[b][h3][color=thistle]Melodia[/color] & [color=d8cfbe]Reason[/color][/h3][/b][hr]Reason hit the ground with a muffled [i]thump,[/i] his heavy cape cushioning the fall. The heir sat up, hat perfectly balanced, mask slightly askew. 

[color=d8cfbe]“Ah, Lady Lapseus. I’d recognize your voice anywhere. I don’t suppose you’ve seen Tina?”[/color]

Melodia raised her nose up and flared her nostrils as Tuxedo Mask calmly spoke to her. She carefully made sure that as she paced a towards the chemical closet to put the flasks away the box remained hidden, couldn’t be too careful in this day and age. 

[color=Thistle]“No, and if I did — I probably would have spent time convincing her not to shag up with a southerner. But nope, haven’t seen little Tina.”[/color] Melodia beamed at the man, offering a simple nod.

[color=d8cfbe]“I’m hurt. Didn’t you see my votes earlier?”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“Votes shmotes, you think writing your on a dotted line is going to change the world? Imagine, being daft [i]and blind~[/i]! What a horrible existence.”[/color] Melodia began to let out short, high pitched chuckles.

[color=d8cfbe]“True. I could be old and single instead.”[/color] Reason sat down on what was once the wall. [color=d8cfbe]“Where are we?”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“I get laid all the time at h— we are in the laboratory, I was here earlier with Reina.” [/color]Melodia quickly retorted.

[color=d8cfbe]“The laboratory? Interesting. It’s really hard to tell where I am- there’s so much mana everywhere. How have you fared?”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“I feel twenty-something again, I’ll probably hit on that blonde noble boy I saw earlier if I have the chance to before we leave.”[/color] Melodia’s eyes widened and then squinted, her mouth opened and her lips pressed together tightly in thought.

[color=Thistle]“Actually, the mana bomb thing will probably throw a wrench in that— speaking of. Come over here.”[/color] Melodia would gesture towards the box, all the while stepping away and trying her best to keep the box within her hand out of any perception.

[color=d8cfbe]“Go where? I’m afraid you’ll have to direct me.”[/color] Reason smiled and shrugged. [color=d8cfbe]“A daft cripple needs his aides.”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“You’re not a fucking vegetable. Use that peanut sized southern brain to deduce where the general reverberations of my voice are coming from. Listen for the glass, the metal, I’ll throw something at you if you want me to help you get there.”[/color] Melodia decided to experiment.

[color=d8cfbe]“Alright, alright. I’ll just-”[/color] He got up and walked towards Melodia. Even though he dwarfed her in height, the heir was entirely unthreatening. [color=d8cfbe]“Come to you.”[/color] He stopped right in front of her. By the Tomes, his outfit was terrible.

[color=Thistle]“Now get the stick out of your arse, figure out what I’m talking about. I won’t repeat myself again—if you’re a good boy and give input, I’ll reward you with a hard candy like the good grandma I am.”[/color]

[color=d8cfbe]“Now [i]that’s[/i] a motivator.”[/color] Reason reached out and examined the box. Over, under, inside—almost like he was looking it over. He reached out and brushed the spinning sphere like she did. He felt around and touched the wires, briefly stopping when he reached the loose ends where she’d disconnected the black box. Finally he stepped back and looked towards the ceiling.

[color=d8cfbe]“The spinning ball in the center is distributing energy outwards in a sphere. Seems like it’s some sort of magic similar to the portals—I’m feeling the same sort of energy from it, but it’s concentrated differently.”[/color] Reason pointed at the sphere. [color=d8cfbe]“It seems like it used to have a power source, but I think it’s missing. You didn’t do anything to it, did you?”[/color] 

Melodia smiled from ear to ear as she watched the blind heir trace his fingers throughout the construct. It was always good to get different perspectives in situations like this, and while he didn’t have any particular insight she wouldn’t have thought of herself—Melodia was happy that the southern heir obeyed and offered what knowledge he had. 

[color=Thistle]“Very good, I’ll make sure to put in a good word to Reina. I still don’t like you though. And there’s probably nothing you can do to change that.”[/color] Melodia’s words were punctuated with a hiss of chuckles, she kept her back away from Reason and slowly continued to back away from him. 

[color=Thistle]“With what knowledge you have. Any hypothesis of who would be capable of cultivating such technology. You know it’s not me, as I’m here with you— asking that very question.”[/color]

Reason turned and looked at Mel. No, he looked somewhere over her right shoulder. [color=d8cfbe]“That’s the odd thing. It [i]feels[/i] rather similar to the Queen’s magic. The original one. The one who made the portals. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s very similar.”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“So you believe the Queen had a hand in this? And perhaps that’s why she’s not here for these pointless meetings?”[/color] Melodia raised a brow.

[color=d8cfbe]“I didn’t say that. I meant the original: Ishtar Derim. She made the Tower and the portals here. This sphere… feels a lot like that.”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“That’s unrealistic. Let’s use tangible details and solid evidence when talking on this matter. The magic is familiar, yes, the wires are strangely familiar to me— personally me. We figure out something reasonable in this lab, or we leave and come out two suspects.”[/color] Melodia went on, her tone getting a bit more snappy and on edge than before. Seemingly her own childish ruse had begun to fade.

[color=Thistle]“It’s just us in here, boy. Unless someone else gets curious about those portals, perhaps the culprit, or someone who won’t be as constructive— things change after we leave this tower today, no matter what. So why not show your hand?”[/color]

[color=d8cfbe]“Alright. I have a reasonable idea of where we are. Would you like me to explain?”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“The Laboratory? Or is this some fabricant illusion that looks exactly the same— holds the same items, furniture, smell?”[/color]

[color=d8cfbe]“Not [i]here[\i] here. In general. I think we’ve just found out how magic works. You know how magic breaks the Laws of Conservation. You can’t just make fire or water or lava or light from nothing. You have to have a source of energy. Mana is transformed when it passes through a gate, yes, but where does the mana come from? Scientists have always theorized about how. I think we’ve just confirmed Rerik’s Dimensional Theory. This place seems to just [i]flow[/i] with mana. Gates, somehow, link and take mana from here.”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“And how exactly can you tell? I’m not here to discredit your thoughts, but how exactly can you confidently say that? Even I can sense and feel mana to a small degree, but you can look at me as if I’m here despite being blind.”[/color] Melodia raised a loft brow and canted her head.

Reason tilted his head. [color=d8cfbe]“If everything goes down the drain, are you with the North?”[/color]

Melodia smiled, genuinely this time, her posture dancing from tension to ease and her weight shifting from left foot to right. [color=Thistle]“Lapseus is with itself. You’re a smart boy, I’m sure you’ve heard of the family’s history— how about this? You tell me a secret, and I’ll you one.”[/color]

[color=d8cfbe]“Alright, I’ll tell you. I’m not truly blind.”[/color] Reason took off the mask. [color=d8cfbe]“I can see mana flow, mana levels. I can’t see anything that doesn’t have mana. Walls, tables, whatever. Tell me this. I see an interesting flow from you to who-knows-where. A thin line, connecting to something far away. What is that?”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“How did you achieve that power? Was it a product of Reina and Tina’s research?”[/color] Melodia quickly spoke, almost correlating with young Reason’s words.

[color=d8cfbe]“The mask is just a ruse. It doesn’t actually do anything. I’ve been able to do this my whole life. It’s a well-kept secret.”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“Then why keep it a secret?”[/color] Melodia asked.

Reason shrugged. [color=d8cfbe]“A good advantage. I can see if someone has magic, how strong it is, sometimes what they can do. Same with artifacts or mysterious devices, like that one.”[/color] He pointed at the spinning sphere. [color=d8cfbe]“But tell me. I’ve never seen such a curious line like yours. Will you reveal that secret to me, in exchange for this one?”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“Yes, very well. While I may be cunning, opportunistic, and an old hag— I am a keeper of promises.”[/color] Melodia plucked from behind her the black box, revealing it carefully and making carefully sure to hold it close to her person.

[color=Thistle]“When I first came to this room, that device was fully operational. With some tinkering I came to a similar deduction on its purpose and creation as yourself. I disassembled it a bit, as you have noticed.”[/color]

 Melodia stepped towards the research table nearby, pressing her free hand against its surface to hoist herself atop it. Sitting happily now as she had gathered some unexpected knowledge either way. 

[color=Thistle]“We both know this is the power supply for that device over there. But I have no intention of handing it over, whatever is inside of this annoying alloy will be of use to my people.”[/color] Melodia stated these words boldly, her crimson sights staring directly at Reason with an unfazed expression.

[color=d8cfbe]“It very well might be an ambient collector. Mana’s flowing into it slowly, almost like… a whirlpool,”[/color] Reason said. [color=d8cfbe]“That’s not what I care about, though. The line of mana is coming, no, going [i]into[/i] you. What is that?”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“Oh———— that.”[/color] Melodia frowned.

The Lapsean girl sighed heavily, her chest expanding as a big breath of oxygen entered her lungs. The release was audibly whiny, though this may have been due to her small vocal chords- or perhaps not. The hand that clutched the black box carelessly released it, and quickly traced along the table to grab of needlepoint tweezers. Her small hand clutched the metal handles, and soon after the girl pressed herself up from the table to stand atop it and with her newfound breadth of mana quickly made way towards the young Reason.

[color=d8cfbe]“Yes…?”[/color] Reason didn’t move, but he definitely followed her approach with his eyes. There was no doubt about that.

As she reached Reason the tweezer’s pointed ends were raised up to Reason’s throat. [i]Straining to do so, really.[/i] Melodia widened her eyes with bloodthirst, her pupils dilating as vicious thoughts passed through her head. There were a few tense moments of delay before she even snapped herself from the carnivorous daze and spoke.

[color=Thistle]“Speak of this to anyone. And I’ll kill you— no, I’ll kill everyone you love, slowly, creatively, removing every piece of them one-by-one and since those beautiful images won’t be able to grace your sights. I’ll have you sit right next to that table as I do so, and you can listen—“[color] There was fear in her words, a quivering reverberation in her youthful voice that would be audible to even herself. But she didn’t care at that moment.

Reason’s mouth twitched upward, almost smiling. [color=d8cfbe]“That only makes me all the more interested, you know. You probably could have just waved it off and I wouldn’t bat an eye. But… I am rather fond of my life. I’ll keep your secret, Lady Lapseus. I’ve no desire to lose all I love.”[/color]

He pushed her hand down. [color=d8cfbe]“Still, perhaps you would like to cooperate a bit more nicely with those who may end up as your only allies. No need for… threats.”[/color]

Melodia whipped the sharp end of the tweezers towards Reason’s hand. As the tweezers neared his flesh, her hand… slowed. Not as if another force was pushing against them. She simply couldn’t find the energy to bring them closer. Her hand fell the rest of the distance, moving only by gravity’s influence.

The tweezers pricked the back of Reason’s hand, drawing a few droplets of blood. He winced.

[color=d8cfbe]“I got it, I got it. I won’t say anything. Your secret’s safe with me.”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“You think I care about your war? I’ve known Reina since we were children, and still I would sit in my comfy chair in Gohetia as the North & South tore each other to shreds.”[/color] Melodia reached out with an extended finger and caught a droplet of Reason’s blood. She sucked it off the slender digit.

[color=Thistle]“Perhaps the war itself is a fabrication of the person who placed this fancy mana bomb? If it is, I might very well wish to be on their side— that explosion has made me feel the best I have in years.”[/color] She then tossed the bloodied tweezers off watching them slide across the tile before grumbling directly at Reason. 

His smooth, [i]do no wrong attitude[/i] soured her stomach so very much.

[color=d8cfbe]“Mmmh. I’m inclined to believe it’s the South. Only House Croan would have any knowledge of magic used to distort space. That’s only a theory, though.”[/color] Reason went back to the box.

Her eyebrow raised once again, sights fixating on the little black box once again. [color=Thistle]“Not Balaur?”[/color]

[color=d8cfbe]“Maybe. Main thing is that Alarick and Rolst didn’t come. Same with her Majesty. Not saying it could be a conspiracy from them, but it certainly seems the most likely possibility.”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“Why?”[/color] Melodia quipped.

[color=d8cfbe]“Her Majesty, well, she doesn’t really care. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did this just because she wanted us to stop bickering. No North-South discourse if there is no North. Alarick doesn’t like technologists at all. Both have strong connections to Ishtar.”[/color]

[color=Thistle]“That’s not a strong enough argument to base anything off of. The hate has been there for decades, the mistreatment even more so— unrest is nothing new. This is. I couldn’t care less if most of the people in this tower, nor the town surrounding it were evaporated by the effects of this device. I care about my people, my land, my family.”[/color] Melodia licked her teeth before biting hard on her lip, drawing her own blood momentarily before allowing it to heal within a moment. 

[color=Thistle]“I fear [i]and[/i] desire the unknown. I am a seeker of knowledge, a solver of mysteries— Someone is doing that without me knowing about it, and stirring shit up while they’re at it. Not to mention with people I care about around me!”[/color] Her hands clenched, the veins in her hands tensing as the muscle fibers strained quietly.

Melodia spat to the tile, a light orange hue to her saliva from the blood.[color=Thistle] “You continue acting the fool. When you want to be someone who changes the world instead of someone who watches it, then we can speak on equal grounds.”[/color] Her hand extended out for the black box, expectantly.

[color=d8cfbe]“Well, knowledge certainly is nice. I’ll-”[/color]

A loud rumbling interrupted his words. The entire tower shook. Reason turned towards the source of the rumbling. The wall behind him crumbled to pieces as a great form rushed past. The wall of the lab was now open- behind it was the hallway.

The two rushed over. Falling debris rained down from above as parts of the tower above them crumbled. Down below, a large boom sounded as [i]something[/i] hit the floor.

[color=d8cfbe]“I think we just got our way out,”[/color] said Reason.