Only when the subject of her method of time-travel is raised does Miss Persson become a little vague

[una_persson]

Characters: Una Persson, Orion Pax, and OPEN.
Date: Mid-October.
Location: Assorted.
Situation: Una pays Orion's lab a visit, and does other stuff too. Thread starters are in the comments; feel free to request one or start one too.
Warnings: Will update if needed.

Comments

Closed: Orion Pax

[una_persson]

Obviously the lab had nothing to do with Dust; it was far too obvious and known to be run by foreigners. Una was curious as to what they were up to—and also hoping that they might have something that could get her time-machine working. Ever since Eshai had expanded the barrier, her instruments had started showing something other than static—and it gave her hope that she might actually be able to do what she'd discussed with the Emperor.

So here she is, pedaling her bicycle through the traffic of the Metal sector, before coming to a stop in front of the garage-like lab door.

[optout]

The place was a carefully organised disaster with every cracked screen and beeping machine stacked end on end like a Tetris screen. Orion moved out of the veritable forest of collected machinery that all appeared to have spent more time at a dump site rather than put to any real use. Dressed in black slacks and equally dark buttondown he's oddly free of dust or oil stains for someone that by all rights should be as disheveled as the mess around him.

"I was wondering when this would start attracting attention." Orion kept his tone and general attitude impartial. Whether this visit was curious or an annoyance didn't show.

[una_persson]

"I hope I'm not being a bother." Una stepped off her bicycle, holding it up by the handlebars. She was wearing a light sweater, a knee-length skirt that was neatly tailored in such a way as to preserve all modesty when cycling, and polished riding boots. She extended a hand gloved in fine leather. "Una Persson. I couldn't help noticing your setup and I thought I'd drop by."

[optout]

"Ms. Persson," Orion greeted her as he jerked his chin in the direction of the garage - gesturing that she was welcome to follow as he turned back inside.

Whatever space inside the gutted building wasn't taken up by the amassed, thrown away machines was swallowed up by a massive shape in the back of the room. A semi-truck sans trailer lorded over the confined space with its sheer size, and despite being covered in scratches and dust the way everything in the room was parted before it implied that it was still very much in use.

"My partner and I retrofitted our apartments to better suit our needs to study the looming threat of war and a possible energy crisis," Orion explained as he showed Una further inside the massive space. While distant and cool, Orion seemed to enjoy the company as something that shook up the monotony.

"Of course we expected that it would attract attention, but I for one welcome it. Can I help you?"

[una_persson]

She followed him, looking about with curiosity at the surroundings. "You might," she said. "I don't suppose your native world has much about it in the way of ... temporal physics?" Sometimes Una preferred not to lead right out of the gate with time travel, and this was one of those times.

[optout]

Orion halted in mid-stride as if had suddenly been struck. Quickly he turned around sharply on his heels and looked pointedly at Una as if he were trying to gauge her motives for asking such a question that by the look of him might as well been a vulgar curse.

"The Regenesis program, yes" He affirmed slowly as his eyes looked out about a thousand yards passed Ms. Persson. "Unfortunately I'm intimately familiar with the concept, and its execution."

[una_persson]

She hadn't expected to touch a nerve. She ducked her head a little, slightly abashed.

"I've never heard of a Regenesis program," she said. "And I apologise if I've said something to offend or call up an unpleasant memory."

[optout]

"I wouldn't think so." Orion was tempted to comment that it had cost several planets and countless lives, but he remembered he wasn't exactly permitted to discuss the war in detail per his own set of rules. Still, any foulness in his temper appeared to dissipate.

"It was an experiment for renewable energy covering several planets that reacted poorly to most environments it had been tested on," He described mindful not to say much of its nature or how it had adversely affected Earth, "One planet underwent certain...changes that removed it from linear time."

"What's your interest in time travel, exactly?"

[una_persson]

Ah. Well, with a story like that, anyone would be more than a bit sensitive on the subject of temporal manipulation. She couldn't help feeling a little uncharacteristically embarrassed when she answered.

"Practical interest. Very practical interest." She glanced back toward the entrance, where her bicycle was where she'd left it propped against a wall. "It is, you might say, my day job, at least when I'm not meant to fight noncorporeal entities in a city borne on the back of a giant turtle."

[optout]

Orion looked at Una with all the severity usually reserved for someone examining a bomb they were in the process of diffusing. To say he looked skeptical would be a criminal understatement. Whatever decision he came to hung in silence until the air between became stale and uncomfortable.

"I have what you need," He admitted in a cagey voice as his eyes flickered to the back of the lab.

[una_persson]

Una wasn't used to feeling intimidated—though even people who actively tried to do so rarely fixed her with as much intensity of focus as Orion was doing now. Neverthless she kept her chin up and her gaze steady, determined to wait him out.

There might have been the tiniest relieved exhale when he finally spoke, however.

"If that's the case, then I am very much in your debt."

[optout]

"If this ends up helping the rest of us then I owe you more than you can imagine," Orion exhaled through the nose with a loud snort with an emotion that straddled derision and amusement.

If Una managed the impossible and used this technology for the betterment of those here then he couldn't even begin to voice what a relief that would be to his weighted conscious.

"Ore-1," Orion explain as he disappeared into some dark corner of the lab only to return with a small vile containing something yellow and luminescent, "Warped linear time for an entire planet."

He extended to the vile to Una, "This is just a sample of purified energon native to my world altered to recreate Ore-1, but it should give you what you need."

[una_persson]

She accepted it gingerly, cautious as ever where temporal anomalies were concerned. As she took it, she noticed that on the instrument on her wrist, a dial that had not moved since she arrived in Keeliai slowly came to life. What that meant was uncertain until she had time to investigate further, but it looked enough like progress that she'd take it.

"Thank you," she said. "I'll be very careful with it."

[optout]

"I hope some good can come of it," Orion replied "And placing my trust in humans is a lesson I've been hurting to learn again."

While he considered the Ore something of an olive branch he doubted Una would be the first or last human he'd end up working with out of necessity. Unbeknownst to her, Orion was really hedging his bets on this hoping it would disprove that any of their technology in human hands only lead to ruin.

"I wish you the best."

[una_persson]

Humans gets the slightest of raised eyebrows, but Una is by now all too accustomed to people not being what they seem, and it seems rude to pry further. "Then I shall endeavour not to break that trust," she says. It's the sort of thing she might sometimes say lightly, but here her expression and tone are sincere. "And I shall keep you informed as to the results of my research. Perhaps it will help you in turn."

[optout]

"Please do, Ms. Persson," Orion bowed at the waist as he knew this was a sign of human supplication, "I await any information concerning your experiment."

From just this brief encounter, Orion knew Una could be counted on to be nothing if not sure of herself and honest in her intent. Truly, he hoped what he could offer would come as a benefit to those human and not lost in Keelail

[una_persson]

"You'll have it." She smiled. "Thank you, Mr Pax." She tucked the vial away in an inside pocket of her coat, where it would be safe, and turned to go.

OPEN

[una_persson]

You might meet Una in the markets of the Water sector, or hanging about of an evening at the Brazen Turtle. You might also meet her at the turtle's head, in a contemplative mood. Or, if you've got a reason for it, you could call on her at home in the Wood sector.