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Post by Admin on Sept 13, 2016 1:50:38 GMT
In the Meta Club building, Greta is busy calling some people on the phone. "Yes. I know this is likely short notice...but, our Oracle is known to be reliable. Yes, I know this is a serious accusation. Thaat's why I'm making sure to go through the proper channels. If she's wrong, well...I suppose it will be my head. As you know, I have a personal stake in accusations such as this. Thank you."
She leans back, and starts massaging her head. "This...is going to end badly. I hope that Millie is not mistaken. Okay...so...I need to prepare to meet the investigator...and more."
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Post by polaris on Sept 13, 2016 3:03:38 GMT
Her breath comes in the dry clamor of a broken accordion, but Millie bounds up the stairs with the same energy with which she left the homeless shelter. Celia and Chii were gone, probably in that van--the same van that was killing homeless people as part of some cruel scheme! They need help; and so did Millie, if she was going to do anything right! And that meant going back to the one person who always knew what to do. As she finally got to the right floor, Millie raced for the door to Greta's office and threw her shoulder into it with a loud crash.
...The door had to be pulled open. Millie leaned against it for a few moments, groaning softly and rubbing her arm. Then she opened the door and went inside.
"Greta? Greta!! Please, I need hel--Chii and Celia need--we need help!"
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kenku
New Member
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Post by kenku on Sept 13, 2016 3:11:57 GMT
As Millie enters the office, a young Tengu floats his way up the stairs. Karasu Keanu had been hoping to get some help from Greta on his current quest in town. From what he had heard on the phone, Greta had heard of the coin he thought of, and thus he knee that he needed to talk to her in person to get better understanding of where it might be. As he reached the floor, he blinked and cocked his head as watches Millie bounce off and then open the door, before yelling at who he believed was his contact in panic. Thinking it was better to wait, the Raven for the moment simply stood near the door, and waiting for Millie to finish.
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felix
New Member
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Post by felix on Sept 13, 2016 12:11:38 GMT
Felix enters the Meta Club and takes a seat to rest on. He looks around and sees Millie panicking. Wondering about it, he makes a move to start to stand up, before deciding that it's none of his business unless something's asked of him. Felix then settles back down into his seat.
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darius
Junior Member
Posts: 81
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Post by darius on Sept 13, 2016 12:21:05 GMT
Delphi enters the room with a small pamphlet about edible wild plants in hand, having missed Millie's panicked pleas for help. She sits down on at a couch and, sighing, opens the pamphlet to try to read it. It's quite obvious to nearly anyone even remotely paying attention to Delphi that she doesn't want to read the pamphlet, but feels compelled to for some reason.
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Post by manbehindthecurtain on Sept 15, 2016 1:27:23 GMT
Just then, a piece of butterfly paper flies into the Meta Club and gently boops Millie in the nose before settling in her hands. It's from Chii.
"Millie,
This is Chii. I am sorry about not getting in touch with you faster - cell service is poor. Seina told me about how she and Celia are infiltrating the place while you were talking with the scientist, and then I was forced to deal with an emergency - there was a fire far away and I had to lend my power to channelers. Because of this, I missed the bus. I should be here with the next bus.
Talk to Greta - I managed to get in touch with her. Take care.
- Chii"
Then, just as Millie finishes reading the letter, Chii runs into the club. Seems she got a faster than expected ride. A low rumble can be heard in the distance, as if from a faraway truck motor.
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Post by Admin on Sept 15, 2016 14:20:39 GMT
Greta looks up at Millie...and the rest. "Ah...I see we have a diverse crowd here currently. Excellent, I have something to announce. We have a bit of a...well, "field trip" going on. I've just been talking with Psyche. They're willing to let us go along on a rather standard, albeit important, investigation. You see...a recent large company has been accused of unethical, psychic research. Which is what Psyche was made to deal with. Fortunately, since they are now a government organization, they have the authority to deal with things officially, as opposed ot...off the books."
She steps forwards, and looks over to Delphi. "You will likely be interested in this as well. They're working with Dryad fruit."
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darius
Junior Member
Posts: 81
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Post by darius on Sept 16, 2016 10:50:07 GMT
"THEY'RE WORKING WITH WHAT!" Delphi screams, "WHY WOULD ANYONE...", pausing for a moment, Delphi pales as the blood drains from her face. "Oh, God, please tell me they aren't using information from my change as a base. Can... can I make a phone call? Please? Maybe two, I don't know. If possible, I'd like to ask one of the medical personnel who helped me come with us. Please? Fuck, fuck, fuck. Oh, God, I hope they'll be able to receive permission to come. Fuck." By the end of this, Delphi's breathing has gone ragged, and she's started rubbing her arms. She's quite terrified of the thought that someone's using her medical information unethically, particularly the information about her transformation. She'd prefer reducing how many people went through what she did, not make more of them.
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felix
New Member
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Post by felix on Sept 16, 2016 10:58:48 GMT
Felix watches as Delphi turns into a screaming banshee and then dissolves into a traumatized little girl in all of ten seconds. Raising his hand, he asks, "Ah, can someone tell me what Ethical Research of Dryad Fruit looks like? Because, quite honestly, so long as they're using it on people who know what they're taking and are taking it willingly, I can't think of any more ethical means to research how it changes the body. And, if they aren't doing those two things, then their research sounds like it would be difficult to hide."
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Post by Admin on Sept 16, 2016 15:37:38 GMT
Greta turns to Felix, and growls. She purses her lips. "...There is no Ethical Research of Dryad fruit. At least, not out of mostly accident. And, that's the issue. They are, apparently, trying to hide it. Which leaves...quite a few possibilities. None of them are good. The issue with Dryad Fruit...is that the survival rates are...not good. Without medical treatment AND a trained shaper, a female has a survival rate of 43%. Males have a survival rate of 0.25%. WITH medical treatment...women have a 'survival' rate of 95%." She...spits survival. There's...clearly some issues there. "Men...have a survival rate of 1%. Non-humans...half that."
She rubs her head. "And...even if they 'survive'...unless they are an Oread, well...we have the strength of a 14-year-old. Even if we do our best. We can never use psychic powers. And, in a universe where psychic powers are considered normal...we are considered worse cripples then even a quadraplegic. And, we will spend eternity doing it. And...the only thing we are good at..."
She clutches her fist, hard enough to draw red blood. "Our only 'use'...is to breed. For a Dryad can create heroes or monsters...their genes, are such that a child of theirs...will either create the best of all possibilities...or the worst. For one whom desires to create a next generation that is far beyond all others...a Dryad would be a gift from God. All because of this parasite that lives within us. Taking all but our mind from us, leeching off of us. Save for one in a hundred, or one in a thousand, or even more. The Oreads...of which only 12 are known. Those who have turned it into symbiosis. Immortality, regeneration, and increased energy. Said to be the greatest of the "incidental immortals"...And impossible to calculate. Even the figure of 'one in a hundred' is just a guess."
She rubs her forehead. "I've spent centuries dealing with this. Those who desire to use Dryads for power. Those who consider us helpless cripples...I don't know which is worse. I swear, Xalforious Blooddrinker was one of the nicest people to me, and the guy razed my village. Three times."
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felix
New Member
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Post by felix on Sept 19, 2016 11:04:16 GMT
Felix raised a hand to his head as if he was feeling a headache start, while replying to Greta, "Your own reaction sounds like a good reason to keep their research a secret. I'm not saying that they ARE doing the research with good intentions, but that it's POSSIBLE. If ALL of their subjects are taking Dryad Fruit, for whatever reason, willingly and KNOWINGLY, it's as close as ethical as we can expect from anyone. And if the reason for the research is to find ways to, say, immunize people from the fruit or improve survival rates, that's the best we can ask for. Are they doing that? I have NO f***ing idea. They could be doing it for completely selfish reasons. They could be trying to use Dryads for power, like you have seen previously. What I'm saying is that we have NO F***ING INFORMATION besides that they're POSSIBLY doing research with an evil fruit. And all I really asked was what ethical research with the bloody evil fruit looks like, and you bite my head off with a non-answer!"
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Post by Admin on Sept 19, 2016 14:18:32 GMT
Greta rubs her forehead, and sighs. "Sorry. I...this is rather a berserk button for me. Still...I think my point stands. My answer was put in a lot of other information, but it's still clear. No ethical research involves infecting people with Dryad fruit. The side effects of Dryad Fruit are enough, that even if the person is willing, it's still considered medically unethical to do so. It would be like infecting someone with Malaria, AIDs, or Cancer. Now, there is some, limited research, but it involves pre-existing infectees. And, it's VERY highly regulated. Dryad fruit is a highly regulated item."
"That said...it's important to bring up some information. Namely...that all he evidence we have, mainly Millie's oracle abilities, are that they are purposely infecting people. Which...I didn't mention earlier. I...apologize. Delphi, please make your phone calls. And, you're right. We have very little information. Which is why Psyche wants to do a formal investigation, to discover what their research is about. As, again, they're doing off the books research with no oversight. Fortunately, registered Oracles count as 'probable cause' for at least an informal investigation. But...Millie is legally required to be there. People have a right to confront their accuser, and she's our only source of formal information."
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Post by polaris on Sept 20, 2016 2:16:11 GMT
Millie jumps, not seeing the note Chii sends until it touches her. "Ahh! No, wait!" She snatches it like a poster from a wall and presses it against her face as she reads. "...They WHAT? They did it! Ohh, oh no, they did it..." Millie grimaces. At least Chii was coming--but that also meant nobody was watching Celia!
When Greta mentions her oracle powers, Millie snaps out of her panic for a moment. She looks at the other club members, moth open, before finally offering an awkward grin and a small wave.
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darius
Junior Member
Posts: 81
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Post by darius on Sept 20, 2016 12:24:41 GMT
"Ah, right, good!" Delphi said, jumping to attention. She then pulls out her phone and calls the Human Medical Research Facility which she spent the majority of her transformation in.
H59pGY1b (Help - Knowledge: 2)
"Ah, hi. It's Delphi here." Delphi said into the phone, "Yeah, Delphi Drake, the Oread who stayed there for a while. Um, could I ask if someone could come help with something? I'M NOT IN TROUBLE! It's just that, the school club that I joined... no, not the Archery Club, the other one. It's called the Meta Club, it's the recommended one. Yeah, that one. Well, one of the members is an Oracle who says that a company's doing secret, illegal, research. No, normally it wouldn't. But it. There's a. Dryad Fruit. They're researching Dryad Fruit. Yes I'm going! Okay, fine, thanks for that."
Delphi then pulls her phone from her ear. Those with sensitive hearing can hear hold music. "They're checking if someone's free to come with us now."
(OOC: Tried to make a half of a conversation which could go either way, and was easily understood by hearing just Delphi's side without committing to anything. I believe I succeeded) ···
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Post by manbehindthecurtain on Sept 22, 2016 2:00:25 GMT
"Millie!" Chii waves to Millie. "Everything should be alright, although I suspect we will need to be called to support them soon. Just as I sent the letter, I was able to catch a ride with a classmate, so I did not have to wait for the bus, yes?"
She then turned to Greta. "Greta, is there any additional information that I have missed? We were able to ascertain, though with limited hard evidence aside from Millie's vision, that they are performing research with dryad fruit on homeless individuals whom they signed contracts with. Unethical and, unless they are attempting something new, pointless, yes?"
She pauses, then shrugs and adds. "Also, I think the classmate who gave me a ride might be interested in joining the Meta Club, but that is less important right now."
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