater harm, or accidental."

"And the backlash against Klarion's physical body?"

Click to shrink...

To be fair, OL spent quite a bit of the initial aftermath of the encounter unconscious. He only knows this much because others told him.

"Left him brain dead. I handed him over to the authorities for execution." Hm. "Given that he could still use magic up to that point, I suspect that his earthly form had a soul, so that might survive in whatever afterlife would have him. Since his people were monotheists I suspect that he's in Hell, but I haven't checked."

Click to shrink...

Might want to look into that at some point.

"This is fascinating. And how long have you been in this reality?"

"Coming up three years. The most eventful three years of my life." I look around. "So, um… Where do you want me to stand?"

Click to shrink...

...Wait, what?

"Oh, just…" He points to a silver circle… It looks like a groove was cut into the stone and molten metal poured into the channel. "There. The circle is to exclude external influences rather than to contain you, so I can attach you to the analytical machines and my own magics without it being disrupted."

Click to shrink...

Is OL seriously going to just let him poke around his metaphysique? I guess he's trusting Best Snek to watch out for any messing with her number one toy

"You know, I-" I walk over to the circle indicated. "-watched a play once where a magician created his circle using lights mounted on the ceiling rather than any-" He's pulling a disgruntled expression. "-thing physical. Not workable?"

"Aside from the obvious problem that a malevolent magician or elemental could easily destroy a light bulb, a fixed object functions far better against ev-. Nearly everything. If the elemental or spell was directly tied to conceptual darkness then a light might be useable, but that's such a fringe situation that it isn't worth considering."

Click to shrink...

Nice of him to qualify his statement.

He turns his head aside and gestures, a mana flow meter floating over.

"Please remove your clothes so I can see where to attach this. And your rings, so that I can get clear readings."

Click to shrink...

Still surprised OL doesn't have a buddy covering him here. This seems like a real dumb move, diplomacy or not.

I send my clothes to subspace. "You don't need me to lie down?"

"Not unless an important part of the spell is inscribed on the soles of your feet." He walks around me, staring at the runic network. "Do you want to lie down?"

Click to shrink...

And it would probably obscure his back. Surprised there isn't a passive levitation effect included, but even that might obscure readings.

"No, not particularly."

"Is the room temperature adequate? I realise that Atlanteans are more resistant to low temperatures than most foreigners."

Click to shrink...

Putting it mildly. Deep ocean temperatures can approach the freezing point of water.

"I'll live, thank you."

He gently takes hold of my right arm and traces the design with his right hand while slowly rotating it with his left.

Click to shrink...

I suspect he wouldn't make use of it himself, but making a spell that can replicate the effects is probably a definite point of interest.

"Do the wizards who made this perform checkups?"

"No, but since I can drain off excess power with my rings I don't worry about it."

"That's probably not a good idea. Atlanteans don't need to check our tattoos because we can feel it when something starts to go wrong. You can't. But don't worry, I'll check you over myself while I'm studying you."

Click to shrink...

...Yes, I'm sure he will.

Really hope OL isn't trusting Ahri'ahn not to pull something or insert something while he's 'defenceless'. Admittedly, the League know OL is here doing this, so messing with him would be a slap in the face. Hopefully Doctor Mist is waiting for his return to perform a safety check afterwards. I suppose we'll see soon.

 

[Wivk]

It seems very foolish to trust this guy so much

 

[B00ki5h]

I'm really hoping Paul has some insurance in case Ahri'ahn tries to subvert him.

Click to shrink...

He does, Paul is the Ophidian's favorite viewing point into things at his level. I would love to see him fuck around and find out.

 

[Ciber]

I'm really hoping Paul has some insurance in case Ahri'ahn tries to subvert him.

Click to shrink...

Having a vast number of incredibly powerful beings that are kind of invested in him is a power of its own. I mean. 3 years. The amount of incredibly lucrative mutually beneficial deals Paul has setup in that time is absurd. Even if the are completely selfish and amoral entities, the sheer notional future value of Paul being alive is astronomical.

like. The ophidian is literally in his back pocket, but the shere number of people who would seek to free or revive him. Like he's owed favors by people in charge of 4-6 different afterlives depending on how you count.

Fighting paul is at this point only a thing stupid or ignorant beings engage in. Or at least interstellar empires or beings stronger than your average god.

 

[GigaVanguard]

This seems like a remarkably bad and out of character move for Paul, so he probably has solid insurance against whatever Ahri'ahn is about to pull.

 

[NightmareWarden]

Does ariahn gain anything by subverting Paul now, when he could do it with plausible deniability a month from now? I assume Ariahn is going stick around long enough for him to summon up a copy of the deceased Orm (ocean master) to take his place. And cast a major spell on him. After all, Orm was punished with execution according to Atlantean law- he is well equipped to help clean up the aftermath of Ari'ahn and atone for his actions against Atlantis' rightful ruler.

He just needs an inch to swim away from further punishment, and act as a vessel or ally of Ari'ahn's when the time comes to return.

 

[Ardy]

Continuing to enjoy the SI's trend of pleasant conversation with evil supervillains

 

[Ngamer11]

Does ariahn gain anything by subverting Paul now, when he could do it with plausible deniability a month from now? I assume Ariahn is going stick around long enough for him to summon up a copy of the deceased Orm (ocean master) to take his place. And cast a major spell on him. After all, Orm was punished with execution according to Atlantean law- he is well equipped to help clean up the aftermath of Ari'ahn and atone for his actions against Atlantis' rightful ruler.

He just needs an inch to swim away from further punishment, and act as a vessel or ally of Ari'ahn's when the time comes to return.

Click to shrink...

I'm not sure where Orm's soul ended up after Canis rekilled him. The method through which he was resurrected turned him into some kind of water zombie, so that might impact his afterlife.

 

[Bud-E]

"Orange power rings respond automatically to our strongest desires. It takes effort for me to decay…" I remember that one time in Gotham.

Click to shrink...

What time in Gotham?

 

[Mr Zoat]

What time in Gotham?

Click to shrink...

When he instinctively started making repairs to the police station.

 

[Darko]

Vandal Savage doesn't have that problem."

He nods. "I know, and I wish I knew how he managed it.

Click to shrink...

Technically it was the space rock.

long period dormant to get around the restriction."

Click to shrink...

"periods"

. I take it that they are less malevolent than Klarion?"

"By far

Click to shrink...

Though the level of destruction they can bring can even impress Klarion.

for prevent greater

Click to shrink...

"preventing"

Hm. "Given that he could still use magic up to that point, I suspect that his earthly form had a soul, so that might survive in whatever afterlife would have him. Since his people were monotheists I suspect that he's in Hell, but I haven't checked

Click to shrink...

If I remember correctly Ghost Fox Killer took his soul.

Please remove your clothes so I can see where to attach this. And your rings, so that I can get clear readings."

I send my clothes to subspace. "You don't need me to lie down?"

"Not unless an important part of the spell is inscribed on the soles of your feet." He walks around me, staring at the runic network. "Do you want to lie down?"

"No, not particularly."

"Is the room temperature adequate? I realise that Atlanteans are more resistant to low temperatures than most foreigners."

"I'll live, thank you."

He gently takes hold of my right arm and traces the design with his right hand while slowly rotating it with his left.

"Do the wizards who made this perform checkups?"

"No, but since I can drain off excess power with my rings I don't worry about it."

"That's probably not a good idea. Atlanteans don't need to check our tattoos because we can feel it when something starts to go wrong. You can't. But don't worry, I'll check you over myself while I'm studying you

Click to shrink...

I'm not the only one that thought this last part was kinda sexual?

 

[Darko]

He hasn't noticed the abomination that is OL's patchwork soul, has he?

Click to shrink...

He can't with the tattoos.

Still surprised OL doesn't have a buddy covering him here. This seems like a real dumb move, diplomacy or not.

Click to shrink...

I'm wondering if when he transformed into a manta and shark he got hit with whatever spell Ahri'ahn is using to control people.

 

[Mr Zoat]

"periods"
"preventing"

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

I'm not the only one that thought this last part was kinda sexual?

Click to shrink...

Just you wait.

 

[Steelplaza]

He does a sort of gasp-laugh. "Yes, but… The passage of years should extract a toll, simply as a result of you existing in a thaumosphere where such things form the pattern."

Click to shrink...

There's another piece of web fiction I follow where something similar came up. A character who had the power to heal so well they could actually de-age other people was talking about how it wasn't enough to only reverse aging on the body, he also had to work on the soul.

The SI is saying that this won't be a problem for him, but of course he hasn't really verified that. Still, I suspect he's going to end up with something similar to Alan Scott where he has a soul increasingly made up of orange light.

He's pulling a disgruntled expression. "-thing physical. Not workable?"

Click to shrink...

Ha-ha! I do enjoy that when the SI pulls his usual "let me tell you about this story I read in fiction", Arion is very willing to be like, "that's just fiction, some guy who didn't know what he was talking about made it up".

"That's probably not a good idea. Atlanteans don't need to check our tattoos because we can feel it when something starts to go wrong. You can't. But don't worry, I'll check you over myself while I'm studying you."

Click to shrink...

I agree with everyone else that all this is pretty suspicious, but it's also true that the SI should probably be having the tattoos checked occasionally. I mean, he's not even on his original body anymore and he's had to regrowth potions of himself a bunch of times, are they even getting recreated correctly? For all he knows, minor errors might be creeping in.

 

[Ngamer11]

There's another piece of web fiction I follow where something similar came up. A character who had the power to heal so well they could actually de-age other people was talking about how it wasn't enough to only reverse aging on the body, he also had to work on the soul.

The SI is saying that this won't be a problem for him, but of course he hasn't really verified that. Still, I suspect he's going to end up with something similar to Alan Scott where he has a soul increasingly made up of orange light.

Click to shrink...

His soul pretty much is made up of orange light already. Doctor Mist mentioned his soul is made from universal energy rather than Earth energy, or something to that effect, when mentioning how the Anti-Life would affect Paul.

 

[boo600]

Great stuff. It's important to take a moment to remember how weird and powerful Paul is in terms of magic defenses, instead of just throwing ever more complex Appropriate Challenges at him. (Not that WTR hasn't been avoiding the opposite problem of constantly talking about how OP the mc's new power up is, but it's been a couple novels of words since Paul's tattoos last got any focus… and that was in Dear John, I believe, with Felix Faust.)

Meanwhile… yeah, Ahri'ahn is hardly trustworthy here - I suppose it's possible he could provide a long term debuff to Paul, if anyone could. But Paul likely has insurance, or at least allies…

On a distinctly less pleasant note, given recent news, what's happening with Dream and Calliope?

 

[Ngamer11]

On a distinctly less pleasant note, given recent news, what's happening with Dream and Calliope?

Click to shrink...

Why would either of them do anything in this situation?

 

[ShadowScion626]

The SI is saying that this won't be a problem for him, but of course he hasn't really verified that. Still, I suspect he's going to end up with something similar to Alan Scott where he has a soul increasingly made up of orange light.

Click to shrink...

I thought that by this point in the story, his soul WAS orange light. Like completey and utterly orange light that beens fashioned and forced into the general shape of a soul by his tattoos.

Wasn't that the original point of his tattoos? Since he didn't have a soul naturally and therefor no protection at all against any sort of magic, he used the tattoos for the dual purpose of protecting himself artificially while they also absorbed ambient magic and forced it into a sort of soul shaped mold meant to anchor to him? The scry blocking thing came later, if I'm correct?

It makes sense that after all this time spent surrounding and magically soaking himself in orange light on a near-constant basis for three years, plus literally playing host to the Embodiment of Avarice, all his tattoos would have soaked up to shape his soul would be orange light. Orange light is what they got, so orange light is what they built with.

 

[topin89]

And your rings, so that I can get clear readings

Click to shrink...

We know that Ahri'ahn can't sense implanted ring, so I'm not really worried. Let's see how not-most-ancient mage fucks this up.

 

[Mr Zoat]

7th May 2013
08:07 GMT -2

The probe falls from my left bicep and clatters to the ground, Ahri'ahn staring at it in confusion.

"That's never happened to me before."

Because he attached it using magic, which my tattoos promptly absorbed because powerful as he is a basic adhesive spell is still a basic adhesive spell.

"I did say."

"I had understood that when you said 'environmental' that you meant 'background', rather than including spells placed upon you."

"It's a multi-function defensive measure. I can actually supercharge the absorption feature using my ring. Do you have enough straps?"

"Yes, it's just that I'd rather not use them. I can perfectly account for the effect of my own spells on my readings, but even thaumically deadened straps introduce a subtle disruptive variance… I suppose that it's unavoidable."

I suppose… "Would impaling myself work better?"

"No, that would be even more disruptive, otherwise I would.. have suggested it myself." He gestures, and a piece of magically crafted leather precipitates out of the air and wraps itself around my arm. The levitation aspect of his spell dies a moment later, but by then it's already firmly attached. "Three, I think, for an optimal image."

"Carry on, then."

He attaches two more probes to the strap, equidistant around the circumference. He then wiggles his right forefinger at it, half-closing his eyes as he tests the connection.

"Good. Now. How long should we leave it before moving on to the serious part of the discussion?"

I smile politely as he moves on to my forearm. "I'm not sure what you mean by that."

"Clearly, King Orin's allies are concerned about him, and about me and what I've done. Directly confronting me would be ill-advised, so they send a junior subordinate to check things out." He shrugs. "It's a reasonable strategy and I'm certainly not offended by their concern for King Orin's welfare, but this will probably be easier if we discuss things directly."

"They didn't send me-"

He smiles. "Of course."

"-but I have certain concerns and I suspect that they share them."

Three more probes, and he moves around to my other side. "I am braced. Wherein lie their concerns?"

"The first is simple. When you raised Atlantis, it caused huge waves to speed towards the coasts all along the Atlantic rim. As it happened the League were on top of things and we blocked it, but that could have gone very differently. Last time it happened, it did go differently."

"Yes, I heard about Prince Orm's efforts in taking control of Oceanus. Such a waste."

"So while there were few injuries -just a few boats in the wrong place- and no one died, a lot of people were very scared."

"Mm." He ducks slightly to wrap a harness around my chest. "And how would they have me amend my conduct?"

"If you had notified the League in advance, we could have warned the affected countries and put the shields in place from the start. Or perhaps even have prevented the wave forming. Naturally, we would also assist you in whatever way we could with the actual rising portion."

"Few people were hurt, you say? Raise your arms a little."

I do so. "Yes. As things stand, with those places worst affected by surges like that still sparsely inhabited since last time, it was very unlikely that the same level of death and destruction could occur. Honestly, the fear is a larger factor."

He begins attached the probes to the rest of me. "Why?"

"I imagine that international relations in your youth might be likened to a huge room sparsely populated by emaciated dwarves. Now it is a small room inhabited by heavily armed ogres. No one can move without bumping into someone else, and sudden and unexpected actions can result in undesirable escalation. While you may well argue that you can act as you wish in Atlantean territory… We're all so close together than one country's problems have a way of rapidly becoming everyone's problem."

He nods, eyes focused on the probes. "Are they a threat to Atlantis?"

"Of course. Everyone's a threat to everyone. As far as I know, no one has developed nuclear depth charges, and if they had they'd be hard to effectively deploy. And no one's come right out to say that they'll start unless you say sorry. But it increases international tension at a time when that's really unhelpful. Similarly, undoing the efforts which King Orin made to increase familiarity between nations is also unhelpful. Nations which trade with one another dislike going to war as that disrupts that trade. It's… It's easier to maintain a relationship than fix one that's broken."

"I shall bear that in mind. What other concerns do they have?"

"The ethnic cleansing doesn't look good."

"I'd call it 'sorting' rather than 'cleansing'. They are Atlanteans, after all."

"Just… Of a lesser type?"

"Yes." He steps back and examines his work, then nods to himself.

I make a point of wincing when his eyes briefly move up to my face. "I'm afraid that that.. sort of thinking has rather fallen out of fashion. The major powers of the world are -at least theoretically- egalitarian. Dividing a nation along tribal hierarchies is generally regarded as something only primitive and unsophisticated nations do. It's as if you're treating the other cities as tributary nations rather than as part of the same nation."

"I am. That is the Atlantean way."

"It was the Atlantean way a very long time ago. Atlantis has become more collegial over the last few generations precisely to avoid the disquiet it causes. And yes, it was the Atlantean way for a long time and to you it doesn't have the associations the idea has with the surface world-."

"I am aware of the Nazis."

"It wasn't just them. Killing people whose faces don't fit used to be all too common, and people get very nervous when anyone does anything that even reminds them of that."

"They will calm themselves eventually."

"And… Well, I understand that you are the source of the spells used to add piscine components to Atlanteans."

"Yes, most of them."

"Then if you're raising the continent, would it not make sense to undo the bloodline magics and turn them back into normal humans? Purebloods would still have a physical advantage, but it would return any who wanted it to the surface."

"That isn't simple, even for me. Not for so many. Once things have stabilised I suppose that I could look into it."

"I believe that there was a problem with some of the lesser spells failing on their own?"

"Far more simple; I have already provided the masters with the original design and my own notes." He looks down, strap and probe at hand. "It should be relatively easy for them to prevent-."

"Hey!" I pointedly reach down and move his hand aside while he stares at me in confusion. "I'm affianced, you know."

"Someone tattooed it."

"Back when I was single."

He sighs.

"Very well. Your thigh, then."

 

[Ngamer11]

"It was the Atlantean way a very long time ago. Atlantis has become more collegial over the last few generations precisely to avoid the disquiet it causes. At yes, it was the Atlantean way for a long time and to you it doesn't have the associations the idea has with the surface world-."

Click to shrink...

That should say 'And'.

"Hey!" I pointedly reach down and move his hand aside while he stares at me in confusion. "I'm affianced, you know."

"Someone tattooed it."

"Back when I was single."

He sighs.

"Very well. Your thigh, then."

Click to shrink...

Wasn't expecting to learn that today, but it's funny nonetheless.