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Who: Ted and Albert
What: Q&A
When: After Ted somehow brings Sasarai and Franz to a clinic
Where: Library
Summary: Ted has a few questions he needs to ask Albert. Might have spoilers for the series.
Rating: PG
In all fairness, Sasarai's words had struck Ted as odd.

After all, he had his rune removed once in the past, yet he never worried about the possibility that it might be the only thing keeping him alive. He stayed a few years without it, living on a ship that wasn't from his world. To see someone who used to bear a similar curse claiming that was worrisome, even if it hadn't been his initial concern at that moment. He doubted anyone would worry about something like that when there were two obviously injured men in front of them, but that was beside the point.

He wasn't even sure if Albert could answer his questions, but he didn't really know who else to ask. Considering the fact that he has studied war before, he was hoping that maybe there had been incidents regarding this that had happened in those manuscripts he read. If there were similar situations, then he would have to reevaluate about the safety of any runebearers in this place. Why would anyone even take it here, when they don't even require the use of it? It was baffling and, to be honest with himself, it reminded him of that witch hunt he's been avoiding for centuries, except he was the target at the time.

He had reached the library without realizing it, deep in thought the whole way through after he had left the clinic. He was worried about them, but he knew that they were safe in that place. He didn't even know the strangers' names. Pushing the door open, his eyes quickly darted about the surroundings, trying to look for a familiar strategist.

"Hello? Sir Albert?"

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He could tell from the look on his eye that he was wondering why Ted would ask such a thing, and frankly, he couldn't blame him. It wasn't a topic that was openly talked about, and not really one that people just decided to ask on a whim. After all, the notion of having two of the same rune meant that there were two beings vying for the exact same power, which could turn chaotic seeing as the Soul Eater itself was a jealous rune, one that wouldn't want anyone else to share its power.

"So, if theoretically two of the same True Rune exists in the same place, one of them should be null and void, right?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from betraying his worry. He remembered that Luc had mentioned Tir had the Soul Eater rune in the future, and the thought that both of them shared the rune and both were active wasn't a good sign. Was that why Tir had hidden away in his room the whole time? He didn't want to endanger anyone to its hunger in case a situation like when the Malnosso had returned their full power arises once more. Who's to say it wasn't going to attempt taking someone's life here? He hadn't been close enough to those who had died, which he figured was the reason he hadn't been able to devour their souls as he normally should have.

"If theoretically two of the same True Rune existed in the same space..." Albert trailed off, frowning a fraction more. Who did Ted know with True Runes here here? The True Earth Rune had long been in the possession of Holy Harmonia, and the True Wind-- well, he had explicitly told Luc to be careful not to talk as freely about his True Rune as Sasarai had about his own, and he trusted the boy to do what he was told. Being apprentice to the seer Leknaat would have taught the boy some form of subtlety.

And then there was, of course, the True Rune of Life and Death. It was the most obvious suspect considering Ted's proximity to the known bearer, and the recent environmental situation would certainly make one worry...

He started over, his gaze analytical. "If theoretically two of the same True Rune existed in the space, one of them would have to become null and void, yes. There would definitely be consequences if that type of power ... warred with itself for control." The closest example he could think of was the Dunan Unification War and the components of the Rune of Beginning exerting their will upon Highland and the Jowston City-States. The war, on a higher level than economic strife and political unrest, was a personification of the Sword and Shield -- as Yuber would mutter about years after the fact.

Edited 2009-06-03 18:50 (UTC)

He should probably have stopped there, considering Albert had just confirmed his own beliefs. After all, the Soul Eater rune was a very destructive rune, and he doubted that the Malnosso would allow two of the same True rune to be activated here. If that was to be taken into account, then it would mean that Tir should have an inactive rune, considering Ted had been able to use. He was still able to despite their powers being stripped away once more, though the strength had been diluted greatly. At least, to his comfort, he can't take anyone's soul like this, and only create a significant amount of damage on someone. Not that he planned on using it, of course.

However, there was also the issue of not hearing the rune's voice. He could only think of two possible reasons for that. One, the sentient being that is the Soul Eater rune wasn't brought along, though the strength it wields retain. It would be a complete orthodox for that to happen, and even he couldn't fathom how the Malnosso would manage that considering the fact that the Soul Eater rune cannot function without it's parasitic resident in it.

The other conclusion is that somehow, if he were to take Luc's words into consideration, Tir had the same rune and possibly, he was the one who is the current host. Even the Malnosso cannot multiply a sentient being, he believed. How Ted was able to retain its powers might have something to do with the fact that in his time, he hasn't even transferred it to Tir.

Man, this was confusing.

"What if two of the same True Rune was active then? Would---" he paused at that, unsure if he should thread that train of thought. Would Albert even know of the side-effects of carrying the True Rune? Aside from never aging, it did pretty much try to drive its host insane with the continuous assault of memories from previous wars, and visions of a ghastly future he did not want to witness.

"If two of the same True Rune were to be active..." Albert again found himself trailing off, glancing over at the bookshelves with his brows knitting together thoughtfully. Applying logic to the powers of the True Runes was certainly not something he had expected to talk about in Luceti.

If he thought of the True Runes in the sentient sense, he would have to compare them to humans -- aware, equally able to be manipulated and abused, flawed, and ultimately only willing to make concessions if they benefit.

If he thought of them in a natural world sense, concessions would be made more readily. One force would give way to the other, though not so far as to be destroyed entirely. It took a much longer time for the natural world to do what sentient forms could do in all their abusiveness.

He decided to elaborate the theory that didn't end with mass destruction. "If the two True Runes were active simultaneously, they would either destroy each other ... or work out a way to coexist. If not for the True Runes' sentience, I would say that their power would likely be equal. But it may be possible that one Rune's sentience would exert itself over the other, forcing the other dormant, but not gone."

"So it's still possible that both runes would be activated, but only one would have the actual being dominating?" That made him worry, even more so than he would have thought. Was it possible that, if Tir did manage to have the rune right now, he was the one who can hear the Soul Eater's will? It must have been painful to re-experience that, considering the fact that they had gone a few weeks without having to deal with it.

A thought occurred to him, one that was significant, related even, but still a different topic altogether. That man who looked an awful lot like Luc had been suffering when he found him, and though his wounds hadn't been as severe as his companion's, he had seemed to be in a worse shape than the other. He had even shown him his right hand, where the True rune had been removed (he could tell, of course, considering he had done it once before) which baffled him more.

"That man I helped... why did he look like he was about to die when the True rune was removed?" While he knew that the runes have different effects when they are equipped, they should technically have the same effect when removed. It would have been a painful process, but it shouldn't have shortened their lifespan exponentially.

"I can't say with absolute certainty." He was not a scholar intimately familiar with the runes and their deeper workings; he had primarily studied runes to supplement his own knowledge on weapons to effectively prepare for all forms of warfare. The True Runes in particular were a whole other beast, with each seeming to obey its own set of rules.

He frowned deeply as Ted referred to the returned Bishop, averting his attention back to the young man. "I do not understand the specifics of the phenomenon, but I had thought that the removal of a True Rune would lead to the eventual death of the bearer." That was what had been expected for each of the bearers of the elemental True Runes, and reports from Yuber confirmed what Luc said about the bearers being extremely weakened after the Runes were removed.

On the other hand, Luc had forcefully removed the True Runes from their bearers; it was possible that willingly separating from the True Rune would result in a more amicable parting. He had few examples to reference, so he did not voice this idea immediately.

Edited 2009-06-06 03:35 (UTC)

He opened his mouth to protest, but he had to stop mid-thought. While an outburst would have normally followed, he knew better than to let his guard slip here after what he had learned during that strange event. He held great respect for Albert, but details about the Soul Eater rune aren't meant to be shared with him. Not when he barely knew the other man. There was no reason to tell him that he hadn't experienced the same effects when the Ship Captain had taken his rune before. While he doubted that Albert would share the information to anyone else, he didn't want to risk the possibility that someone else was trying to steal his rune. He didn't want it landing in the wrong hands.

"... Will he be all right?" he muttered softly, trying to keep his voice steady, even if the questions were tempting to come out. He realized that almost everything he wanted to ask pointed back to him being a True runebearer, and he grudgingly had to accept that, unless they had a library here dedicated solely to the True Runes, he would just have to make do with the information he could take without compromising himself. It was selfish, he knew, but he didn't spend 300 years guarding a curse only to foolishly let it slip through his hands due to his insatiable curiosity.

He wondered if it would be any wiser to ask Luc for details. That man had made it sound like Luc was also a target, and if he had to gather a guess, there was a small chance that he could be a runebearer as well.

Albert did not miss Ted's reaction, and he filed away the muted protest for later analysis. There was still much to consider about the newcomer, but he would have to remain patient. He was in no hurry.

Even with all of the theories and exceptions that could be made of the True Runes, there was no way to give a positive answer with Sasarai's predicament. In the best case, he would suffer for a prolonged amount of time before recovering, with whatever handicaps losing the True Earth would have on his body. In the worst case, he would die without the Rune to sustain his life, and it would be left to the Malnosso to decide whether or not to revive him. He did not doubt the Malnosso had the technology to reverse the effects of the True Rune's disappearance.

"He will be ill for quite awhile," he replied steadily, meeting the boy's gaze. "And, if his condition does not improve, he will likely perish from the trauma."

"Isn't there a way to prevent that?" Whether he knew the other guy or not, one thing Ted hated was having to see someone else die. With the way things have occurred in his surroundings for the time that he has been alive, it's made him dislike the stench of death more than the average person. At least, with most people, they didn't have to see so many people die in war, nor did they take the souls of their closest friends and family to feed a rune with insatiable hunger.

He knew, just like everyone else, that in a place like this, death was reversible. However, he didn't like the thought of messing with nature anymore than people dying. The runes were a part of nature, and as he did experience it at an even greater proximity than others, he knew that nature can lash back with a vengeance. All of the insanity the Malnosso gathered in bringing the dead back to life will one day haunt them back, if it hasn't already.

"As far as I am aware, no." Though he spoke with authority, there was a note of displeasure in Albert's tone. He was not fond of the casualties suffered in this setting; every death carried with it a chance that the Malnosso would apply a death penalty, and John had not reason to make sure everyone was in line to have their death penalties addressed.

There was also no way of knowing if dying in Luceti would affect them upon their return to their own worlds. It wasn't a risk Albert was willing to take.

"Even if there was a feasible way to prevent his death, it would be hampered by the fact that everyone remains at half-power. We can only wait and see what the clinic workers and healers can do for him."

"What do you mean hampered?" he looked at him curiously, though there was still a brief tone of worry in his voice. He wasn't even sure why he had been so worried, considering he didn't even fear the possibility that his own rune might be forcefully taken from him. No, if that had been the case, he wouldn't pursue the subject nor risk the chance of exposing his rune any more.

Of course, there was the fact that---

He clenched his fist silently, wondering for the nth time as to what had happened after they were chased by that queen ant. Why did he give the rune to Tir, what danger had he been placed in enough that he would give it up and let his best friend, the one person he trusted and wanted to protect more than anyone else, be its unfortunate bearer. He didn't let it show on his face, or at least, he hoped he didn't, as he waited for an explanation.

Perhaps he had not been clear enough. It was either that or Ted was still not aware of just how completely everyone's powers were stifled within the barrier. "Even if we had powerful healing magic or something similar at our disposal, it would have been diminished in effectiveness by the Malnosso's technology," he elaborated.

He watched Ted for a short while after finishing his explanation, gauging his reaction thoughtfully. It was evident he had other worries, other questions that he wanted to give voice. Eventually, he raised his chin and spoke again.

"Do you have any other questions?"

He hadn't been sure of how much of their abilities were stripped away, to be honest. While he may be a mage, he had long gotten rid of both the fire and water rune that he had equipped in the past, keeping only the Soul Eater to lessen the suspicion that came along with runebearers. After all, the mark would be obvious, and very suspicious on a child in the middle of a warzone. All he was sure of was that the voice he constantly heard was gone, and he wasn't about to risk testing the ability of the Soul Eater here.

"Can't the spirits' healing abilities work in the same manner as a wind or water rune?" Not that he's tried making a pact yet, considering he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to ask from help from the same beings who became the reason for the Malnosso's merciless killings last time. He avoided the topic regarding the Soul Eater like a plague now that he felt he might end up talking about it, something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

The spirits. The recent happenings had made him wary of calling upon the Filial spirits that most residents had contacted -- or at least heard of. He shook his head in response to Ted's question. "The spirits don't offer the same amount of power otherworld magic has apparently shown. The wide preference seems to be to use magic from one's own world because of the power differences. Then there's the recent situation to consider..."

He paused, taking a moment to collect his thoughts; he was wandering slightly off-topic. "There are trade-offs between the two choices. But, when it comes down to it, other methods of healing tend to work better than what the spirits allow."

Edited 2009-06-10 03:10 (UTC)

"So all we can do is wait." He felt bad about that, though he supposed he can't really be surprised. It was times like this that he wondered if it was a good idea to remove all of his runes, but then he'd recall that he was already pretty suspicious without them, so he didn't really think having so many runes as a war orphan would make sense.

It felt like a witch hunt all over again, he thought bitterly. Having to hide his rune now more than ever when he realized the Malnosso was taking them, and worrying about people who might be affected. Did Luc really have a True Rune? Did Tir? He didn't want either of them to suffer like he saw of that man, and it was frustrating in a sense, because one reason he had hoped this would be a better place was because he thought that the chase was over. Apparently not.

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